When the landscape of our life is brown, dry, and weary


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Jesus promises that He will instill in us a fountain of living water that shall never run dry. 

 

"Well, that's for the faithful folks--the active ones--those with multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations, and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings."

 

Really?  Jesus made that promise to a 5-time divorcee Samaritan woman, who was shacking up with her boyfriend.  He promised her greenness, moistness, and vitality.  Life--a fount that would never run dry.

 

Maybe it's time to get back to the essential--to Jesus?  When He is the center we can endure/bare all things.

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Prison Chaplain, I thought you were talking about my backyard at first.

 

The LORD wants all to follow Him.  He called Matthew, a Roman tax collector, to follow Him and be one of His Apostles.  Rather than stoning an adulteress woman, Jesus told her to: "Go and sin no more."  The Prophet Joseph Smith wrote: "And the woman glorified God from that hour, and believed on his name." (See the Inspired Version of the Bible, chapter 8, verse 11.)

 

Isaiah wrote: "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price." - Isaiah 55:1

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I also think we need to remember that the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. As much as it may seem so.

 

Even when it is, we come to find out that artificial turf offers no sustenance.  :-)

 

Where we sometimes err is in thinking that if we just add more water to the lawn then we'll feel better.  Sometimes we need to stop watering, sit down, and enjoy some lemonaid.  How might that look for us?  Well, maybe instead of one more visitation, or one more task, what we need is to sit down, put on some inspirational music, and allow the peace, rest and comfort of our Master to soothe our weary souls.

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True conversion unto Christ is shown through the works you do, something very much taught by the apostles. Grace is still received free without coin, by those who place faith in him and believe.

 

John 14:15 "If you love me, keep my commandments."

Still at the basics :)

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Jesus promises that He will instill in us a fountain of living water that shall never run dry. 

 

"Well, that's for the faithful folks--the active ones--those with multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations, and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings."

 

Really?  Jesus made that promise to a 5-time divorcee Samaritan woman, who was shacking up with her boyfriend.  He promised her greenness, moistness, and vitality.  Life--a fount that would never run dry.

 

Maybe it's time to get back to the essential--to Jesus?  When He is the center we can endure/bare all things.

 

I must be missing something????  If Jesus is our center we ought to be quite different than those that are not centere in Jesus.  I guess the question I am asking is must we change ourselves to make Jesus our center or does Jesus change us so that he becomes our center.  I am thinking Jesus does not force us to do anything we do not agree to do.

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"Well, that's for the faithful folks--the active ones--those with multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations, and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings."

 

 

Hey PC, loved the comment.

 

But can you tell me who you were quoting and the context in which it was said? 'Cause my natural instinct is to say that it's true that those who follow Him are the ones who get the blessings in the next life, but I think it's pretty clear from the book of Job that the rain falls on Sinner and Saint alike.

 

But 'Multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings' sounds to me like looking beyond the mark.

 

The rich man that Jesus loved, for instance, had to sell everything he owned to follow Christ. The Centurion who God opened the heavens for, on the other hand, just prayed a lot and gave to the poor while the poor woman gave only a tiny bit of her funds in humility and grace.The tax collector just begged for forgiveness.

 

It seems to me that God wants what we can give him. No more and no less. 

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Jesus promises that He will instill in us a fountain of living water that shall never run dry. 

 

"Well, that's for the faithful folks--the active ones--those with multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations, and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings."

 

Really?  Jesus made that promise to a 5-time divorcee Samaritan woman, who was shacking up with her boyfriend.  He promised her greenness, moistness, and vitality.  Life--a fount that would never run dry.

 

Maybe it's time to get back to the essential--to Jesus?  When He is the center we can endure/bare all things.

 

He will instill in us a fountain of living water that shall never run dry conditionally upon our following Him. I don't know of anywhere that Jesus taught that we may continue to turn away from him, revel in sin, fail to do as He asked us to (repent), and still be filled. The promise to the Samaritan woman was conditional upon her actually drinking the water He offered.

 

I dunno. Getting back to the essential--to Jesus--is to follow Him, keep His commandments, and feed His sheep. I'm not sure how one can get back to Jesus without doing as He asked us to do, including the visits, tithes, church activity, etc. We cannot accept Jesus and ignore Him at the same time.

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I must be missing something????  If Jesus is our center we ought to be quite different than those that are not centere in Jesus.  I guess the question I am asking is must we change ourselves to make Jesus our center or does Jesus change us so that he becomes our center.  I am thinking Jesus does not force us to do anything we do not agree to do.

 

I'll give you the classic college answer to this either/or inquiry:  YES.  He does come in, at our invitation.  Yet, we must surrender our lives, and our center to him.  When we first say, "Come," and every day.  Every time we are tempted.  Every time we decide.  It's not so much what we accomplish as it is constantly looking for his will and his way.  Perhaps, most especially, when we are weary and overloaded, to be still and say, "Jesus, reveal your glory!"

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Hey PC, loved the comment.

 

But can you tell me who you were quoting and the context in which it was said? 'Cause my natural instinct is to say that it's true that those who follow Him are the ones who get the blessings in the next life, but I think it's pretty clear from the book of Job that the rain falls on Sinner and Saint alike.

 

But 'Multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings' sounds to me like looking beyond the mark.

 

The rich man that Jesus loved, for instance, had to sell everything he owned to follow Christ. The Centurion who God opened the heavens for, on the other hand, just prayed a lot and gave to the poor while the poor woman gave only a tiny bit of her funds in humility and grace.The tax collector just begged for forgiveness.

 

It seems to me that God wants what we can give him. No more and no less. 

 

I made up the quote, so it had no context.  However, it could well have been Martha.  It could be any of us.  We get so busy with God's business that we neglect our intimacy with Him.

 

When we convert we say, "Just as I am, without one plea, but that thy blood was shed for me."  Could it be that we should offer that up daily, instead of only once?

 

The work is to bring God glory.  However, if it dries us out, and distances us from Him, then has the work not failed in its purpose?

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I don't know of anywhere that Jesus taught that we may continue to turn away from him, revel in sin, fail to do as He asked us to (repent), and still be filled. The promise to the Samaritan woman was conditional upon her actually drinking the water He offered.

 

 

Maybe all I am suggesting is that we drink more water.  We might end up doing less work, but we might do it more effectively.  If we drink the water daily we're less likely to turn away, revel in sin, etc.

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Hey PC, loved the comment.

 

But can you tell me who you were quoting and the context in which it was said? 'Cause my natural instinct is to say that it's true that those who follow Him are the ones who get the blessings in the next life, but I think it's pretty clear from the book of Job that the rain falls on Sinner and Saint alike.

 

But 'Multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings' sounds to me like looking beyond the mark.

 

The rich man that Jesus loved, for instance, had to sell everything he owned to follow Christ. The Centurion who God opened the heavens for, on the other hand, just prayed a lot and gave to the poor while the poor woman gave only a tiny bit of her funds in humility and grace.The tax collector just begged for forgiveness.

 

It seems to me that God wants what we can give him. No more and no less. 

I am confused - the rich man was told by Jesus to sell all he had and follow Him- this the rich man could NOT do as he loved his possessions more. Mark 10: 19-30

 

The Widow (poor woman) gave not a tiny bit of her funds - but all she had, AND she did it with a willing and happy heart. Mark 12:41-44.

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Jesus promises that He will instill in us a fountain of living water that shall never run dry. 

 

"Well, that's for the faithful folks--the active ones--those with multiple callings, up-to-date home visitations, and church giving that far surpasses the tithe and standard offerings."

 

Really?  Jesus made that promise to a 5-time divorcee Samaritan woman, who was shacking up with her boyfriend.  He promised her greenness, moistness, and vitality.  Life--a fount that would never run dry.

 

Maybe it's time to get back to the essential--to Jesus?  When He is the center we can endure/bare all things.

Being *active* in Church; i.e. holding a calling, doing our VT(for me), attending all three of the Sunday meetings and the once a month RS Evening Meeting isn't really a guarantee that the landscape of my spiritual life is going to NOT be brown. 

 

Where is it in the Bible that the Samaritan woman at the well was a 5-time divorcee and was at the time shacking up? Read John 4:6-26. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/4?lang=eng

 

In John 8:2-11, is when the Scribes brought a woman condemned of adultery for Christ to judge. This was not in Samaria. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/8?lang=eng

 

If the landscape of our spiritual life if brown and dry - then it is so because we have not nourished it with the living waters of Christ. Being active in Church is just a small part of our spiritual nourishment. We must also be active in reading the scriptures, obey the commandments, obeying the living prophet of God. The blessings promised to us by God must be asked for and worked for. 

 

You can till the ground, plant good fertile seeds, but if you do not nourish those seeds with water, they will not grow. The same for our spiritual growth. 

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I tend to agree with very much with Iggy.  Those that come to mortality experience the brownness or baroness of life.  The epoch of Job indicates clearly that even those that remain steadfast in righteous faith and receive of the living waters will experience great difficulty.  We should not make the error of Job’s friends that thought that somehow by some fault of the righteous that the disappointments are brought upon us. 

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Amen Iggy, and amen Prisonchaplain. To paraphrase C.S. Lewis, the Saviors way is difficult, he wants us to give him everything. He does not want a part of "our" time and "our" money, he wants it all. And when we give are all we will get his all, who is the greatest of all. While his way is difficult our way is impossible. We want to give up those things that are bad but at the end of the day are still hoping that our natural man will still have some time to do what it wants.

 

When we are neither hot nor cold we find the christian way very difficult. We end up very unhappy indeed because we begrudge giving up every moment of ourselves. However, what we can't do, what we must not do, is to work harder but still try to cling to the self. Instead, we have to humble ourselves before the Lord, acknowledge that we cannot do it and ask for a new heart. Ask, ask, ask. When our heart is broken and we our sincere we will find that we want to follow him. We have been changed!  The natural man is still there but he has much less sway over our hearts. Then the living water infuses out life and we can drink deeply. 

 

I am so satisfied with this gospel life. I feel like I want to give my joy to everyone. The waves foll and the thunder peals but deep down the spirit of the Lord is supporting me. What of the waves? What of the thunder? Let them rage on if they will, I have something much more firm, and more abiding, the rock of our Redeemer. He will lift me up at the last day and all this will seem as but a moment. This is what the gospel offers. If you have not found it then you are still on the outside, even if you have been a member your whole life! 

 

(This sounds sort of preachy, but it's the truth. How can I say otherwise?)

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Where is it in the Bible that the Samaritan woman at the well was a 5-time divorcee and was at the time shacking up? Read John 4:6-26. https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/4?lang=eng

 

 

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

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I do not disagree with the spiritual disciplines.  They are vital to long-term health.  Sometimes though God desires to lead us by the still waters--to give us rest.  The living water is Christ himself.  It is the Spirit.  He is our strength and our victory. 

 

Maybe another way of putting it is this:

 

1.  To the 80% who do only 20% of the work, get up, get going, nose to the grind stone...be about the Father's business!

 

2.  To the 20% who do 80% of the work, be still and know God's glory.  Let him carry you and restore your strength and vitality. 

 

 

 

Iggy said: 

 

If the landscape of our spiritual life if brown and dry - then it is so because we have not nourished it with the living waters of Christ. Being active in Church is just a small part of our spiritual nourishment. We must also be active in reading the scriptures, obey the commandments, obeying the living prophet of God. The blessings promised to us by God must be asked for and worked for.

 

You can till the ground, plant good fertile seeds, but if you do not nourish those seeds with water, they will not grow. The same for our spiritual growth.

 

 

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17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

 18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

That does not state that she was divorced from them. They could have died. She also did not lie to Him, she had no husband, and Christ acknowledge that she spoke truly regarding not having a husband. 

 

I took umbrage with your use of the word shacking up. It is such a derogatory description and so very modern day. 

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It is true that it doesn't say she was divorced from them but I find interesting that when Jesus asked her to call her husband, she only answered what was asked of her (she didn't lie but at the same time, she clearly did not want to disclose the fact that she was living with someone that wasn't her husband.

 

Also, I find interesting when she goes to the city and talks to the men there, she says: "Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did".

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That does not state that she was divorced from them. They could have died. She also did not lie to Him, she had no husband, and Christ acknowledge that she spoke truly regarding not having a husband. 

 

I took umbrage with your use of the word shacking up. It is such a derogatory description and so very modern day. 

 

I'm going to have to double-down on my offense.  It's possible that one or more of her husbands died--but all five?  Okay, possible, but not likely.  More importantly, "shacking up" is a bit old-fashioned.  It's not modern.  It's between one and two generations old--back when it was shameful to live together outside of wedlock.  "Shacking up" is derogatory--it's meant to be.  If you prefer the older-fashioned "living in sin," we could go with that, I suppose.  :-)

 

Mind you--I'm not casting condemnation on the woman at the well.  She ended as an evangelist (missionary) to her own people.  Talk about an "I once was lost, but now am found" story!  It's beautiful.  Redemption and grace are powerful.

 

BUT...how can we wax eloquent about grace, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, and redemption if we keep being politically correct and nice about how we label sin?  If we refuse to be "judgmental" about sin, then what exactly are we hoping folk we get saved from?

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I do not disagree with the spiritual disciplines.  They are vital to long-term health.  Sometimes though God desires to lead us by the still waters--to give us rest.  The living water is Christ himself.  It is the Spirit.  He is our strength and our victory.

Amen. I'm puzzled why you're getting any pushback on this thread at all.

 

Alma 5:34: "Yea, he saith: Come unto me and ye shall partake of the fruit of the tree of life; yea, ye shall eat and drink of the bread and the waters of life freely"

 

In my life, I've found that whenever there's a long-term failure to receive the sustaining waters of life, it's because I've forgotten to abide by the basic doctrine of Christ found in 3 Nephi 11:

"32 And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.

33 And whoso believeth in me, and is baptized, the same shall be saved; and they are they who shall inherit the kingdom of God.

34 And whoso believeth not in me, and is not baptized, shall be damned.

35 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost.

36 And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

37 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and become as a little child, and be baptized in my name, or ye can in nowise receive these things.

38 And again I say unto you, ye must repent, and be baptized in my name, and become as a little child, or ye can in nowise inherit the kingdom of God.

39 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them."

 

Thanks for the post, PC.

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Amen. I'm puzzled why you're getting any pushback on this thread at all.

 

Thanks for the post, PC.

 

Whenever there is a post that focuses on grace and rest and God's sustenance for us, there are those who fear that such focus will provide unwarranted cover for those who are lazy about the things of God.  Even in the evangelical world, with our teaching of salvation by faith alone, we often decry the "cheap grace" that deludes people into thinking they can live for the Devil, while claiming to follow Jesus.

 

On the other hand, when a post focuses on the benefits of spiritual disciplines (tithing, fasting, clothing modesty, WoW observance, etc.) there are those who will almost automatically respond that God is full of grace, mercy, rest, and that he delights when his children can relax and enjoy life.

 

More often than not these reactions are not a criticism of the original post, but are reflections of where the respondent is at spiritually.

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