My friend, Dusty, recently downloaded Casting Crown's new album Come To The Well and the title track is really impacting me. It says "Leave it all behind, I have what you need. But you keep on searching. I've done all the work but you keep on working. when you're running on empty and you can't find the remedy, just come to the well. You can spend your whole life chasing what's missing, but that empty inside, it just ain't gonna listen. when nothing can satisfy and the world leaves you high and dry, just come to the well. and all who thirst will thirst no more and all who search will find what the soul longs for, the world will try, but it can never filll so leave it all behind and come to the well. so bring me your heart, no matter how broken, just come as you are, when you're last prayer is spoken. just rest in my arms a while, you'll feel the change my child, just come to the well. The world will try, but it can never fill; leave it all behind. and now that you're full of love beyond measure, you're joys gonna flow like a stream in the desert. soon the whole world will see that living water is found in Me because you come to the well."
It's really poignant and reminds me that, in order to pour out, in order to direct others to Christ, I need to be full of Christ. I need to leave behind all that holds me back, fear of rejection, temporary pleasures, pursuit of perfection, my earthly treasures and anything that is not in the well, and I need to go fill back up. It brings me back to what really sustains me, not what I want to sustain me. Without Christ, without love, without faith, without patience, without the fruits that come from living and residing in the spirit, I am nothing. I'll always fail – even with these things I'll fail in some arena. But so long as I'm filling myself up daily, with mercies that are new every morning, with faith, hope and love, love will always prevail.
How fitting that i should write this on Valentines Day. Today I learned about Saint Valentine; how he was arrested for promoting Christianity, as well as for marrying Christians. He was eventually beheaded because Valentine tried to covert he who arrested him. He is the patron saint of marriage, travellers, young adults, and oddly, beekeepers (don't ask me…). It comes down to the fact that he was killed because of his beliefs. He was killed because of Christ. He was killed because of love.
Tonight we celebrated V-Day. It was wonderful. The men of my team, Push (ps, we changed our name!) and of team 220, put together a great night of fun. The ladies were doted on by the men. We got dressed up, the escorted us to a decorated house and served us a dinner that they helped Mi Hai make, serenaded us, planned a skit, and just loved on us in such a beautiful and humbling way. It was servanthood at it's finest. As 2 teams, we made bags to put valentines in and everyone made everyone else valentines. It was kind of like Christmas, because some people gave gum or hot coco packets or candy, but the best things were the notes. We felt so special the entire night, and especially so after reading our "valentines" and seeing the kind words others wrote. We were loved. And it was truly wonderful.
Are you going to the well and filling yourself? Are you finding refreshment, rejuvenation, and joy? I pray that you are finding time on a daily basis to set your heart apart, to give it to God, to allow Him to speak to you and grow you. Listen to him, seek him out, rest in his presence. Let HIM sustain you, don't sustain yourselves. God saves – you don't save yourself, He saves you. Rest in that, stop trying so hard to prove yourselve right among others. Let God be your strength, especially in your weakness.
My friend, Dusty, recently downloaded Casting Crown's new album Come To The Well and the title track is really impacting me. It says "Leave it all behind, I have what you need. But you keep on searching. I've done all the work but you keep on working. when you're running on empty and you can't find the remedy, just come to the well. You can spend your whole life chasing what's missing, but that empty inside, it just ain't gonna listen. when nothing can satisfy and the world leaves you high and dry, just come to the well. and all who thirst will thirst no more and all who search will find what the soul longs for, the world will try, but it can never filll so leave it all behind and come to the well. so bring me your heart, no matter how broken, just come as you are, when you're last prayer is spoken. just rest in my arms a while, you'll feel the change my child, just come to the well. The world will try, but it can never fill; leave it all behind. and now that you're full of love beyond measure, you're joys gonna flow like a stream in the desert. soon the whole world will see that living water is found in Me because you come to the well."
It's really poignant and reminds me that, in order to pour out, in order to direct others to Christ, I need to be full of Christ. I need to leave behind all that holds me back, fear of rejection, temporary pleasures, pursuit of perfection, my earthly treasures and anything that is not in the well, and I need to go fill back up. It brings me back to what really sustains me, not what I want to sustain me. Without Christ, without love, without faith, without patience, without the fruits that come from living and residing in the spirit, I am nothing. I'll always fail – even with these things I'll fail in some arena. But so long as I'm filling myself up daily, with mercies that are new every morning, with faith, hope and love, love will always prevail.
How fitting that I should write this on Valentines Day. On Valentines Day, I learned about Saint Valentine; how he was arrested for promoting Christianity, as well as for marrying Christians. He was eventually beheaded because Valentine tried to covert he who arrested him. He is the patron saint of marriage, travellers, young adults, and oddly, beekeepers (don't ask me…). It comes down to the fact that he was killed because of his beliefs. He was killed because of Christ. He was killed because of love.
Tonight we celebrated V-Day. It was wonderful. The men of my team, Push (ps, we changed our name!) and of team 220, put together a great night of fun. The ladies were doted on by the men. We got dressed up, the escorted us to a decorated house and served us a dinner that they helped Mi Hai make, serenaded us, planned a skit, and just loved on us in such a beautiful and humbling way. It was servanthood at it's finest. As 2 teams, we made bags to put valentines in and everyone made everyone else valentines. It was kind of like Christmas, because some people gave gum or hot coco packets or candy, but the best things were the notes. We felt so special the entire night, and especially so after reading our "valentines" and seeing the kind words others wrote. We were loved. And it was truly wonderful.
Are you going to the well and filling yourself? Are you finding refreshment, rejuvenation, and joy? I pray that you are finding time on a daily basis to set your heart apart, to give it to God, to allow Him to speak to you and grow you. Listen to him, seek him out, rest in his presence. Let HIM sustain you, don't sustain yourselves. God saves – you don't save yourself, He saves you. Rest in that, stop trying so hard to prove yourselve right among others. Let God be your strength, especially in your weakness.
