THERE IS A RIVER!

THERE IS A RIVER!

Ps 46:4

4 There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High.

Rev 22:1-3

22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2 In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3 And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

          What John saw in Revelation chapter 22, Ezekiel also recorded in his 47^th chapter. An angelic guide gave Ezekiel a grand tour of the city of God and the river which issued from under the threshold is a prominent feature. To the people of the arid region of Israel water is a great treasure. The character of this river is pure, clear as crystal, and it may be enjoyed as much as needed.

          This river is emblematic of God’s peace. While the sea rages and casts up mire and flotsam this river is still and deep. The mind can imagine a resting place with cool green grassy banks upon which to lounge unmolested by any trouble. He leads us beside the still waters and makes us to lie down in this green grass. This river is the peace of God’s fulfilled purpose. Every puzzle piece is securely in place and there is no question that languishes without an answer. This kind of peace is not to be found in this world except in brief moments.

          It is this kind of peace, a river of peace, which believers look forward to. We are going to that city. Here the heathen rage and mobs rant and violence fills the streets. Unsatisfied men wound and kill each other but they are unsatisfied still. On that peaceful shore there is no want or need that has not been bountifully fulfilled. There the soul rests by the river. There the nations are healed by the medicine of the leaves of the trees.

2 Thess 1:7

7 And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,

Dear Lord, give your own peace to those who are troubled today. May they enjoy peace like a river. AMEN

INVITING OTHERS TO COME!

INVITING OTHERS TO COME!

Num 10:29-32

29 And Moses said unto Hobab, the son of Raguel the Midianite, Moses' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord  said, I will give it you: come thou with us, and we will do thee good: for the Lord  hath spoken good concerning Israel.

30 And he said unto him, I will not go; but I will depart to mine own land, and to my kindred.

31 And he said, Leave us not, I pray thee; forasmuch as thou knowest how we are to encamp in the wilderness, and thou mayest be to us instead of eyes.

32 And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord  shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.

          The son of Moses’ father in law meant that Hobab was his brother in law! Moses wanted his in-laws to journey with them to the promised land. At first Hobab declined the offer. He preferred to stay in his own land with his own people. Why should he sacrifice comfort and security for an unknown future? It was a comfortable choice but Moses knew it would be the wrong choice.

          Moses knew that anyone travelling with Israel would be blessed in the end. They were going to the land of promise. So Moses offered Hobab an incentive. He asked him to be Israel’s guide. Now, I know that Israel was being guided by the pillar of cloud and fire, but Hobab had knowledge of the terrain and was experienced in how to arrange encampments. Warren Wiersbe says: “Hobab must have agreed to the proposal, because years later we find his descendants living with the Israelites (Judg 1:16; 4:11).”

          We should be inviting others to come! We must not minimize the difficulty of the journey but we should emphasize the blessings to those who join us. As Moses said: “if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what goodness the Lord  shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee.”

Dear Lord, it is hard to convince those who are comfortably situated to travel with us but let us persist in inviting others to come because of the blessings at the end of the journey. AMEN

WISH OR HOPE?

WISH OR HOPE?

3 John 2

2 Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Heb 6:17-19

17 Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath:

18 That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:

19 Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;

          Merriam-Webster defines “wish” as “to have a desire; long for.” The word “hope” is: “to desire with expectation of fulfillment.” In the English Bible the word wish is found only six times while the word hope is found 129 times. Hope is all over the Bible!

          We may wish, or have a strong desire, for many things but have no real expectation that those wishes will come true. We may wish for a million dollars with absolutely no expectation of ever receiving that amount. Wishing is just dreaming.

          Hope, however, has an expectation. Hope has a foundation. Hope looks forward to that day when the dream becomes a reality. Our hope, according to the writer of Hebrews, is anchored in the veil of the Temple. This veil was torn in two from the top to the bottom when Jesus died to pay for our sins. My sin-debt was cancelled and I now have genuine hope.

          My hope is not just based upon an historical event. My hope is built on my relationship with Christ. He said to come unto Him and I came. He said to repent and I did so. He said to trust and I trusted. He said to believe and I do believe. He said He would wash away all my sin initially and then give me daily cleansing. As the song says…

My hope is built on nothing less

Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame

But wholly lean on Jesus name.

          Is your hope well founded or are you just wishing?

Dear Lord, thank you for a lively hope. Thank you that my hope is a true hope and not just a wish. AMEN