Love…just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Ephesians 5:25-27.

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:38.

We ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:7-10.

And continuing our 351 Old Testament prophecies, promises of God, fulfilled in Jesus Christ, we come to number 131: All nations shall call Him blessed. Psalm 72:17: May his name endure forever; may his name increase as long as the sun shines; and let men bless themselves by him; let all nations call him blessed. And, John 12:13; Revelation 5:8-12: Took the branches of the palm trees and went out to meet Him, and began to shout, “Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD, even the King of Israel.” When He had taken the book, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are You to take the book and to break its seals; for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.” Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

This morning in My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers: “Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our LORD’S teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the development of a person – His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself, and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts. God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us – and we cannot measure that at all. ‘He who believes in Me…out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’ – and hundreds of other lives will be continually refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our LORD is asking who of us will do it for Him?”

Our local church is in search of direction from God about where we will dwell physically for services. Even saying that, I realize we dwell in Him – with one another! And that is the beauty of the church home we have found together. I googled church and AI responded: In the Bible, God defines the church as a spiritual community of people who place their faith in Jesus Christ, rather than a physical building or human institution.” We kind of joke that when the cloud moves, we as a congregation move, like the children of Israel in the desert, who didn’t know where they were going but God did know, so they followed the cloud. Which leads to the early church which was made up of people of every tribe and tongue and people and nation, who, in being led by God, rejoiced to be together worshiping Him. And it was such a new thing! Our church has that sense of rejoicing to be with one another, helping one another, praying for one another, as we worship Creator God – Father, Son, Spirit. As long as we are together we are good whether in a new physical church building shared by another congregation, or in the homes of the elders even though that can be a very tight squeeze. The very movement God brings about in us – is the movement of caring deeply for one another. We truly are a family. And we are His. The elders are asking us to pray for them and to listen to what God would have us do; and I realized my prayer is for the elders; and that we supporting them will move together in the direction God leads. It’s exciting because being patient as we wait trusting God – is a gift of receiving. We can settle into the peace trusting God brings because ultimately we are together and God is with us. And this is so much more than waiting for direction regarding one local church’s possibilities for a physical place to meet. It’s about all of us trusting God as we live in this temporary physical world that is itself filled with questions unending and needing God’s Presence to guide us, like that cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, and like the Holy Spirit faithfully leading the early church of believers Who leads us still. And He is here, always. Can we learn to listen to God who loves us and grow together with others sharing the flowing river of living water that is in Christ our LORD?

***A RESET TODAY – LORD, I long for those moments early in my faith when I felt Your closeness, Your joy, Your energy, and Your zest for life. I confess that the daily grind has ground down my passion for You. I confess that I allow the cares of the world to choke out the joy of the gospel. LORD, turn my heart toward You again. Fix my eyes on You; fix my heart on You. Help me have a reset in my faith and in my life, starting today. Renew my heart; renew my life for You and Your ways. Help me see the daily routines of life as moments to gracefully submit to Your will. Thank You for being the LORD of my life every day. Jennifer Waddle, “What to Do When You Need to Reset Your Life and Faith,” iBelieve.com, January 3, 2017.***