Saturday, January 21, 2012 - It Won't Hold Water

"The word of the LORD came to me: 
 'Go and proclaim in the hearing of Jerusalem: 

"'I remember the devotion of your youth, 

how as a bride you loved Me and followed Me

through the desert through a land not sown."  

Jeremiah 2:1-2

     I remember using the placemats, napkin rings, and centerpieces for the first years of marriage. My plan was to have the table set with the china, of course, the candles lit and the a heavy aroma of the incredible meal I had prepared seeping out from under our door into the hallway to welcome Tom as he came to the door. I soon found out he was much more interested in the food and candles than anything else, so I relaxed a little in frou-frou department and put a little more time into cooking.

    Yesterday I watched Nick play a racing game in which he chose an incredibly expensive car, painted it, loaded it with features, and then crashed it.  He asked my opinion and said, "Watch this,"  "Did you see that?" "Which car do you like best?"  It slowly dawned on me that by being with him and being interested in what he was doing, I was speaking his love language. 

     What kind of family member am I to God? Do I expect Him to speak my love language while I never speak His? Do I ignore Him until I need Him?  Am I kind to Him or do I throw Him a few minutes of time I control and expect Him to appreciate my gesture?  Do I know My God's love language?

"My people have committed two sins:

They have forsaken Me, the Spring of Living Water,

and have dug their own cisterns,

broken cisterns that cannot hold water."

Jeremiah 2:13

According to the two passages today, God's love language is loving Him enough to stick faithfully to Him as our only Source of Living Water, even when He leads us through a desert.  The instant we look to someone or something else to quench our thirst, we've chosen a bucket that won't hold water, won't satisfy our needs, and which hurts God deeply. The minute I try to love Him in some other way than by trusting Him completely, I've offered Him a rope with no bucket attached. What an amazing God! To love Him is to need Him; to need Him is to love Him. Speaking His love language ends up answering the empty places in us. 

Father, You alone satisfy our deep thirst for Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control (Gal. 5:22-23).  You are our Spring of Living Water, Life-Giving, Vein-Plumping, Heart-Pumping Water!  We can't survive without You - even if we turn suddenly stupid and try to find satisfaction somewhere else.  I choose You - again today, I say "I do" to You.  You alone are my God and I will follow You wherever You lead me because You love me and I love You,

    In the Name of Jesus, Who knew best how to love You