Living in the Spirit
August 20, 2014

 Scripture Reading: Psalm 24 

   The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
   the world, and those who live in it;
   for he has founded it on the seas,
   and established it on the rivers. — Psalm 24:1-2

As I write this I can hear the rain gently tapping my roof and dripping loudly from my carport. Oklahoma is having an unusually cool summer, if you can call 80 and 90 degree temperatures cool. We have even broken some records for coldest high temperature. The rain is desperately needed as parts of our state are still considered to be suffering extreme drought. One comes to appreciate the value of the waters on our earth when one lives in drought.

While we celebrate the rain and the reduction of drought, we do it with some level of knowing that the cause of the rain, an unstable polar vortex, is potentially a reason for greater concern. Whether what is occurring is normal weather fluctuation or the result of climate change is yet to be determined.

Because the Bible is largely written about people living in an arid region, it deals often with the issues surrounding water. Christ uses the necessity of water for life sustenance to illustrate who he is: Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.’ (John 4:13-14)  We live in an arid land both physically and spiritually.  In Genesis we are called to be stewards of the earth. Christ calls us to drink deeply from the water that he serves. We need to take both callings very seriously. Our lives depend on them.

Prayer: Lord make us good stewards of the earth the care of which you have entrusted to us. Let our lives reflect the sustenance of the water that you give us as we obey your calling. Amen.

All scriptures are quoted from the New Revised Standard Version Bible: Anglicized Edition, copyright 1989, 1995, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of American. Used by permission. All rights reserved.