I remember the time I was on a fishing trip with friends. and we decided to hike up into the mountains and go trout fishing. It was quite a hike over five miles with many ups and downs and climbing all the way. Our friends that lived near there instructed us on what to take and I volunteered to carry the backpack with the water and food and supplies. The climb became steep and the trail difficult and because of the heavy backpack I could not keep up. One of my friends came back and said, “Let me carry the backpack”. Oh man, It felt so good to be relieved of that heavy backpack. That experience reminds me of something in the Bible. We all are carrying heavy backpacks, the Bible calls it sin, (Romans 3:23) and it weighs us down and separates us from God, (Romans 6:23). When Jesus died on the cross He personally took my sins and everyone else’s, (1 Peter 2:24 & 3:18, Revelation 1:5, Hebrews 9:28). Jesus is the only one who has the right and authority to forgive sin and if we ask Him, He will, ( Matthew 9:6, Mark 2:5,1 John 1:9, Luke 24:47).

THE WATER WELL

I heard a story about a far west Texas ranch that consisted of over 38,000 acres and it only had one water well on the whole place. That 2,000 feet deep well was on top of a flat top mountain, and it had a pumpjack on it to pump water. The ranch hands listened for the motor that ran the pumpjack. If it stopped, they were on their way to fix it.

They say you can live 40 days without food but only 4 without water. That reminds me of something in the Bible. There was a lady in Samaria that had an encounter with Jesus at a water well about noon one day, (John 4:6-10). In their conversation Jesus mentioned living water but the Samaritan woman thought He was talking about water from the well. The Samaritan woman had been very unfaithful as she had been married 5 different times and all had divorced her because of her sin.

And even now she was living with a man that wasn’t her husband. Jesus can and will forgive anyone of their sins, (Romans 3:23, 6:23). If we will confess our sins and call upon Jesus to be our Lord and Savior. He will give us that living water, (John 1:12). Water we drink is very important, but the living water, forgiveness of sins, the new life in Christ Jesus is forever and way more important, (John 3:16, John 7:38, 10:10).

See you in Church next Sunday.

Brother J