Sunday, December 27, 2015

WELLS OF SALVATION

Today’s Reading: Isaiah 11-13

Click scripture link to read online or HERE to listen online (then click the symbol of the audio speaker above the scripture portion).

 

Jacob’s Well, also known as Jacob’s Fountain or Well of Sychar, is a deep well hewn of solid rock. It is situated a short distance from the archaeological site of Tell Balata, which is thought to be the site of Biblical Shechem. It is quite certain that this is the well mentioned in John 4. Here Jesus gave water from the “Wells of Salvation” to the woman who had had 5 husbands and was currently living with a man who was not her husband. Isaiah 12:3 says, “Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” The assurance of salvation should be for sure in everyone’s “Bucket list!”

GOOGLE MAPS – To see where the photo was taken, click HERE.

 

Key Verses: Isaiah 11:2 & 12:5a

“The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon Him,

The Spirit of wisdom and understanding,

The Spirit of counsel and might,

The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.

…Sing to the Lord for He has done excellent things!

 

Chapter 11 is a prophecy of the coming Messiah/Christ! He will be born from the line of Jesse, King David’s father. The work He does will be as a Man upon Whom the Spirit of the Lord rests! In His full authority, at a time yet to come, even the effects of the curse on the earth, with us since our first parents separated themselves from God, will be reversed.

Chapter 12 is a very big encouragement! Surely “He has done excellent things!” We have every reason to “Sing to the Lord!” Dip the bucket into the well and bring it up full and overflowing! Drink until we thirst no more for the things of this world which are opposed to God’s will for each one of us. In John 4:15 the woman said to Jesus, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

Chapter 13 sounds like the terrorists wars of our present times. It is impossible that sin and evil would go unpunished. For believers in the Cross of Jesus, His extremely violent suffering and death was in our place. We do not fear “The day of the Lord!” We rejoice in the fact of Messiah’s coming to make all wrongs right and to cleanse the earth of evil! For a New Testament reading check out Romans 8:18-25.

PRAYER FOR TODAY:

Lord God, I drink deeply of Your Word. With joy I am drawing water from the wells of Salvation. My spiritual thirst is satisfied in You! I pray that I will dip the bucket of my life into You and Your Word each day without fail until the day when I drink from “the pure river of water of life, clear as crystal [literally], which flows from the throne of God and of the Lamb” (Revelation 22:1). I pray this in the Name of the One who cried out these words, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me and drink,” Jesus Himself! (John 7:37-39) Amen!!!

100 PERSONAL WORDS:

My Dad, Rev. R. L. Mainse, took on responsibility for two country churches in the Ottawa Valley. I was ages 12-14 when we lived in the parsonage there. One of my jobs was to keep our home supplied with water from the well. I remember lowering my bucket down by a rope attached to the handle. Sometimes I would have to place a rock in the bucket so it would be heavy enough to break the ice formed overnight. Those chunks of ice that were floating in the pail made it taste delicious when I put the dipper in for a drink. This running for water (we had no running water and no electricity at first, so no refrigerator and no faucets) was like this blog…every morning and sometimes every evening! There were no excuses and no days off!

My cousin, Allan Kenny, who owns and operates a paint store with his wife in Gananoque, Ontario, attached a video of my Dad’s Sister, Allan’s grandmother, to his blog response. My memories of her prayers are many. I believe she was born in 1890. Myrtle Mainse Kenny definitely drank from the wells of Salvation. Here she is praying out loud at a service in the “Pine Grove Church” in 1985 (click here). I’ve watched this several times, and each time I dipped into her bucket of faith and fervency for a refreshing drink. It tastes so good to me!!!

Yours for drinking daily of Jesus, the living water of life!

David

The “Woman at the Well” (John 4:1-42) is depicted on the ceiling of The Church of Jacob’s Well.

15 thoughts on “Sunday, December 27, 2015

  1. God bless MMK for her prayer! I am thankful I could go to the well when I was a kid on the farm and pump fresh water into my bucket! Yes indeed! The water was very good! Brings back wonderful memories! Even hauling water in for the weekly bath! We had no electricity either but nothing ever spoiled! We put items down in the well where frost remained all year! WOW! Mom baked 12 loaves of bread weekly! Very thankful for the snow! Thankful for the snow plows clearing the roads! Blessings to everyone!

  2. Amen, David! Yes, dipping into the well of living water, which the Holy Spirit provides through Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for us. No words could be sweeter to our ears than His promise: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” Praying for all who are lost to be jolted to recognize and receive Jesus into their hearts before it is too late and the door of life closes upon them. With love and blessings to all saints, today.

    As The Deer
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

  3. “There’s a river of life flowing out of me, makes the lame to walk and the blind to see; opens prison doors sets the captive free, there’s a river of life flowing out of me; rise up oh well within my soul, rise up oh well and make me whole, rise up oh well and give to me that river of life eternally”!!!

    Thank you Jesus for the River of life that flows from You to me…each morning and each day…fresh clear water of life freely given!!!

    Thank you David for this river of life provided to us daily….prayed with you in agreement ‘Lord God, I drink deeply of your Word, with Joy!!…

    Blessings and joy be yours saints of God, this day and always!!!

  4. Happy New Year to everyone.
    I am asking for your prayers, I have been in hospitals since Dec 5 th 2015.
    I awoke( I think) about 7a.m. With a fever of 40.2c, i knew no one, and was unaware when the ambulance came. Anyway, eventually the infection I had in my left leg tracked into the hip and I had to have some of the parts replaced. Also on Dec 25 th, the incision started to leak.
    I got home yesterday and will be on I.v. antibiotics for the next 5 weeks approx.,
    Please pray that things will turn around and the infection will clear up 100%.
    God has been with me. Even using one of the nurses, an unbeliever, to remind me of the hymn,
    “Day by Day and with each passing moment.
    Strength I find to meet my trials here.
    Trusting in my Fathers wise bestowment,
    I’ve no cause for worry, or for fear.
    He whose heart is kind beyond all measure.
    Gives unto His own what He deems best.
    Lovingly its part of pain and pleasure.
    Mingling toil with peace and rest.
    Thank you for your prayers.

  5. Enjoyed the blog today and could identify with it, carrying water and hearing people pray like your Aunt Myrtle Kenney in our church years ago. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit was so real and I miss singing those songs mentioned in the blog today. Thank God that well of living water is available at any time.

  6. Yes, Mary I pray the Lord will give you the strength to endure the iv antibiotics the next few weeks and all the infection will be gone even sooner then expected. Praise God for His care and may you feel His Presence every day and be ministered to. God bless you sister.

  7. Yes Mary. May God’s healing Presence be with you and touch you from the top of your head to the tips of your feet. May His great blessings overtake you. The well – I am always amazed at how they could have dug a deep well in rock way back in Bible times without the present day machinery. I wonder if they were able to blast back then. A friend went to a near-by church in Burlington on Christmas Day for a dinner. (She is a recent widow). Her server was Cheryl Webber! She had never met Cheryl before but she told Cheryl she had just viewed the program and had seen her there. My friend could not say enough about the love shown at that dinner.

  8. I am so thankful for my Christian heritage. Myrtle Mainse is my Grandmother (David Mainse’s Aunt). Grandma and I shared precious moments together at her home in Seeleys Bay Ontario before she left this world. She loved Lord and was known as a prayer warrior. I loved listening to her pray. Looking forward to the day that I will see her again and can say “Hi Grandma.”

Leave a Reply to Irene Ochotta Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.