THE IMPORTANCE OF “WATERING”YOURSELF 

The Book of Job Chapter 8 and verses 11-14 (NKJV) we read: “Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh? Can the reeds flourish without water? While it is yet green and not cut down, it withers before any other plant. So are the paths of all who forget God; and the hope of the hypocrite shall perish.”

Here are some simple questions with simple answers that carry a very good lesson for every born-again Christian. If we do not nourish ourselves on the Word of God, listening to God, giving time for God, building a genuine relationship with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, then we are going to dry up. Our lives will simply die to the reality of spiritual truth. When a plant cannot be nourished by water it withers and dies. In John 3:5 we are told we have to “born of water and the Spirit” in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 5:26 tells us that Jesus “sanctifies her (the Church) with the washing of the water by the word.” To “water” ourselves we have need to personally apply the truth and principles of what Jesus has declared to us. The written word will always confirm the spoken word. We cannot expect to be Christians and not develop a personal devotional life. We cannot live on meetings alone. For any relationship to develop correctly it has to be watered; it has to have life given into it so that it will grow.

We cannot ignore this principle. If we do not take the time to water our souls, then we are going to forget God, in that we will not carry the conviction of what God says to us as being more right than any other word(s) we hear in this life. A hypocrite is an “actor, a pretender; a double-minded person who says one thing but lives out another.” The Scripture here is clear. If we live that way, we are guilty of not watering the new life that has been placed within us by Jesus, and the result will be that we will “wither” and then “perish” as a result of our own neglect. Be aware that the effects of no water are not always seen immediately. The “drying up” process takes place gradually, often unnoticed, until it is too late. Lack of water is recognized by the withering of the plant, which, if left unwatered, will die a natural death.

Let us always be thirsty enough to drink of the “rivers of living water” that the Holy Spirit brings to us. It is wise to have a regular watering time in the presence of God. In these busy times, unless we make the effort, form the discipline, etc., it is so easy to neglect these very important times with the Lord. Make very sure you have a regular time of watering your soul ~ then you will never dry up to the extent that you will wither and die spiritually! I cannot do it for you, and you cannot do it for me. So, settle the issue today and make very sure you spend time watering your soul in the presence of the Lord. ~ Rodney W. Francis.

Bible  Readings:  Ezekiel 47:1-12; John 7:37-39; Matthew 7:7-29.