Walking through the living water of God

“Serve the Lord with gladness! Come into his presence with singing” (Psalm 100:2, EVS)

"O Be Joyful in the Lord" by John Rutter

Greetings to you all in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ,

As the much cooler air touches our faces every morning and evening, we feel the change from the growing season into the maturing season. It is the harvesting season of hard work now! But are we all ready for the hard work of harvesting? Some may say, “It is not us but the combine harvesters that work hard in the field in this season”. But anyway, it is the season of hard working for harvesting, isn’t it? But this hard working will be filled with joy and thanksgiving as we look around us. Why?

“Far and near the fields are teaming with the waves of ripened grain. Far and near their

gold is gleaming over the sunny slope and plain!” (James Oren Thompson, 1885)

So, are we able to find more joy in hard working in this season? I don’t think it comes naturally because we want a comfortable life but not a hard working life. However, when our hard working becomes the part of our life, our habit, then we become able to see what God has done for us, then we can find much joy in hard working. Even, we can realize how God helped us to go through the stormy weather in summer. 

“Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy” (Psalm 100:2, NLT)

How’s our spiritual journey with God to the Kingdom eternal, particularly, as we serve the Lord with all our hearts, minds and souls? - It is very interesting to read “Worship the Lord” instead of “Serve the Lord” in a different translation of Psalm 100 though. 

Many years ago, a prophet Ezekiel had a vision from God. One day, a man brought him to the entrance of the Temple. And he saw a stream flowing from beneath the door of the Temple and passing to the altar. Then he saw the water flowing out through it and it became up to his ankles. As he continued walking, the water became up to his knees, and then up to his waist. And then it was too deep to walk but enough to swim in. Then he was surprised by the sight of many trees growing on both sides of the river. Then the man said to Ezekiel, 

“The waters of this stream will make the salty waters of the Dead Sea fresh and pure... 

Life will flourish wherever this water flows!” (Ezekiel 47:8-9, NLT)  

Like the Ezekiel’s vision of healing water from the Temple, as we worship and serve, the living water from God that heals the earth can grab our ankle and hinder our way of life first. But as we continue to worship and serve, it makes us to kneel down and pray because it is getting harder. Then, as we experience more living water from God, to worship and serve becomes much harder wrestling with it until we experience deep enough water to swim in freedom. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, where are you now walking in the living water of God as you serve and worship? Are you now already in a deep water to swim in freedom with joy? If so, thanks be to God and please come and help us. But are you in ankle deep or knee deep or waist deep where our decision of hard working is truly needed as you serve and worship? If so, you are in the same boat with me. 

In the month of October, we are going to walk through this living water of God together as we learn more about this journey through hard working until we find joy in it, in serving and worshiping.  

Please join us this amazing journey through the living water of God in October!

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Kyochul

P.S. Do you know serving is worship and it is also discipleship? We follow Jesus through serving as he did for us.