Coffee With The Lord

I’m impressed with the power of a brand new believer’s testimony!

I’ve seen it over and over again. A person hears the gospel – the story of Jesus – and responds with trust and commitment. Their lives are powerfully transformed! And then they begin enthusiastically sharing with anyone who will listen what has happened to them – the wonderful thing they’ve discovered in Christ! Their network of friends – those they shop with, work with, live nearby… their “neighbors” are positively impacted by the change in their lives and their words. Often even family members – those who know them best – cannot escape the power of their testimony and come to Christ! One life-transforming testimony leads to another! Ultimately a whole neighborhood – a whole network of friends and family come to Christ! It’s exciting!

There’s a story like that in the Bible…

A Samaritan woman with a string of messed up marriages and empty life discovers Jesus … the “Living Water”! What an impact His words made on her life – a life-transforming encounter! She leaves her water jar at the well and immediately goes back into town and tells everyone she meets, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did! Can this be the Christ?!” And then the Bible says this…

“Many Samaritans from that town believed in Him because of the woman’s testimony… And many more believed because of HIS WORD. They said to the woman, ‘It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for WE HAVE HEARD FOR OURSELVES, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.” (from John 4:1-42)

So I guess the lesson is this… Never, never, never, put down or underestimate the power of the testimony of a brand new follower of Jesus! They may not have all the esoteric theology down, but the personal story of a transformed life is a powerful thing! Their testimony oozes excitement, conviction, and authenticity! And if you’ve known the Lord for awhile… Never lose the wonder, the excitement and deep appreciation about what the Lord has done for you! Keep your personal story alive! Share it every time you get an opportunity! The Lord will use it! People will be attracted to it! Point people to Jesus – He transforms lives!

Hope I have an opportunity to share my story with someone today!

“Give me a drink… I’m thirsty!” Can mean a lot of different things. I can come from extreme exertion. The statement can be the result of lack of hydration – a long, extended lack of water. But it also may simply be an expression of desire… “I’d like to have something refreshing to drink – a tall, cold drink of water.”

Jesus used an encounter with a woman at a well in Samaria, near Sychar, to teach a profound lesson and wonderful spiritual truth! He asked her for a drink, and then said these words to her…

“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will have them will never be thirsty again! The water that I will give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life!” (John 4:13-14)

Now the conversation Jesus was having with this woman started with H20 (physical water)… but it didn’t end there. It’s clear Jesus was talking about a different kind of water – that which meets our deepest needs – that which ultimately satisfies! He claims to have that “water”! He claims to be the source of that “water”! And what’s more is, He seems to say that a drink of the “water” He gives will become an inner well that will “spring up” within resulting in ongoing satisfaction and ultimately end in eternal life!

Wow! Wow! Wow! I want that kind of water! I crave that kind of water! I’ve had a sip of that kind of water… No, that’s not accurate… I’ve had the opportunity to take long, great gulps of that water! Oh how satisfying getting to know Jesus personally has been… the “Living Water”! He has satisfied my deepest needs! The more of Him I’ve experienced… the more I want! The more I need! The more He satisfies! He not only satisfies and meets my deepest needs today… He will meet them tomorrow… and ultimately, eternal life in His presence! His presence within has become a “well of water springing up to eternal life!”

So it really doesn’t matter whether your thirst is from extreme exertion, ongoing deprivation, or just deep longing… Jesus can satisfy it! And I can tell you from personal experience over many years… He does!!

I’m an older person now – 67 in fact. I jokingly tell my students, “You’re listening to an old dog!” But I remember vividly many of the “life lessons” taught to me by my father and mother as a child and a young man. Listen, I’m so glad for the decision I made early in life to listen to them and heed what they had to say – rather than resist them! Looking back, I’m so grateful for what they taught me, and their godly example!

I have other friends… I’ve observed other lives… who rebelled, who resisted what their elders tried to teach them – who rejected their advice and were determined to go their own way. They’re older now and many of them live with deep regrets and in their own words “wasted years.”
Thought of that this morning as I read these wise words from Proverbs 1…

“The fear (or reverence) of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge! Fools despise wisdom and instruction. Hear, my son (or daughter), your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching! They are a graceful garland for your head and pendants for your neck.

“If sinners entice you, do not consent! If they say, ‘Come with us, let us… let us… let us… we shall find all precious goods, we shall fill our houses with plunder; throw in your lot among us; we will all have one purse”— do not walk in the way with them! Hold back your foot from their paths! For their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed blood. For in vain is a net spread in the sight of any bird, but these individuals lie in wait for their own blood; they set an ambush for their own lives.” (From Proverbs 1:7–18 ESV)

Yes, looking back, I’m glad I listened – glad I heeded the wise words of my parents and other wise leaders and Spiritual influences God sent my way! No regrets on that score! Like I said, I’m 67 now… And I want to keep listening… and heeding!