Biblical Meditation: Living Water

Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. - John 7:37

Then he showed me a river of the water of life, clear as crystal, coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb, in the middle of its street. On either side of the river was the tree of life, bearing twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. - Revelation 22:1-2

But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers. - Psalm 1:2-3

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” - John 15:4-8

Questions:
Where does the river come from? What does it feel like? What is it designed to produce? What will be the effects of what is produced? How important is it to live out of this river? What happens if I neglect the river and live out of self's initiative? Is there anything else you want to show me?

Me: Lord, please enlighten me.

God: I created all things with my Word, but only to man did I give my breath, Ruach, the Spirit. The source of your spirit is my essence. I am love, and all things flow from love. Love is the most creative power. Just as I brooded over the waters, I drew close to man and breathed my essence into him, love. Man is the only creature capable of it.

Me: Lord I feel as if this is all something I am writing from previous knowledge. Can you help me tune to spontaneous flow of Your Spirit and show me what you would like to show me about these verses?

God: Patrick, the river is love. My love is endless. You are a finite container, full of an infinite Me. How can you possibly contain Me? You are not designed to contain Me, quite the opposite, you were designed to distribute Me. My love is the most creative power, period. All the heavens and earth were created by My love, Man was given Love as a part of his nature. You were given a purpose to be a tributary, yes tributary (remember My body is the entire church) of this river of love. But you can simply not contain Me, I am the source of life. So, as you flow in Me, as you stay connected to me and in flowing communication with Me, you will participate in my creation, you cannot help but take part.

Patrick, if the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Truth, what Truth more constant than my Love can you find? Why are you having trouble with the river being love? I am the river, love is the river, I am love. The Holy Spirit is Love and Truth, just as I am. Do not be caught up on semantics. You are figuring out. Let me show you the river.

What is the great mystery of creation? Life. If my love is the river, life springs up on the banks. My essence is love, life is the result. It is as you once put it: where there is nothing to love, my love will create something to love. In other words, where there is a void, in order to fill the void, my love results in creating something in that void to love. Those things that abide in My love are tapped into the source of all life and everything. Hence, trees planted by a stream, leaves that heal, bearing fruit every season, when tapped into the source of life, it is a constant process of bearing fruit.

You have heard correctly Patrick. Be encouraged. I will not fail you. I love you. Come to me with your hunger and thirst for wisdom and truth. You will find it in Me. I will not feed you stones. Don’t forget that. I will send correction when needed, and I will keep you straight.

Come out and play

Me: Lord, how do I become like a child when I approach You?

God: Patrick, do you remember what you used to ask when you would go to a neighbor's house to invite your friend to come outside?

Me: Yeah, "Can so and so come out to play?"

God: Right. To play was all that was ever specified. Everything was possible, anything could happen. It wasn't until the two of you actually got together that you decided what to play.

Me: So I should ask You to come out and play?

God: Patrick, I have been asking YOU! Come out of your shelter, and enjoy an adventure with Me. Just come out knowing that with Me, all things are possible, and even though we will battle and face perils, we always will come out the victors. The adventure is ours, and I cannot be beaten.

Do you remember that dream, in which you saw an abandoned room full of toys where you had "left your heroes behind?" Well, it's time to re-discover that sense of adventure that inspired your imagination, the same imagination that made you have heroes.

You used to play so much, you were always battling, conquering, adventuring. With Me, it is the same, only real, and instead of pretending to be Han Solo, Superman, Batman etc., you get to be YOU! And your superpower is Me. Oh, the adventure! Come out and play.

Idols of the heart

Me: Lord, what idols do I have in my heart?

God: Your own “version” of happiness is not what it really looks like. I am your joy. Money is not, children are not, a nice car, a nice house etc. You are focused on what you do not have, not on ME. I will tell you the truth, and that is that if you keep your eyes on things to own, I will strip them from you to get your eyes back on me. Not because I want to punish you, but because I love you too much to let something get in the way. If I let you have only what you want, and those things are a hindrance, I would be giving you a curse, and that is not who I am.

If you want something, ask Me. I am not keeping you in your job to punish you. I am keeping you there to be a blessing to others who are also my children whom I love. Will you go around my will to get what you want? Will you deceive yourself in this way? Do you not know that my way is the best way? Don’t you think that I am taking care of any concerns you have? Do you still think I am absent?

Patrick, STAY with me. Quit distracting your mind. You bury yourself in zoning out to not think about worries, but you zone Me out with them. Bring them to Me and I will talk to you about them. I want you to be happy, of course. I love you. But your happiness depends on the extent to which you are wiling to surrender your earthly desires to the need for Me in your life. All things I give to you are life. I am giving you the opportunity to participate with me in the lives of two people who desperately need me. I can tell you, that I will prosper you. Do not think that I will give you a stone to eat.

Me: Lord, how do I not carry this burden? How am I supposed to deal with other people's stuff on a daily basis when that is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me?

God: Patrick, focus on Me. Find my heart for them. You do not have to like them, but you must love them. Only from My love will you do that effectively. Because they grate your nerves, you are especially effective with your prayers. When you pray from obedience to Love, you pray selflessly, and learn to agree with My will for them. I am asking you to participate. Many people see me as a church building, not a person. You know Me, and can talk for me. You can intercede for them. Help me.

Me: Lord, I have been so obstinate lately. I am sorry. I really am. I need help, though. What is keeping me rebellious about this?

God: For one, you are independent. You do not like being under a microscope, and that is understandable. You don’t want people to see what is there to be found. You are open and honest with many things that other people are not, but you have your secrets and you would like them to stay secret. If you would free yourself from these things, you would free yourself from the fear of exposure. Fully exposed is true freedom. When I am with you, there is nothing to wound you. Lust for earthly things is your second enemy.

Me: Lord, am I lazy?

God: Sometimes. Other times you work very hard for what you want, but the fruit is short lived. I do not call you to be a workaholic for the things you want. I want to bless you. I want you to ask Me for things. But if your focus is on earthly things, the enjoyment of them will always be short lived, because you will always want something more.

Me: Lord, I don’t know what I want, I am filling holes all the time. I do want you to occupy all of that space in me, but You seem like a lot of work too. How do I stop looking around at things to stuff into myself? How do I focus on You and you alone? How do I leave these things behind? How do I become dependent on You and your blessing? HOW HOW HOW?

God: Patrick, if you think of me as work, then you are praying to the wrong Jesus. If you think of me as your friend, your father, your brother, your lover...do you want to spend time with Me? Do you want to please Me? Do you want to do nice things for Me? Do you want to accommodate Me? How do you think of Me, and in turn, how does that change your attitude towards what I ask of you? Please don’t turn Me into a task master. Spend time with Me. Talk to Me, listen to Me, read My story. Look into My eyes. Put all other things away when you want to talk. Do not let your mind be distracted. Daydream with Me, and I will be that fullness you are looking for in your life. But if you are looking for a life that is not challenging at times, then you are out of luck, because it is challenging. The only thing I can say is that with Me, the challenge always has an answer. It just is not always your answer.

The other company may be a good opportunity, but it is not the right time for you to leave. I know you have a hard time with your situation. I promise you that you will not regret if you listen to me on this. Stick with Me.

Me: Lord, how will I generate business? Will you tell me how to do that? Will you show me?

God: What makes you go back to business? Is it the money?

Me: Yes, partly. But you know I also want to be good at what I do, and right now, I feel so spread out that I can’t really generate much. No, it is mostly money. I am really frustrated with all of this. I really need your help. Please help me not be so easily frustrated. Don’t you have a special grace for that?

God: Patrick, you are favored. You are favored. You are my favorite. I will help you. I want you to spend time every day asking Me on behalf of the business and those with whom you work. But I want you to focus mostly on them. Lift them up daily. I will lead you about what to pray for them. As for your frustration, that will leave when you begin to obey Me. Obedience is more like what I spoke to you about earlier, if you turn Me into a task master, it is a burdensome thing. But if you think of Me as your lover, then obedience is second nature. Meditate on how you think of Me. Find Me, don’t settle for a Big Boss Man in the sky. I am so much more than that. I love you Son. Thank you for coming to Me. I love to be with you. Its OK.

Obedience is not always easy...

Me: Good morning, Lord. You have been telling me that I need to pray for the business and for my bosses. Can You help me with that? I feel pretty stubborn right now, because I don't want to be there, it seems like a constant battle and that I am submitting myself to something I don't agree with. So it is hard for me to want to pray.

God: Wanting is not the issue here. Obedience to what I have told you is what you need to do. I know what you are going through at work. You aren't a perfect employee, just as nobody is perfect. Nonetheless, I love them and I want to bless them. [section omitted] When you are at work, command the principalities to fall in My name, and they will.

Obedience is not always easy, Patrick. You don't need to figure out why you are there, when you will be moving on, what you will do next, etc. Trust Me. TRUST Me. I have taken care of it. Just be diligent with what I have given you today.

Me: What else would You like to say, Lord?

God: Pray for your wife.

Blessed with a Challenge

Me: OK, Lord, what would you like to talk about?

God: Be patient.

Me: Patient with what?

God: Yourself. You are very self-condemning, Patrick. If I do not condemn you, then why do you insist on condemning yourself? Are you a better judge than I? I know you make mistakes and go off and do something that seems utterly contrary to what I am leading you toward. You WILL make mistakes.

But I will not lose you. I will never allow you out of My love, and I will never change My mind about how much you mean to Me. I will not condemn you or punish you for mistakes or for dealing with your flesh. The closer we become, the more these things will "stick out" or seem out of place in your life, because they are being purged from your life. Make no mistake, I do not want you to continue making the same mistakes repeatedly. When you stumble, reach for My hand, and I will pull you to your feet.

The more closely we walk together, the less you will fall, because I am safety and rest. In Me you will not fall, only your flesh will be crucified with Me. Don't confuse that process with being a bad friend to Me. I love your company. Don't let anything, any mistake, keep you from reaching out to Me.

Me: OK, Lord How do I get rid of some of the things that keep tripping me up?

God: Look into My eyes. Keep your gaze fixed on Me. Keep your ears tuned to My voice. All else will work itself out.

Me: Thank you Lord for loving me. Lord, I am having a bit of a hard time at work. I am frustrated with my job. What can you tell me about this?

God: Do not be frustrated. That is a sign of self-will being overturned. I know you want to do well in your job, and I know you want to make money. I am your provider, Patrick. Submit yourself to your job and as I told you before, you need to look at your presence there as an assignment from Me. Pray for the business and pray for your bosses.

Ask Me, and I will tell you how to make that business more profitable. [section omitted] You must submit to authority with humility. Humility is only a choice in part. It comes more easily when you tap into My heart. You will hear My voice, and I will not fail you.

You are doing well, Patrick. I am proud of you. You have my blessing on you, go and shine.

Waxing Ransomed Heart...

Me: Lord, I have been trying to dig into my passions. I used to say that I wanted to be a baseball player, and I also used to think that I wanted to be a pilot. But I don't really consider those to be passions. What do You say about this?

God: Well, I like baseball, too. There is a certain nostalgia surrounding baseball to which many people are drawn. In part, it is because of the warrior in you. Baseball is a battle, one that can turn at any moment with one swing of the bat or with the extra stretch made to catch a homerun ball. It is also a very unifying game for fans and for players. Teamwork is essential. Fans find common ground by complaining about the umpire or pitching or in celebrating the comeback in the last inning.

Patrick, all this is in you. You are a warrior. You love the adventure of baseball, you love the battle and you love the unexpected turns it can take, you love to see a good play come together to accomplish something great. You love finding common ground with other people, because you love people, and you love to share in the joy of victory with them.

Your love of flying is because you love to see the beauty in the sky and on the earth below. To add, you love your own father, a pilot, with whom you have wanted to have something in common, so you have kept this love of flying. Other sons have keepsakes or trinkets from their father, but you have kept this.

Patrick, you know that all this is from Me. Your passion is not these activities. You are getting in touch with your own heart, and it is a heart for adventure, people, beauty and victory, all of which point to Me.

Me: So, I am back where I started.

God: Not really. You have just dug up four qualities of who you are, who I created you to be. What do you think it takes to lead? These qualities may not seem like major revelation to you, but your problem is embracing these things and not to keep them buried for fear of having them turn on you. Your years in Spain were spent by having your heart trampled almost to death. It has taken a while to get you back here to see who you really are in Me.

Me: Lord, all this sounds a lot like John Eldredge stuff.

God: Where do you think he got it? You are mighty, Patrick, more so than you will see on this Earth. You are a leader who loves those he leads, and encourages through perilous adventure, who sees beauty in the adventure and can describe it to others, and who keeps going until the day of victorious rejoicing. I created you very carefully, and I love how you turned out. You are My son, My spitting image and you delight Me.

Rhema

Me: Lord, tell me about the word rhema.

God: It is a transmission through spoken word from one person to another. Words that have substance such as truth, creative/destructive power, purpose.

Me: Lord, what would you like to say to me this morning? I am having a hard time hearing, please help.

God: Let me slow down for you. I am speaking all the time, and there is so much I want to do with you, I know you get overwhelmed by all the creativity in you. But that is good! It should not be contained.

Me: Lord, I don't understand.

God: You will have ideas that I want you to give away. They are for others, not you. Write down ideas that you have and ask Me, I will quicken to you to whom you should give them. Some you will know, others you won't. These ideas will often be a planted seed and other times will be just the thing the person needs to get over the hump.

Me: Lord, what about my job?

God: I will confirm to you when it is time to move. Right now, hold on. [section omitted] Stay and pray for the business; consider it a part of your job. Before you move on, you need to find focus in and with Me. You still haven't told Me what you want to do. Search your own heart, I will show you things you have forgotten about yourself. Start digging.

Patrick, you can speak to your own heart to reveal these things to you. Experiment. Digging takes a little exertion to break the surface. Dig until you hit something hidden in your heart, and we will examine it together. I am so excited for you, I truly am enjoying this.

Me: Me too. I wish I had known how to do this before. This is what I have wanted from You for so long.

God: I know Patrick. And I am so glad you can see the value in it. This is a big, big part of unlocking the secret of who you are. I have been waiting an eternity for this.

A Love Letter

Me: Lord, I want to see Your eyes. I want to look into them and see who You are. Whatever situation I find myself in, You are with me and give me peace. I am not always quick to hear Your voice, I don't always get it right, yet You keep loving me, You keep smiling on me, You keep giving me good gifts as if nothing that I do would ever change Your affection for me. Lord, I think about these things and wonder. I want to know You. I love You so much.

God: Ah, boy...You have no idea how good that was for me to hear. I love the way you say things, how you want your words to count. Patrick, nothing you do will ever change the way I see you. I know your struggles and I know your pitfalls. Do you think I don't know what you face? I have told you that I work all things for good. I will take you through the things that bog you down and clutter your heart. Oh, I am so excited for you! We have such a wonderful time ahead.

I will always love you, I can't help but show my affection. As I told you before, I cannot, nor will I contain it. My love is the source of all things. You bring me so much joy. Keep going, keep coming to Me, and all these things will melt away

Wisdom and Foolishness

1 Corinthians 1:18-2:16

...but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong...

...so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God...

...For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God...

Notes:
Foolishness (μωρία or moria): silliness, absurdity

God has chosen to shame? Does God give shame?

God will nullify those that boast in own merit.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Me: Lord, what does it mean to You to be foolish?

God: Don't rely on your own intelligence. Of course, your intelligence is useful, but mine is much more so. You will get only so far on your own. So, let Me step in and show you things which you are unable even to imagine.

Patrick, I created all life and the universe. Don't you think that not only can I show it to you and reveal to you the mysteries of who I am, but that I want to? I love to teach, and I know you are eager to learn. We have an eternity together, so pace yourself, I won't run out of things to show you.

As far as foolishness, I do not intend to make a fool out of anybody in My name. The point is that those who lean on their own understanding do not understand the ways of the Spirit. So, because they have nothing to show for the Spirit, they reject Him and His wisdom, which for them is a lack of reason or experiential knowledge.

These same people will wonder why I chose those who do not rely on understanding. Their shame is the knowledge that their way was the wrong way. Shame is not the same thing as condemnation.

Patrick, do not disengage your mind. On the contrary, engage it more fully by setting it on Me and letting My Holy Spirit guide you. To be foolish in the eyes of men is no big deal when in My eyes, you are My good and faithful servant, better yet, My best friend.

Oh, can I be Optimus Prime?

Me: Lord, what would You like to say to me?

J: I am proud of you. You are doing well. I have great plans for you that you cannot imagine. Will you let go and let Me show you the way?

Me: Yes, I will, but it isn’t easy for me.

J: I know it isn’t easy for you, that is not the point. You must trust Me. I really am good, you know.
Stop beating yourself up and measuring yourself. This is not about performance or doing anything perfectly. This is about being with Me, in Me. That’s enough to please me, that you want Me.

Me: I understand, Lord. How do You see me?

J: I see you as a great man, like one of David’s mighty men. You are full of faith and you want to know true love. I am so excited about you, Patrick. The combination of faith and love gives way to many miracles.

Me: Why do miracles excite You?

J: Miracles don’t excite Me. They point to Me, and often after a miracle, people see Me for the first time. That excites Me, to capture their gaze.
Patrick, you are a transformer. You walk in the power that changes people; it comes from your love for them and your faith in Me. You are a life changer.

Me: Am I a pastor, Lord?

J: Yes you are. We’ve been through this. Don’t be afraid of this, I am with you.

Me: Do You want me to be a church pastor?

J: Patrick, what do you want? Do you want me to tell you the where and the when?
Patrick, I didn’t pastor a church. People followed Me. Some followed because I called them, some because I changed their lives, and others because they saw miracles or got a free meal. Others followed to criticize and kill Me.

People will follow you. You will pastor them like a flock. Some will be with you for the right reasons, some will not. Nevertheless, they will see Me in you, that is the most important thing. Show Me to them, no matter where you are, at work, in church, in the street. As long as you do that, you will be a pastor and people will follow you.

Time to go, go get ready for work.

Grab a Shovel

Me: I love You Jesus.

God: I know you do. I love you too, more than you can ever know. The feeling you have when you think of your wife, wanting to explode from your heart, that is a fraction, a shadow of My love for you.

Me: How do You contain it?

God: I don't! It flows from Me to you.

Me: Lord, I want to know You so much more, like (name omitted).

God: You will know Me like he does. But that doesn't mean your calling will look like his.

Me: I realize that, but what is my calling?

God: What do you want to do?

Me: I don't know. I never have known.

God: Patrick, there is a whole world out there for you. Engage your heart and find out what you want. I will be with you. Your wife loves to teach, and she went with that.

Me: But, I never felt like I had a passion other than You, and even that passion was not so strong that I didn't bury it.

God: Right there! You said it. You have buried your passions. Many people do that when they think or feel like something is beyond them or impossible to attain...no, not sour grapes. It is fear, a fear of not being able to be what you want, so you convince yourself that you do not want it. You are going to have to dig up your passions. I will help you.

Me: How do I do it?

God: You already are doing it.

Me: Thank You, Lord.

God: You're welcome. Let's go get some breakfast, we'll talk some more later.