RIPPLES IN THE WATER

 

Today I found myself sitting by the river for many hours listening to worship music and meditating on the Word of God while seeking the Lord.  I love having quiet time with the Lord meditating on His goodness, love, grace and mercy.

 

As I was looking at the ripples of water as they reached the banks of the river I felt a deep and passionate burning in my spirit.  I focused on the ripples of water as the surface of the water reflected the sun and clouds mirroring the image from above.

 

I suddenly became a ripple in the very water that I was meditating on while seeking the Lord.  I thought I am a ripple of water in the River of Life.  How vast and enormous the Kingdom of God is and how each of us is a ripple of life in the River of Life in heaven.  I mediated on this thought as I just praised the Lord for who He is and what He has done for me and mankind.  

 

Revelation 22:1 (AMP)

THEN HE showed me the river whose waters give life, sparkling like crystal, flowing out from the throne of God and of the Lamb

 

 

I thought about a ripple of water on earth verses a ripple of water in heaven.  How we tend to falsely believe we are are irrelevant in an earthly viewpoint with limited influences to promote change, edification or worthiness in a fallen world.  Yet each of us who are “in Christ” is a ripple from a pure stream in a vast Kingdom each making an impact bringing light and truth to a fallen world.  

 

I began to reflect on a “pure stream” verses a “muddy/defiled stream” and what the Lord calls clean let no man defile.  I could picture the Lord Jesus speaking to the Samaritan woman at the well and telling her about the “Living Water” and eternal life.

 

 

Acts 10:15 (AMP)

15 And the voice came to him again a second time, What God has cleansed and pronounced clean, do not you defile and profane by regarding and calling common and unhallowed or unclean.

 

2 Corinthians 7:1 (AMP)

THEREFORE, SINCE these [great] promises are ours, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates and defiles body and spirit, and bring [our] consecration to completeness in the [reverential] fear of God.

 

John 4:9–15 (AMP)

9 The Samaritan woman said to Him, How is it that You, being a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan [and a] woman, for a drink?—For the Jews have nothing to do with the Samaritans— 

10 Jesus answered her, If you had only known and had recognized God’s gift and Who this is that is saying to you, Give Me a drink, you would have asked Him [instead] and He would have given you living water. 

11 She said to Him, Sir, You have nothing to draw with [no drawing bucket] and the well is deep; how then can You provide living water? [Where do You get Your living water?] 

12 Are You greater than and superior to our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well and who used to drink from it himself, and his sons and his cattle also? 

13 Jesus answered her, All who drink of this water will be thirsty again. 

14 But whoever takes a drink of the water that I will give him shall never, no never, be thirsty any more. But the water that I will give him shall become a spring of water welling up (flowing, bubbling) [continually] within him unto (into, for) eternal life. 

15 The woman said to Him, Sir, give me this water, so that I may never get thirsty nor have to come [continually all the way] here to draw.

 

 

So I’d like to encourage you today to remember when you feel like your just a “ripple” in the stream of life remember which stream you belong to and which stream has cleansed and delivered you!  We must all continue to keep our focus on the Lord and remember that each of us has a unique role in the Kingdom of God and that the Lord is no respecter of persons.  You are just as important as your brothers and sisters in Christ as we encourage, edify and strengthen each other in our Kingdom destinies!  

 

Acts 10:34 (AMP)

34 And Peter opened his mouth and said: Most certainly and thoroughly I now perceive and understand that God shows no partiality and is no respecter of persons,

 

James 2:1–10 (AMP)

MY BRETHREN, pay no servile regard to people [show no prejudice, no partiality]. Do not [attempt to] hold and practice the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ [the Lord] of glory [together with snobbery]! 

2 For if a person comes into your congregation whose hands are adorned with gold rings and who is wearing splendid apparel, and also a poor [man] in shabby clothes comes in, 

3 And you pay special attention to the one who wears the splendid clothes and say to him, Sit here in this preferable seat! while you tell the poor [man], Stand there! or, Sit there on the floor at my feet! 

4 Are you not discriminating among your own and becoming critics and judges with wrong motives? 

5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and in their position as believers and to inherit the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? 

6 But you [in contrast] have insulted (humiliated, dishonored, and shown your contempt for) the poor. Is it not the rich who domineer over you? Is it not they who drag you into the law courts? 

7 Is it not they who slander and blaspheme that precious name by which you are distinguished and called [the name of Christ invoked in baptism]? 

8 If indeed you [really] fulfill the royal Law in accordance with the Scripture, You shall love your neighbor as [you love] yourself, you do well. [Lev. 19:18.]

9 But if you show servile regard (prejudice, favoritism) for people, you commit sin and are rebuked and convicted by the Law as violators and offenders. 

10 For whosoever keeps the Law [as a] whole but stumbles and offends in one [single instance] has become guilty of [breaking] all of it.

 

 

 

 

Lord I pray that we will rejoice in all things and praise you in the joy of our salvation.  Lord continue to sanctify us, renew us and strengthen us and may everything we do bring glory to the Father in Jesus name we pray.  Amen.