Law Enforcement

 

I recently had a dream in which it was my first day of work as a police officer. As I was a rookie, I was surprised that I had not been assigned a training officer or partner and also that I had not been issued a gun or any other weapon.

There had been intel that the city where I worked was under a terrorist threat targeting the subway system. My assignment was to travel on the city subway lines and trams and to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity.

As I was expecting a rundown, dirty transportation system in dire need of repair, similar to those in most major cities, I was shocked when I entered the outdoor plaza of the central hub. It was immaculate in upkeep and futuristic in design. Each car was transparent, made of plexiglass, bullet-shaped, and trimmed in chrome that gleamed in the sunlight.

There were no ticket takers or transit card punchers, so I entered one of the cars as the doors magically swept open as I approached. I chose a seat near the end of the car, where I thought I would have a better vantage point in the event of trouble. But to my surprise, the car was deserted, as were the platforms at every stop.

The train traveled at great speed, through subway tunnels and on overhead rails suspended above the city, yet gracefully slid to a stop at every station, decelerating almost instantaneously. Finally it reached the end of the line, and I exited the car to a large plaza that was also deserted. As there had been no maps onboard the train and no announcements of stations or routes, I was relieved to see a large, freestanding poster containing a map. But I didn’t recognize any of the station names, so there didn’t seem to be any choice but to get back on the train.

Finally there was a passenger – only one – an older woman stretched out on the bench seat at the back of the car. Her tight-fitting velvet gown accentuating her ample curves, teased hair, overdone makeup, stiletto heels and provocative pose made me wonder if she was a madam.

“I know what you’re thinking, dearie, but you would be wrong,” she purred.  “You can’t judge a book by its cover.”

Even in the dream, her comment reminded me of Scripture stating that only God knows the hearts (1 Samuel 16:7). In any event, it seemed safe to assume that this woman was not involved in any sort of terrorist plot. As I considered my first day at work in law enforcement, I was thankful that I had not encountered any violence, suspicious activity, or even any type of confrontation.

When I was awake and contemplated the spiritual applications of the dream, I considered that every Christian is to be involved in law enforcement, meaning upholding God’s Law and the Ten Commandments (Psalm 119; Exodus 20:1-17). Once we are saved by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), His Holy Spirit indwells us (2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13), empowering us to flee temptation (1 Corinthians 10:13) and resist the devil (James 4:7).

Although Christians benefit from Godly counsel and fellowship (Proverbs 27:17) and sound teaching and preaching (Romans 10:14), the Holy Spirit is our primary Guide, Counselor, Comforter and Teacher (John 14:16,26; 15:26; 16:7). In the dream I had no earthly training officer or partner, as I was to be led by the Holy Spirit.

God has given us His Word to hide in our heart that we would not sin against Him (Psalm 119:11). The weapons of our warfare to enforce His Law are spiritual, not carnal (2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:12), and involve putting on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:11-17) before we even leave the house, and preferably before we even get out of bed! In the dream, I had no gun or other weapon to enforce the law, emphasizing that this is a spiritual battle.

In the days of Moses, breaking the law was often punishable by death (Exodus 21). In the New Testament, James wrote that whoever is guilty of breaking any part of the law is guilty of transgressing the entire law (James 2:10-11). This explains why no human can enter Heaven without faith in Christ, as all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Jesus Christ made this standard even more impossible for man to meet, as He said that violating the law even in thought and not in deed was a sin. Whoever looked at another with lust was guilty of adultery, and whoever got angry was guilty of murder in their heart (Matthew 5:22,27).

But thankfully, He fulfilled the law perfectly on our behalf, through His perfect law of liberty (James 1:25). Whoever trusts in Him has His righteousness credited to their spiritual account, and their sins paid for in full by Christ’s suffering on the cross (Romans 4:6-22; 3:25).

Although we are to be spiritually discerning and speak the truth in love, confronting another’s sin according to Biblical principles (Matthew 18:15-17), Jesus Christ warns us not to judge, for only He knows the hearts (Matthew 7:1-5). In the dream, I jumped to the wrong conclusion about the subway passenger, who then reminded me of this principle. Christ Himself did not condemn the woman caught in adultery and told her accusers to cast the first stone only if they themselves were free of sin (John 8:1-11).  

In the dream, the immaculately clean, futuristic city and transit system suggested the heavenly City, or New Jerusalem, that will be beyond compare and beyond imagination (Revelation 21:2; 1 Corinthians 2:9). The trains were nearly empty, reflecting Christ’s words that the gate to Heaven is narrow (Matthew 7:13-14), and that few will enter it as He is the only Way (John 14:6). There were no ticket takers or transit card punchers, indicating that we cannot buy or work our way to Heaven, for we are saved only by grace through faith, and not by works (Ephesians 2:8-9).

On my first day as a police officer in the dream, I had very little to do, as no laws were being broken! Clearly this was no earthly city, where crime runs rampant because of man’s sin nature inherited from Adam in the fall (1 Corinthians 15:45; Romans 5:12).

Praise God, in Heaven there will be no need for police, first responders, doctors, nurses, counselors, or undertakers, for our glorified bodies will never sin, age, die or experience pain, sorrow or sickness!  (1 Corinthians 15:35-50). In the meantime, may we yield to His Holy Spirit to keep the law ourselves and to refrain from judging others, for only God knows the hearts!

Copyright Laurie Collett 2025

It’s the Message, Not the Medium

 

Photo by Adam J.W.C. 2009

In this dream I was teaching an adult continuing education class. It was held in a kindergarten classroom filled with tiny desks and chairs and cluttered with piles of toys. Some of the adults attempted to sit down, but most huddled awkwardly at the back of the room. I had brought in many visual aids, books, and notes but could find nowhere to set them down. I tried to write on the chalkboard, but it was filled up with an overabundance of writing and pictures. I tried to erase it, but the eraser was heavy with chalk dust and only made more of a mess.

To make matters worse, I could find no suitable chalk. I had an old, splintered piece of lavender chalk that was too brittle to write on the board. One of the students brought me a crayon and showed me that it wrote easily and visibly on the board, but I was concerned that it could not be erased and would ruin the board for other teachers. 

Another student brought me a small gift box, saying it might contain a solution to my dilemma. I opened it and shook out a sea of confetti, only to find small decorative soaps within, sculpted like sea shells, starfish, jellyfish, and other sea creatures. I tried marking the blackboard with one of them, but it was too soft and crumbled like sand.

Finally I realized that I could use my finger to write in the chalk dust already on the board, just like pranksters write “Wash Me!” on the dirty window of a car. My plan was to draw a diagram of the human brain and show how different regions were involved in various interactions with the environment. But to my horror, as I lifted my finger, I realized that I no longer remembered how to draw the brain!

So I turned my attention back to the class, only to find that most of the students had already slipped away, no doubt put off by the clutter, confusion, and inadequate preparation. But an elderly, overweight woman with swollen legs remained, and she said softly, “I thought you were going to tell us about Jesus.”

My heart sunk as I realized that I had gotten so caught up in the presentation that I had forgotten the most important message! I knelt on the floor beside her and explained that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) deserving eternal punishment in hell, but God gave His only Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay for all our sins so that we could have eternal, abundant life with Him (John 3:16; 10:10).

A younger couple also remained. “Oh, we’ve been to church a few times and heard songs about Jesus. They had a great band and videos, and they even served Starbucks! But all they wanted to do was convert us, so we left and didn’t go back.”

As I awoke from the dream, I realized that the Holy Spirit was speaking to me about the importance of witnessing – of preaching Christ, and Him crucified (1 Corinthians 1:23). We must not be ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of salvation to all who believe (Romans 1:16) in the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6).   

Before I was saved, God had blessed me with the opportunity to teach neurology to medical students and residents. To me, this field was the most challenging in all of medicine, because no created system or being can fully understand itself, and therefore no human can completely fathom the mystery of the brain.

As fascinating and elusive as the field of neurology is, it pales in comparison with the mystery of the Gospel (Romans 16:25; Ephesians 6:19). Why would God robe Himself in human flesh (John 1:14), suffer and die to pay for our sins, and open His plan of salvation to “whosoever” would trust Him (John 3:16; Acts 2:21; Romans 10:13), and not just to His chosen people (Joel 2:32) with whom He made His initial covenant?

His design of the human brain is truly a wonder (Psalm 139:14), and He has given us the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:5). But how much greater is the awe He inspires by His freely given gift of grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9), offering eternal life with Him (1 John 5:11, 13.20) to all who call on His name!

I am thankful that long before I knew Him, God transformed me from an awkward, stammering child who almost got held back in kindergarten to a well-educated, highly trained academician, public speaker, dancer, and singer. Looking back, I realized that He was equipping me to share the most important message of all time – the only Truth that matters to our eternal destiny and to that of our fellow travelers on earth.

The training He allowed me has given me entry to spheres of influence and unusual forms of ministry. I pray to be always yielded to His will to be a vessel fit for His service (Romans 9:21; 2 Timothy 2:20-21), and to realize that without Him, I am and can do nothing (John 15:5).

The dream showed me that we don’t need a large, modern venue; a sophisticated media presentation; or even specialized education or a divinity degree to share His Word. A learned, erudite speech will do no good if it goes over the heads of the listeners, any more than a complex neurology lecture is suitable for a kindergarten class.

Speaking in tongues that no one can understand does not edify the listeners, but only fills the speaker with pride (1 Corinthians 14:1-33). Speaking with fluent oratory or brilliant philosophy means nothing unless we are speaking the truth in love (1 Corinthians 13:1).

It’s not about us, or about showing off our knowledge or talents. If we get too attached to our own plan for ministry, God may humble us (Proverbs 16:18), just as I was embarrassed in the dream when I could no longer even remember how to draw the brain. Sometimes our words or artistic expressions seem beautiful and artistic, as were the sculpted seashell soaps in the dream, but they lack substance and fail to communicate.

All we have to do is to get real, and to tell others about Jesus. It is not our job to “convert” anyone, for only the Holy Spirit can convict the sinful heart of the need for a Savior Who paid our ransom price in full (1 Corinthians 3:6-7; Jeremiah 17:9; Luke 19:10; Mark 10:45; 1 Timothy 2:6).

All we need is obedience and desire to fulfill His Great Commission, to go and teach (Matthew 28:19-20). This is only possible when we yield to the power of the Holy Spirit Who enters us at the moment we are born again (John 3:3-8).

As He teaches us and as we grow in our diligent study of His Word, through His grace we will be more effective in communicating His love and truth to others, whether through language, song, dance, or other arts. But from the moment we are first saved, we can and should immediately share with others how He has changed our destiny and made us a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17; Galatians 6:15).

Let us shout from the rooftops (Matthew 10:27) how He delivered us from the pit of hell (Job 33:28; Isaiah 38:17) to abundant, eternal life (John 3:16; 10:10) in heavenly places in Him (Ephesians 1:3; 2:6).

We should pray for direction on how to prepare and how to be receptive to His guidance (Proverbs 3:5-6). But we don’t need to obsess over what to say, for He will give us the right words at the right time (Luke 12:11-12) if we listen to His still, small voice (1 Kings 19:12). We don’t need to arrange for a comfortable, well-equipped auditorium, a Power Point or multimedia production, or even a piece of chalk or a clean blackboard, for He will provide all we need (Philippians 4:14-19).

Jesus taught His amazing truths from a fishing boat (Matthew 13:2-3); He wrote His Word with His finger on stone (Exodus 31:18), plaster (Daniel 5:5) and sand (John 8:6); and He used His powers of observation and allegory to construct timeless parables from everyday events and ordinary people.

 
The Samaritan woman whom Jesus met and saved at the well did not put off witnessing until she could go to Bible school or rent the town hall for a revival. She left her water bucket behind and immediately ran off to tell everyone in her village that she had found the promised Messiah -- the Living Water -- and to invite them to come meet Him (John 4:28-29). May we boldly go and do the same! 

© 2015 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Flowing Triplets: Fount of Every Blessing

 

As we saw last week, the signature of the Trinity is evident even in the triune nature of water that sustains, nourishes, and cleanses us! This is true not only in the physical realm, but also in the spiritual sense. Christ Himself is the Living Water, the Fountain of every blessing, and the cleansing Flow Who alone can give us eternal life (John 3:16), abundant life (John 10:10), and salvation from our sins (Romans 1:16).

When Jesus spoke to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:1-42), she had come to draw water to satisfy her physical thirst (v. 13), but her needs were deeper than that. Her broken relationships had left her in an emotional desert (v. 16-18), and her spiritual drought led her to seek answers in religious tradition (v. 20) rather than in the Living Water Who had come to her personally.

Jesus knew the significance of this Divine appointment, for He left Judaea, and was headed to Galilee, but “must needs go through Samaria” (v.3-4). This was an odd route to choose, as the Jews of that day were prejudiced against the Samaritans and would have gone to great lengths to avoid them (v. 9). Yet He tells her that if she had realized the gift of God the Father in sending His Son to earth, she would have asked Him for Living Water, referring to the Holy Spirit (v. 10) He gives freely to anyone Who trusts Him.

Still not recognizing Who sat before her, the woman brings up three worldly obstacles to accepting Him, which are still a stumbling block to those who reject Him even today. She saw Him as lacking physical power (for He appeared to have no bucket to draw the water), as being no match for the physical challenge (the well was deep), and as lacking the prestige of the patriarch Jacob, who had given the well to provide water for himself, his descendants, and his cattle (v. 11-12):

Sadly, many lose out on the freely given gift of salvation because instead of trusting Him, they trust their own flesh (Philippians 3:4-8), they fear the opinions of the world (James 4:4), and they rely on their religious traditions (Colossians 2:8; 1 Peter 1:18).

Jesus told the Samaritan woman that whoever would receive His gift of living water would never thirst; for that water would be a well (fountain) of water, springing up into everlasting life (John 4: 14).  Later He offered the same free gift to the Jews gathered at the feast of tabernacles, saying “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. As the Scriptures had prophesied, whoever believed in Christ would have rivers of living water flowing from his belly, with the Holy Spirit giving him the Word of Truth (John 7: 37-39).

God brought His chosen people, the nation of Israel, into the Promised Land, described as a good land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills (Deuteronomy 8:7). On their journey, God provided water in the desert by standing before Moses on the rock in Horeb, having Moses strike the rock, and causing water to spring from the rock (Exodus 17: 5). God’s provision of water for His people was spiritual as well as physical, for Christ was the Rock from which their spiritual drink flowed (1 Corinthians 10:4).

But Moses was not permitted to enter the Promised Land because of his subsequent disobedience (Numbers 20: 7-12). On that occasion, God gave Moses clear instructions to provide water to the people by speaking to the rock which would give forth water, proving God’s goodness before their eyes, and bringing them water that flowed from the rock.

Instead, Moses did not believe God would do this, so he chastised the people and struck the rock twice with his rod. Because of the earlier incident, Moses may have thought the power was in the rod rather than in the One Who had given it to Him as a sign of His power. Moses even implied that he and Aaron, not God, had the power to provide the water by asking the people “must we fetch you water out of this rock?”

The sin of Moses was therefore threefold: lack of faith, disobedience, and pride, which are the root cause of all sin even today. The consequences of his sin were that he lost the power of his testimony with the Israelites; he was not permitted to enter the Promised Land; and he had struck the rock, or Christ, twice, foreshadowing how the Jews would scourge and crucify their promised Messiah.

Even though God provided abundantly for His people, they rejected Him as the fountain of living waters (Jeremiah 17:13). Instead they placed their trust in false gods that were as useless as broken cisterns that held no water and as polluted as the Egyptian waters of Sihor (the Nile) and the river waters of Assyria (Jeremiah 2:13-18).  But thankfully, God extended His gracious offer of salvation to all people, the Samaritan woman being an early example of a Gentile who could be grafted into God’s family tree by trusting in Christ (Romans 11:17-24).

The Song of Solomon speaks of the Bridegroom and His beloved as a metaphor foreshadowing the relationship between Christ and His church (Ephesians 5:23-32), meaning all those, whether Jew or Gentile, who are born again (John 3:3-8). He is a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters, and streams from Lebanon, and she is an enclosed garden, a spring shut up, and a fountain sealed, referring to her spiritual purity in Him. His living water allows her to be fruitful, producing pleasant fruits, spices, and healing plants (Song of Solomon 4:12-15).

As soon as the Samaritan woman realized that Jesus was the Christ, sent of the Father to be worshipped in Spirit and in truth (John 4:23-26), she left behind the cares of this world, symbolized by her water pot; ran back to the city without fear of facing those who had rejected and scorned her; and spread the Good News that she had found Christ (v. 28-29).

Once we are born again by placing our trust in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), should we not do the same, and tell everyone how He has changed us? Thanks to the Samaritan woman’s testimony, her salvation led to the salvation of those who believed her witness, and to the salvation of those who were just curious at first but who came to see Him for themselves (John 4:39-42). Praise God that whosoever believes in His Son can now have the Spirit of living water within him!

Not only is God the Living Water and the Fountain of every blessing, but His blood is the cleansing flow that washes away all our sins (1 John 1:7). The covenant God had with Israel was that He would wash her with water, thoroughly wash away the blood of her sins, and anoint her with oil (Ezekiel 16:8).

Old Testament sacrifices requiring animal blood and ritual cleansing with water and herbs only covered sins and had to be repeated often (Leviticus 14: 4, 51-52). Trespass offerings of oil and blood of the slain animal had to be placed on the right ear, right thumb, and right great toe of the person to be cleansed (Leviticus 14:14,17,25,28)

Yet Christ’s shed blood that flowed freely for us has once and for all removed us from our sins (1 John 1:7), past, present and future. He is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth, Who loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God and His Father (Revelation 1:5-6).

Before Jesus even reached the cross, His blood flowed mingled with sweat (Luke 22:44) in His passionate prayer at Gethsemane; from the crown of thorns piercing His head (Matthew 27:29; Mark 15:17); and from the agonizing whipping He bore on His back (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). On the cross, blood flowed from His nail-pierced hands and feet (Luke 24:39-40) and gushed from His side, where the soldier stabbed Him, releasing not only blood but water (John 19:34).

Even in the Great Tribulation, those who trust Christ and deny the antichrist will be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb, will never thirst again, and will be led to living fountains of waters (Revelation 7:13-17).

Praise God that Christ will come again, bringing peace to Israel like a river and glory to the Gentiles like a flowing stream, nourishing all with His life-giving sustenance! (Isaiah 66:12). In that day, when living waters shall flow from Jerusalem; the Lord shall be king over all the earth, there shall be one Lord, and His Name shall be One (Zechariah 14:8-9).

Revelation 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.

© 2014 Laurie Collett

Flowing Triplets: Living Water Sustains Life!

 

Photo by D. Illiff

Jesus Christ is the full expression of the Triune Godhead (Colossians 2:9), with love, light, and living water flowing freely from His radiant Presence. The essence of water itself reflects His Triune signature, beginning with its molecular structure composed of three atoms: two hydrogen and one oxygen. In its pure form, this vital substance is tasteless, odorless, and colorless.

At temperatures found on the planet Earth, water exists abundantly in all three states of physical matter: water (liquid), ice (solid; Job 6:16; 38:29; Psalm 147:17), and water vapor (gas), and it is the only common substance found on earth in all three states. Earth’s treasure of water is contained above the earth in clouds (Proverbs 8:28), on the earth’s surface, and within the earth as groundwater, including soil moisture, water in underground caves, and aquifers (Genesis 7:11; 2 Samuel 22:16). 

Sources of water on the earth’s surface include bodies of water, which cover about 71% of the earth’s surface, as well as water contained in plants and in animals. Much of the water humans consume comes from fruits and vegetables such as melon or cucumbers (Numbers 11:5), and even water stored in cacti or other succulents can save the life of someone in the desert far from any other water source.

God created bodies of water (Genesis 1:10; Proverbs 8:28) including oceans, lakes and rivers, containing salt water, fresh water, or brackish (a mixture of salt and fresh). Ocean waves, which consist of several crests (peaks) separated by troughs (valleys), can be described using three characteristics. The height of the waves is the amplitude, the distance between neighboring wave crests is the wavelength, and the time between neighboring wave crests is the period.

God designed an amazing system to circulate water through its various storehouses, thereby cleansing it and providing us with drinkable water. Although discovery of this water cycle was credited to the imperial Romans, the Bible described it more than one thousand years earlier (Job 26:8; Ecclesiastes 11:3; Amos 9:6).

There are three ways that water leaves the surface of the earth and returns to the atmosphere: evaporation, in which liquid water heated by the sun turns to water vapor; sublimation, in which ice gives off water vapor without melting first, and transpiration, in which water molecules move through a plant, entering from soil through the roots and evaporating from leaves, flowers, and stems.

Atmospheric water returns to earth in three distinct forms of precipitation: rain (liquid droplets), snow (ice crystals), and hail (frozen balls of rain). Sleet is actually a mixture of rain and snow. We think of snowflakes as being six-sided, but the hexagonal shape actually arises from a triangle. On rare occasions and at temperatures of around −2 °C (28 °F), snowflakes form as triangular crystals with three equal sides.

This three-sided snowflake can give rise to the characteristic hexagonal snowflake, known as a Koch snowflake, by dividing each side of the triangle into three segments of equal length, forming an equilateral triangle that has the middle segment from each side of the original triangle as its base and that points outward, and continuing the process to develop intricate crystalline shapes that have six-sided symmetry.

Water is required for life on earth for three reasons. It is a necessary ingredient in biochemical reactions that sustain life; it dissolves so many substances that it is called the universal solvent; and it has unique physical properties offering lubrication, cushioning, and thermal protection. Photosynthesis is the biochemical reaction occurring in all green plants, in which water plus carbon dioxide (containing three atoms, namely one carbon and two oxygen) are transformed into glucose (simple sugar) and oxygen.

This reaction serves three essential functions. Firstly, it converts light energy from the sun into chemical energy stored in sugar where it can be used by plants and animals. Without photosynthesis, we would all starve. Secondly, it uses up carbon dioxide, which animals and humans exhale, and which, in excess, would suffocate us. And thirdly, it generates oxygen, which animals and humans need to fuel their muscles, their heart, and chemical reactions releasing energy needed for other cells to function.

Water is the universal solvent, meaning that it can dissolve most substances. (Thankfully, it doesn’t dissolve everything, or we couldn’t find a container to store it in, and we would melt like the Wicked Witch of the West when it rains!).

Because of its solvent qualities, water dissolves minerals found in the sea and within plant and animal cells where they sustain life. Water transports other vital chemicals dissolved in our blood plasma to where they are needed in the body. Finally, the solvent properties of water allow us to use it for cleansing, keeping our bodies, food, and environment relatively free of disease-causing and otherwise unpleasant contaminants (Leviticus 15).

Minerals dissolved in the sea are consumed by God’s abundant creation of fish, shellfish, and marine manmals (Genesis 1:20-21), as well as of algae, seaweed, and other water plants that animals and humans eat to avail themselves of these nutrients. The oceans are still a largely untapped source of undiscovered organisms that may provide as yet unknown health benefits.

Chemicals dissolved in our intestinal juices, blood plasma, and urine are transported to where they are needed as our amazingly designed body (Psalm 139:14) digests food, provide organs with raw materials for specialized growth and function, and eliminates waste. Without water, which makes up 55% to 78% of the body, all these essential processes literally dry up and shut down the body.

God even utilized the mechanical properties of water in His design of our bodies. For example, water lubricates our joints. The two bone surfaces, which are relatively hard (22% water) do not contact one another directly, which would soon cause considerable grinding, wear and tear. Rather, the contacting surfaces are covered with cartilage, a firm gel-like substance containing 65%-85% water, and lined with a membrane secreting synovial fluid (90% water) to reduce friction.

The low compressibility of water makes it an excellent cushion, shock absorber, and protection not only for the joint surfaces, but also for the brain and spinal cord, which are bathed and suspended in cerebrospinal fluid, and for the unborn baby, who floats in amniotic fluid within his mother’s womb (Psalm 139:13).

Water has a very high specific heat capacity. This helps the body to maintain a normal temperature by conserving heat when needed and by releasing heat when blood flow is directed to the skin surface. Heat stored in the water content of blood can dissipate from dilated blood vessels through heat transfer processes of radiation (directly emitted from the skin), convection (carried away from the skin by a breeze), and conduction (transferred from the skin to a cooler substance, like a babbling brook). Sweat glands also secrete sweat, which is 98% water, to cool the body by evaporation.

Throughout the Bible, we see God providing His children with lifesaving water (Isaiah 41:17). In the Garden of Eden, God made a mist from the earth to water the whole surface of the ground (Genesis 2:6), and a river flowing out of Eden to water the garden (Genesis 2:10). When Hagar and Ishmael were about to die of thirst in the desert, God provided a well (Genesis 21:14-19)

As the Hebrews wandered through the desert, God brought forth water from a rock (Isaiah 48:2). The Promised Land where He led them was a land of brooks of water, of fountains and depths that spring out of valleys and hills (Deuteronomy 8:7). In the Millennial Kingdom, living waters will go forth from Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:8), the rivers of Judah will flow with waters, the mountains with new wine, and the hills with milk (Joel 3: 18).

Thank God for His precious gift of water, without which we cannot live! But even more essential is that Christ is the Living Water giving us abundant and eternal spiritual life, for all who trust in His death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6)!

© 2014 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives

Flowing Triplets: Let Your Light Shine!

 

Flowing triplets of God’s love, lightand living water describe His divine nature and bathe His children in His grace, 

holiness, and salvation.

God’s first recorded words were “Let there be light,” (Genesis 1:3). Light was and is essential to provide the energy to sustain all of His subsequent creation. Light and other forms of radiant energy flow continuously from the sun and other stars, traveling faster than anything in our known universe at the speed of 186,000 miles per second. Light travels in the form of a wave, much like waves we see in the ocean, but the frequency of the sine wave is so high that our eyes do not perceive the waveform.

Based on frequency, light can be divided into the visible spectrum, infrared radiation, and ultraviolet radiation. White light is composed of three primary colors: red, blue, and yellow, which when mixed together in pairs give rise to the secondary colors (purple, green, and orange). When we see a rainbow, the symbol of God’s promise never again to destroy the earth by flood (Genesis 9:13-16), we perceive it as having predominantly three bands corresponding to the primary colors.

Like matter, light and other forms of energy cannot be created or destroyed, because God spoke all that is into existence by the words of His mouth over the six days of His creation (Hebrews 11:3; John 1:3). However, Einstein’s famous equation involving only three terms showed us that energy and matter can be converted into one another. Energy equals matter times the speed of light squared, which is a number so large it is difficult to even imagine (448,900,000,000,000,000 in units of miles per hour).

Light on earth comes from the sun during the day, and from the moon and stars at night (Genesis 1:16), and all these praise the One Who made them (Psalm 148:3). God created these heavenly lights to give signs of His power, seasons varying in temperature and in earth’s growing cycles, and markers of time in days, months and years (Genesis 1:14).

God has used celestial lights for visible and prophetic signs of His majestic power, as in the sun standing still to aid Joshua in battle (Joshua 10:12-13), the blood moon to signify tribulation (Joel 2:31; Acts 2:20; Revelation 6:12), and the star directing the wise men to the Christ Child (Matthew 2:9). In the Great Tribulation, God’s judgment will be evident as the sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven (Matthew 24:29).

The sun and moon illuminate the first heaven (Genesis 1:17), or earth’s sky where birds fly; the stars brighten the second heaven of outer space, and Jesus Christ, the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16), lights up the third heaven where God the Father resides (2 Corinthians 12:2). The New Jerusalem will have no night, nor will it need the light of the sun or stars, for Christ Himself will be its eternal light (Isaiah 60:19; Revelation 21:23; 22:5).

The goodness, holiness and power of Jesus Christ, Who is the Light of the world (John 8:12; 9:5; 12:46), shine in and on the darkness of sin (Isaiah 9:2; 60:1) just as the sun lights up our planet. But His followers are also the light of the world (Matthew 5:14) and light in the world (Philippians 2:15), for His light shines through us and reflects from us like the moon reflects the sun’s brilliance. We share with the world the light of the glorious gospel of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:4).

The prophet Isaiah, inspired by God, commanded the nation of Israel to arise and shine, for their Light would come in the person of Jesus Christ, and the glory of the Lord would rise upon them. That Light would attract not only the Jews, but also the Gentiles, and kings of many nations (Isaiah 60:1-3). That Light would shine with health, righteousness, and the glory of the Lord (Isaiah 58:8).

John described Jesus as the True Light with life that was the light of men, and that shone in darkness; and that lit every man who came into the world (John 1:4-9). The transfiguration of Jesus, in which His inner circle of Peter, James and John witnessed the brilliance of His glory, was described as His face shining like the sun, His clothing white as the light, and the voice of His Father speaking from a bright cloud (Matthew 17 1-5). This glimpse of Christ in His glory reminds us that He is clothed in light, honor and majesty (Psalm 104:1-2).

Jesus called His followers the light of the world, comparing us to a candle elevated on a candlestick and illuminating all in the house, and telling us to let our light shine before men to God’s glory (Matthew 5:14-16). He told His apostles that while they had His light, they were to believe in the light, so that they would be the children of light (John 12:36).

Because God is light, we should walk in the light, as He is in the light (1 John 1:5-7). God’s Word is a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns, and the day star rises in our once darkened hearts (2 Peter 1:19).

Jesus said that if our whole body therefore be full of light, having no part dark, the whole shall be full of light, as when the bright shining of a candle doth give thee light (Luke 11:36).

Praise God that He is not only our light, but also our salvation and strength! (Psalm 27:1). He is our light in the darkness of evil, radiating His grace, compassion, and righteousness (Psalm 112:4). Once we place our faith in Christ’s death, burial and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) as the only Way to Heaven (John 14:6), we have no need to fear, for we shall bask eternally in His perfect light! May His light shine through us!

© 2014 Laurie Collett

Reposted from the archives