River, Really?
Posted by Richard Harris | | Posted On Tuesday, April 5, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Over the last two weeks I have driven well over 1500 miles, almost all of it new territory. As I drove into far South Texas near the Mexican border I kept running across signs on bridges that read something like this, “Nueces River”. The Nueces River is just one of the many rivers or creeks I have driven over during my travels.
When I drive over bridges that claim to be a river or creek there is one thing I expect to see; water. Here in South Texas there is a catch; no water. Sure they have plenty of signs and obviously many people spent a great deal of time naming these water ways. I am sure even some have followed the water on a map to know where it was going to intersect the bridge but somewhere the water did not get the memo.
Bridge after bridge I look with great expectation, but to no avail. After a while I became very hopeful at each bridge; just wishing to see even a drop of water. I started to feel bad for the people here with all these river and creek beds but no water, what a tease for people who live in a very warm climate. Apparently a very dry climate as well I might add.
Not only was there no water but in what should have been a creek or river bed there were trees and brush. There was not even a hint that at one time a body of water lived here. The trees looked like they were quite a few years old and the brush looked like it had never been pushed back by water.
There is a real problem here close to the border; a bridge is saying it is something it is not.
There is a real problem with Christianity; a lot of people are saying something they are not.
Or at least they are not acting the part anyway. It works like this, we say we are Christian. We wear the right clothes on Sunday, we say the right things at church like amen, God Bless you, Praise the Lord and all that stuff. We say long flowery prayers at family reunions and basically in public look like a Christian. I want you to think river bridge here; it says river bridge and looks like one, but in fact it is just a bridge going over a dry spot of land.
We say one thing in public yet when it gets down to the actions at home or behind the scenes or when no one else is looking, well there we run, shall we say a little dry. It is one thing to profess something; it is a whole other thing to let our actions do our talking.
I am not saying this is easy, apart from the Holy Spirit of God we can never walk as Jesus did. You see the world sees plenty of crosses on our necks and fish on our cars and by the way there is nothing wrong with that, but more than anything they need to see the truth of our belief in our actions.
The world is in dire need of seeing a river of love coming out of our hearts as we deal with them. They need a flood of Christ like compassion for all people, even for those that we would call our enemy. The world and fellow believers yearns for a rushing wave of forgiveness sent their way. Instead of condemnation, hate and anger the world needs to see the fruits of the spirit springing up in our lives; love, joy peace, patience, goodness, gentleness and self control.
Daily the world drives over the bridge of our life, as they do they need to not see someone who claims perfection but claims to live their life as close to He who was perfect. Will our lives run dry at times, absolutely? Those around us need to see the authenticity of our failure and the beauty of the fresh flow of forgiveness that comes from knowing the Lord.
A river with no water, a creek with nothing but brush that is only a tease and a bad one at that.
A Christian without a fresh flow of God’s mercy leaves an equally dry taste in the world’s mouth.
Today let us take a good look at ourselves and break the dam of pride that keeps us from being as Christ like as possible and let the river of life flow through our lives.
Scripture: 1 John 4:16-17, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them. 17 This is how love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the Day of Judgment: In this world we are like Jesus.”
Prayer: Dear Lord, help us to lean on you daily, to represent you who we claim to belong to. Forgive us where we fail you, guide us to your truth and love. We ask these things in the name of Christ. Amen
