I almost died. I was switching the light above our stovetop. As I was unscrewing the old bulb, it broke. It cracked. The metal cylinder screwed into the light socket would not come out. This had happened to me before. It wasn’t my first rodeo. I immediately knew that I needed some needlenose pliers to be able to get hold of that cylinder and unscrew it using the pliers. I stuck the pliers in. Electricity rushed through my body. I am a large man. At that time, I weight 270 pounds and the force of the electricity shot me ten feet backward in our kitchen. The pain in on the left side of my chest was excruciating. I took some time sitting down and allowing my wits to come back. Never turned off the breaker. Trust me, that is a lesson I will never forget!
The presence of God is much like that of electricity. The nature of God’s presence in us is to flow into us and out of us. We are a conduit for the Spirit. Remember what Jesus told the woman at the well, “rivers of living water will flow from within them. (John 7:38).” The Holy Spirit of God flows from within us out to others. It must flow. The presence of God is fresh. He is always doing a new thing. Continually refreshing our soul, He is a river running through us. But what happens when we dam up the river? And that brings us to the Verse of the Day:
Matthew 5:7
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
When Jesus gives us this truth, He describes for us the necessity of us giving mercy in order to receive mercy. The same is true about forgiveness (Matthew 6:15) and giving (Luke 6:38). Why is there this condition to receive the things that come with the presence of God? The condition exists because the nature of God’s presence in us is like a river that must run. When we don’t live out to others what God wants to give us, we are damming up the river.
The difference between a river and a pond is scum. I remember as a boy being up in the mountains of New Mexico playing in the streams and rivers. I could see through the crystal clear water to the riverbed. But if you have ever seen the scum that covers the surface of a pond, then you see the effect of water when it becomes stagnate. This is what happens to our spirit when we dam up the river of God’s spirit in us. Our heart is covered in spiritual scum.
When we struggle to give mercy to others, it is usually because deep within, we don’t really believe they deserve mercy. Well, let me just say that none of us deserve mercy, but God gives it readily. In fact, His mercy runs through us, fresh each morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). You may feel that the person who has hurt you doesn’t deserve mercy. Ok, fine. But you deserve to lose the fresh power, new mercy, and unending love of the river of God’s presence? After all, if someone has already hurt you, why pour hurt on top of hurt by depriving yourself of the running river of God? Give mercy and let the river flow.
Y’all Live Blessed and Be a Blessing!
