RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
I have a friend who goes by the name Barb. She is more like an acquaintance rather than a friend because our paths do not cross very often. I occasionally run in to her at Wal-Mart or Jewel, or at a social function or farmer’s market. Barb is the kind of friend that fits into a category almost all her own. When I am around Barb, there is a presence about her that I can clearly feel, yet she gives no signs of recognizing that anything may be different about her. The last time I saw her, we stood in Wal-Mart and chatted, and the entire time I was with her I had to swallow back tears and push back the urge to spill out all of my problems and concerns of the day. This was not the first time I had felt this way around Barb. That afternoon, along with past visits, she spoke words of promise and truth, of encouragement and kindness, throughout our entire conversation. We eventually parted ways, and on my drive home I tried to identify what it is about her that makes me feel as though I am standing in the presence of God. Well, it did not take long for God to show me the answers to my questions.
In John 7:28 Jesus states, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’” Aha!! Here was the description I was looking for. Being with Barb was like standing in a river with the water rushing over me. In this verse Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit, and I began to see the correlation between this verse and my friend. I was indeed standing in a river and it was the outflow of the Holy Spirit within her. It is no wonder, then, that I would be brought to tears or ready to unload my troubles. And it is interesting to note that she does not examine the outflow; there is no conscious effort being made on her part to be like Christ. She doesn’t wonder if she’s any use to the Lord, she just lives it and it is so.
Who are the people that influence us the most? Not the ones who think they do, but those who don’t have the slightest notion that the river of life is flowing out of them, touching all in its path.
ANSWERED PRAYER
Many times we pray to God and never have the opportunity to see how God answered that prayer. Last fall, God gave me a glimpse of how He was working to answer a prayer I prayed thirteen years ago. On a mild autumn day in October, 2009, my family and I attended the dedication of Bryan House in Aurora, Illinois, a home to help refugee families. As we pulled into the parking lot, I questioned why this place looked so familiar. A moment of jogging my memory brought the realization that I had been here before, back in 1997. It was an apartment building that the Lord had taken me to when I was working as a volunteer for the Aurora Police Department. This was my very first assignment and I was there to aid the police to inform a family that one of their family members had died, a victim to a crime. That was very difficult for me. How do you tell someone that their loved one has died?
The building itself was in a poverty-stricken neighborhood and was a bit foreboding. I vividly remember standing at the apartment door, fighting the urge to run back down the stairs to my car. Instead, I started to pray. I prayed that someday all of the residents of that building would know God; that the building along with the whole neighborhood would be transformed by the power of Jesus Christ; and that God, in His mercy, would stop the unjustified deaths of the young people there.
I carried out my job that day, hard as it was. And now, 13 years later, I am witness of God’s hand at work. Of all the small, apartment buildings God could have chosen in the city of Aurora, He, in His infinite wisdom and mercy chose this location to be Bryan House. To me, that is a tangible, strong, and clear testimony that a prayer, as small as it may seem to us, would not go unnoticed by our God. And that sometimes God in His infinite sovereignty and profound love, would allow us to see our prayers powerfully answered for our consolation, imparting courage to go on. I want to pray more everyday and Lord, believe You more and more! In your mercy, help my unbelief! Pastor Alma
For more information on Bryan House go to www.bryanhouse.org
WELCOME
Welcome to the new Wesley Church website. My goal was to get this up and running by March first so a few days late isn’t too bad.
Please take a few minutes and browse through the website. Take note of any mistakes I’m sure to have made somewhere. As this is my first attempt at creating a website, I know there are areas that could use improvement, so please contact me with your constructive criticism and helpful hints.
Also if there are other things you would like to see on the website, please let me know and I’ll take those things into consideration as I continue to tweak the website over the next few weeks.
Thanks again for visiting.