BEANS AND WATER
The other day I was
laughing about the huge bag of beans I still haven’t consumed. They were a part
of my survival plan in case of an emergency. I bought them back in 2013, and I’m still working on getting them eaten. I
also bought gallons and gallons of water, which I either drank or used to water
the plants. The two items, beans, and water made me think of staying strong in the Word of God and getting refreshed on our
journeys.
Beans are a staple, and they last for a long time without going
bad. I got my big bag of beans five years ago, and
when I cooked some up this weekend, they were delicious. They are a great source
of protein, complex carbohydrates, fiber, and fat. They’re also a powerhouse of
nutrients including antioxidants, and vitamins and minerals such as copper,
iron, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.
For me, the beans
represented the solid, well-known Biblical principles, such as “love God and love
your neighbors as yourself,” and stories that always teach us a great lesson,
like David and Goliath, Samson and Delilah, Joseph and the Pharaoh, etc.
Then there’s water. The
gallons of water I was saving for an emergency were
way more maintenance than the beans. The plastic on the gallons would begin to break down. I’d see the bottles bend, shrink
and lose their shape and then their water, little by little. I had to keep track
of the dates on the water and use it before it got stale. It reminded me of how
we need to faithfully keep finding new refreshing water from the Word of God,
so our soul lives don’t get dull.
Finding new things to
refresh and delight us, takes more work than tending the “beans.” Psalm 42:1
gives us the essence of what our attitude needs be each week:
“As the hart panteth after the water
brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.” Psalm 43:19 tells us: “Behold, I
will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will
even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.”
Rivers in the desert are surprises, delights, and
true survival to a thirsty soul. We need new delights in our Christian walk. The
Lord has lots of new delights for us. He says in Psalm 29:3 that “the voice of
the Lord is upon the waters: the God of glory thundereth: the Lord is upon many
waters. The voice of the Lord is
powerful; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.”
God sometimes hides His treasures in plain
sight. We seek them, and He promises “the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” The Lord’s water “springs”
up. The wording indicates a freshness of activity and excitement. God’s water
is bubbling and even sometimes turns into the most precious wine. When Jesus
turned the water into wine at the wedding party, it was the best wine the
guests tasted, and it was a wonderful celebration.
Some of you go to a church where you often
hear new sermons to inspire you. If that doesn’t happen for you, then you can
easily go on YouTube and check out some new preachers that may talk about
things you haven’t heard in church. John 7:38 tells us that living water flows
from people filled with the Holy Spirit, and I believe this verse is talking
about more than speaking in your personal
prayer language: “He that believeth
on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.” Also,
you often hear me talk about doing a word study on a favorite passage. That activity
always gets me excited and refreshed.
Beans and water. Let’s
keep solid and faithful in the old, well-proven
statutes of God’s Word and let’s keep seeking the treasures we can discover in the
Lord’s rivers in the desert.
Love, Carolyn
Get your copy:
If you cant get it on
Amazon, let me know, and I’ll send a pdf
or word doc to your email. cjmolica@hotmail.com