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| Learning how to draw, drink and distribute the water of life |
Upon reaching the city of Nahor, he stopped by a well with his camels and prayed to the Lord to reveal to him who among the women who would come to draw water there would be the ideal bride for Isaac. Sure enough, Rebbecca came out and begun walking toward him.
Presently, the Spirit of Christ is on an earthly mission to seek out and prepare a bride for the King of kings. Those who hear the voice of God begin to change direction. They are not forced or compelled to, but they do exercise their own volition in coming when drawn by the Father (John 6:44).
The Holy Spirit is a real Person. The scriptures clearly indicate He was sent from Heaven. He has come with gifts which we correctly term as the gifts of the Spirit. These together with His presence and enabling form exactly what the church needs in order to be adorned in the manner fitting for her Groom.
Many are called but few are chosen (Matthew 22:14). What is the character of those who qualify to embark on the journey into the chamber of their Bridegroom, and partake of the Marriage supper of the Lamb? There is a revelation found in the prayer of Abraham's servant. Strange as it may seem, he prayed for a bride with the heart of a servant to draw water for the thirsty.
"Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water. Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.” (Genesis 24:13-14). This is exactly what happened when Rebecca came along.
Water in the scriptures symbolizes life. The reason Jesus came to the earth was to give life and life more abundantly (John 10:10). Those who have responded to His call and have drawn near are privileged to launch out on a fresh perspective into a viable future, having acquired new values for living. We live in a world where the opposite is true. Everything around us is increasingly pushing us into lifestyles based on scarcity and need. Man deeply feels his inadequacy for almost any task that comes his way and this is the reason for all the striving he makes in every avenue of life. It is rooted in a deep inner thirst. It also explains the struggle, frustration and emptiness that accompanies his life without the presence of God.
What is our assignment? Learning how to draw, drink and distribute the water of life. Out of the innermost being of those who believe in the Lord would flow rivers of living water. Like the Samaritan woman learned, our hearts were meant to be unstopped wells and our lives open channels, continually flowing with the life of God. Those whose thirst continues so long that it becomes their identity will quickly become cruel, mean and selfish for nothing on earth will ever seem to be enough. The more they acquire, the more they need to acquire in order to maintain what they have. In contrast, those who are founded on the love and life of Christ, continually giving of themselves, are already manifesting a life that is out of this world - the Kingdom life of abundance.
The Holy Spirit is still the One working in the Body of Christ, transforming hearts, demonstrating miracles, signs and wonders. However, everything that the people of God have and can ever receive on earth are still an infinitely small token compared to the glories they will experience in the next life if they remain faithful to the end. This is when they will finally stand in the presence of their Bridegroom. He has betrothed us to Himself by making a covenant in His own blood. The High Priest of the New Testament has come to us and His offering is not a body of rituals. It is life.
The Holy Spirit is here to convict the world of sin, righteousness and judgment to come. He takes that which is of Christ and makes it known to us. This includes everything that has been placed within us to achieve the purposes of the Bridegroom.
Rebekah lifted up her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from the camel. She said to the servant, Who is that man walking in the field to meet us?' And the servant said, He is my master.' Then she took her veil and covered herself. (Genesis 24:64-65)
Let us ponder this for a moment. The servant of Abraham had completed his assignment and she was now in a position to be ushered into the presence of Isaac for the very first time. The servant had given her gifts. He did not give her a veil to cover herself with. He did not instruct her to put on this veil. It was not part of his master's directives. She put on the veil of her own will.
It is the work of the Holy Spirit, to introduce us to the person and nature of Christ such that we can experience a relationship with Him who has bought us for Himself. Just as it was with Rebbecca, so it is with us today. Many come to the Lord in salvation still wearing the veils they chose to cover themselves with for years. They do not fully want to open up their lives in His presence for fear of the manner in which He may respond to them. They do not quite trust that He can fully pardon them and give them a fresh beginning. There are many reasons why we choose to hide their true nature. The fallen human nature feels threatened by exposure. We choose to shut ourselves in because we feel vulnerable. We are unsure how others will respond when they find out what really lurks under the surface.
It is possible to hold on to the veil even after one has been born again. It feels like a form of security against the unknown. This act begun in Eden and comes about because of the fallen nature of man. Immediately after the fall, the first couple tried to hide and cover themselves up as the Lord walked into the garden. When confronted with the transparency of living truth, the natural tendency was to hide away from its exposing light. This is why even today, many prefer to relate to Him from a distance.
However, it is only as we turn to the Lord Himself, that the veil is taken away (2 Corinthians 3:16). In our own wisdom, we cannot remove the covers we have placed over ourselves. Truth is, they have been there for so long, we cannot fathom life without them and wouldn't even know where to begin. But He can. The veil Rebecca had covered herself with was removed only when she got into the presence of her bridegroom. Similarly, there is a place of intimacy in God where all the veils over our lives are taken away and we become united with His presence. This is also the place where we begin to enter fully into what it really means to be the bride of the King.
There were key words spoken over Rebbecca just before she was released on the journey back to her new bridegroom. We find in them an echo of the mandate behind the formation of the New Testament Bride, the church. "Our sister, may you become thousands of ten thousands, and may your offspring possess the gate of those who hate him!" (Genesis 24:60). We have been born again through the cross and can extend the offer of new birth to others as well. He who ever lives to make intercession for us, prays that His disciples may make disciples of all nations. This is our call.
Those truly founded on Christ and walking in His light have what it takes to confront and overcome the evil in our times that has been propagated by hell. Together, they can become a championing people, fighting and vanquishing the power of darkness because the gates of hell cannot prevail against them. The Lord has promised to build for Himself a church, an ecclesiastical company that is also going to become a prepared bride. His will be a bride holy, unveiled and pure, with His love and fire burning within her.
