Streams of Living Water

Streams of Living Water

Jhn 7:37-39 NIV - On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

None of us are strangers to thirst. Most of us know the sensation of having a cold glass of water flow through our mouths after a long, hard morning/day of summer work. Thirst is essential for life. Anyone with a basic knowledge of chemistry knows how fundamental water is for life in the universe. It is no coincidence, therefore, that Jesus uses water when He speaks to the Jews about eternal life. Jesus “[says] in a loud voice” that “[i]f anyone is thirsty, let him come to [Jesus] and drink.”

What a wonderful analogy! Water is so simple, and so is the path to Christ. We need only to drink of Christ’s water to receive His Spirit. Receiving the Holy Spirit means that “streams of living water will flow from within [us].” Of course, the use of water here is an analogy. The Holy Spirit is certainly not water any more than my head is made of doughnut holes. But the analogy is sound: Jesus has something we need, but to get it, we must drink of Him.

I know I do not think about this often enough. We tend to take for granted the fact that we received Christ’s water. Complacency is such an easy sin that creeps up on us. We forget the dying thirst that burdened us before we drank of Christ. That is why we must recall each day the Holy Spirit that is within us. Jesus lives in YOU! He said that “whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst” (John 4.14).

I think of the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. How we can be so much like the woman! We ask for God to give us water without realizing what we are really asking (John 4.15). The woman thought she was receiving literal water, but she had no idea of the magnitude of Christ’s gift. Beloved, we have no idea of the magnitude of Christ’s gift. We so easily take for granted our salvation, yet that is an active and necessary ingredient for a full and lasting relationship with God. If your life has never been filled with Christ’s water, ask Him into your heart today. Believe that He died and rose again for you, and ask His forgiveness for the sins you have committed in your life. The beautiful thing about water is that it washes away the dirt. When we allow Christ to come into our lives, our sinful nature is washed away. This is what the act of baptism represents. Will you allow Jesus to wash your heart? Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich

The Hypocrisy of False Worship

The Hypocrisy of False Worship
Isa 1:11-20 NIV - "The multitude of your sacrifices-- what are they to me?" says the Lord. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations-- I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon festivals and your appointed feasts my soul hates. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. "Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool. If you are willing and obedient, you will eat the best from the land; but if you resist and rebel, you will be devoured by the sword." For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

Isaiah 1 is perhaps the best, most dramatic illustration of God’s wrath towards those who practice false worship. Ironically, the false worship was not that of idols of foreign gods, of endless stuff to keep the people occupied—the false worship was the false worship of the LORD, particularly by the people of Judah. All the rules for worship the LORD laid out for His people in the Old Testament were being followed, but not out of faith and love. Instead, they were being applied passively out of meaningless ritual and repetition. The LORD says that He “[has] more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals.” He “[has] no pleasure in the blood of lambs and goats.” God was fed up. The people were “bringing meaningless offerings,” and God was tired of it.

We like to believe that only the Israelites were guilty of hypocritical worship. I wonder, however, if we realize how common it is in our day. We passively engage in worship as if it were an intermediate step to a social activity. Our lips are filled with words to songs and poems and Scripture we do not consider. By engaging in false worship, we are “trampling [God’s] courts.” These are harsh words, but they are true words. These words were partially written to warn us against the same meaningless ritual which ultimately brought the nation of Israel to its knees. They were written to warn us about praising God with the sort of praise in which Israel engaged in Isaiah 29.13: “"These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men.”

Don’t just have God on your lips, beloved. Think about the words you are singing. Think about what you are doing when communal prayer occurs. Consider why you are getting up in the morning or evening to worship God. Is it because it is expected, or is it because you desire and thirst after God? God wants servants who hunger after Him. He wants us to “[s]eek justice, encourage the oppressed, [d]efend the cause of the fatherless,” and “plead the case of the widow.” Only true worship will bring a lifestyle that glorifies and reflects God. A ritualistic form of worship will only lead to an empty, unsatisfying relationship with God that is based on fear and rhetoric rather than love and service.

In spite of Judah’s false worship, God did not give up on them. He says, “Come now, let us reason together…[t]hough your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.” Beloved, God is here to restore passion and love in your worship. If you have been worshipping hypocritically today, come and commit yourself to the right kind of worship. There is an introduction to a DC Talk song that haunts me almost daily: “The greatest single cause of atheism in the world today is Christians: who acknowledge Jesus with their lips, walk out the door, and deny Him by their lifestyle. That is what an unbelieving world simply finds unbelievable.” Don’t let your worship be false today. Let it be centered on Christ, and your life will reflect it. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich

Reaching the Spiritual Mountain

Reaching the Spiritual Mountain

Jhn 17:20-24 NIV - "My prayer is not for [My disciples] alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. "Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.

Some people proclaim religion is like climbing a mountain, where the journey is difficult but at the top we see God. I’m not so sure religion is quite like that. That does not mean, however, that we must throw out the analogy altogether. Heaven is somewhat like climbing a spiritual mountain, only we do not do the climbing ourselves. Pastor David Platt once said that the difference in Christianity and other religions is that every other religion wants you to reach the top of some mountain to see God, but only Christianity preaches that God comes down from the mountain Himself, picks you up, and carries you in His arms.

That is what we see here in the Lord’s Prayer(the actual Lord’s Prayer, not the Model Prayer). Christ prays that His disciples may be strengthened. He prays that “all of them may be one.” He prays that “they also be in [the Trinity] so that the world may believe that [the Father has] sent [Christ].” Here we see that it is not we who climb the spiritual mountain, but Christ who carries us in His arms. Very rarely do we stop to consider that God Himself prayed for us before His death. Romans 8.26 tells us that “the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” God is continually there to help us climb the mountain to reach Him.

We can be assured that Christ wishes us to reach the top of the mountain, not kick us in the pits of hell. I’m afraid there are many who believe God to be an insane, bloodthirsty tyrant who enjoys torturing His creation. This is not what the Scripture teaches. Jesus “want[s] those [the Father has] given [Christ] to be with [Jesus] where [He is].” He wants us to “see [His] glory, the glory [the Father has] given [Christ] because [He] loved [the Son] before the creation of the world.” Jesus wants us to be with Him! He desires to be with us so much that He jumped off the top of the mountain and came and picked us up through His death and resurrection!

I pray that you will continue your journey up the spiritual mountain. Always remember that God is there helping you—you don’t climb alone. We have a Father who has climbed the mountain Himself before; He knows the way up. Trust Him to guide you up. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich

What Does it Mean to be Humble?

What Does it Mean to be Humble?

Jam 4:6-10 NIV - But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

I’ve sometimes heard the expression, “The minute you believe yourself humble, you are not.” This is a good general description of humbleness, but what does it really mean to be humble? What does humbleness look like? The Scriptures are very clear that we are to be humble. We are to “humble ourselves before the Lord.” We know that “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Clearly humbleness is something we must take very serious as Christians; we must not neglect it.

What, then, does humbleness mean? There are two proficient definitions of humbleness that best describe the word: “Near the ground; not high or lofty; not pretentious or magnificent; unpretending; unassuming; as, a humble cottage” and “Thinking lowly of one's self; claiming little for one's self; not proud, arrogant, or assuming; thinking one's self ill-deserving or unworthy, when judged by the demands of God; lowly; weak; modest” (Noah Webster’s New International Dictionary of the English Language). The key point here is that humbleness is the lowering of oneself beneath God and beneath others. With that definition, we can begin to imagine how humbleness is carried out. James mentions a few aspects of humbleness that are helpful descriptions of how humbleness looks.

First, humbleness involves submission. It causes us to “submit [ourselves] to God.” If you want to know what it means to be humble, you must understand and execute submission. Submission involves putting the will of God before our own. Submission involves getting one’s shirt dirty—working in what the wealthy would call “peasantry.” If you want to know what submission looks like, look at a missionary in Africa or Asia. Look at the man who visits the sick and elderly in their homes and hospitals. These are the sorts of godly people who have submitted themselves to God’s will. Nothing is beneath them—they are totally dedicated to Christ and to Christ’s message of the Gospel.

Secondly, humbleness involves pursuing God. James says that we are to “come near to God and He will come near to [us].” When a man takes on humbleness, he is led to the Lord. This is because humbleness breaks us and rebuilds us, but the rebuilding makes us aware of our utter and total reliance upon God. We realize just how dependent we are upon Him. Unexpectantly, our humbleness increases through this act of humbleness. It is as if humbleness breeds more humbleness in a process that repeats in a fractal throughout eternity. In our pursuit of God, we will find more humbleness. As we draw closer to Him, He draws closer to us. He sustains us in the midst of our sufferings, joys, fears, doubts, and elation.

Lastly, James teaches us that humbleness causes purification. James tells us to “[w]ash [our] hands, [we] sinners, and purify [our] hearts, [we] double-minded. Grieve, mourn and wail. Change [our] laughter to mourning and [our] joy to gloom.” The humble man realizes his own sinful nature, and relies fully on God to purify Him. He sees his weaknesses, and he learns how to submit totally to God to prevent falling into temptation. In this way, the humble man washes his hands and purifies his heart. He knows how to lower himself before God and accept the full grace of Christ Jesus. He fully relies on this grace—it is his life and sustenance.

I hope you will put humbleness into practice. If you have not been very humble, begin to be today. Turn to the Lord. Submit to Him. Allow Him to humble you. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich

God Can Open Our Scrolls

God Can Open Our Scrolls

Rev 5:1-6 NIV - Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?" But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. Then one of the elders said to me, "Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals." Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. He had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.

Revelation 5 gives us a symbolic image of God’s plan of redemption. John expresses that only “the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David” could “open the scroll and its seven seals.” The Scripture implies that only Christ had the power to redeem mankind from sin. Why? Because the Lamb “[had] seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth.” It is important to stress Revelation is a work composed of symbols used to illustrate important theological truths and events concerning God’s Church throughout history. So when we read this text, we do not see a literal beast, but a symbolic representation of a God who encompasses omnipotent attributes necessary for salvation to occur. The Lamb’s seven horns represent “complete power.” This is a reference to Psalm 18.2, which proclaims that “The Lord is [the Psalmist’s] rock ... and the horn of [his] salvation." The seven eyes “convey the thought of complete insight and all knowledge” (L. S. McCutcheon, The Symbols Speak).

There is great spiritual significance in this passage of Scripture. Through it we are reassured that “[t]he LORD is [our] strength and [our] song; He has become [our] salvation” (Psalm 118.14). We can extend these properties of salvation to not only include the salvation of Mankind itself, but to every event in our lives: the Lord saves us each day. There are, no doubt, seals to the scrolls in our lives that are locked up and that we cannot unbind. Indeed, no one can unbind them but Christ Himself. There is no material wealth or pleasure, no drug or thrill, no relationship that can open the seals to our situations in life except for Jesus Himself.

Because He is perfect(as we are reminded by the repetitive usage of the number seven in the Lamb’s description), we ought to have no doubt that He can open our scrolls. His perfect power, represented by the seven horns, is enough to open the scrolls. It is enough to change the most stubborn of hearts; it is enough to unbind the chains of addiction and sexual immorality; it is enough to free the depressed man’s sorrow; it is enough to save the lost. Similarly, His all-seeing seven eyes represent perfect vision. He sees our sorrows, and He sees the future. His eyes can see well beyond ours, and thus He knows what we need. We must simply trust Him.

Allow God to open your scrolls today. If He could save us from sin through His blood, then He can save us from the scenarios we face in our daily lives. Just trust in Him. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich

The Patience of a Farmer

The Patience of a Farmer

Jam 5:7-8 NIV - Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

Pro 14:29 NIV - A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.

The Lord reminded me of patience on something I’ve been desiring for a long time. This verse in James came to mind. Patience, James says, is like a farmer “[waiting] for the land do yield its valuable crop.” Farmers must endure great patience to see a crop grow. They must “[be] patient for the autumn and spring rains.”

This verse is quite useful, for it reminds us of all the things that we must wait on in our lives. Unanswered prayers, a restored relationship, the creation or building of a relationship, the salvation of a loved one, a job opportunity, or many other scenarios. All these things require patience. We must think of the farmer in these times. A farmer plants his seed long in advance of his expectation of its yield. The saying “you reap what you say” is true indeed, but it says nothing about when the reaping comes. That is what takes patience. Many people begin to sow, but give up after they do not see their reaping coming when they wish it to be so. Thus, people are usually only patient when they are forced to be patient. The farmer is forced to be patient. The expecting mother is forced to be patient. The loved one of a recovering hospital patient must be patient.

But God teaches us to be patient by means other than force. Patience is one of the virtues that must often come by discipline. Practicing patience involves building virtues other than simply patience. It is a composite virtue, composed of other virtues such as love, peace, hope, and endurance. In practicing patience, we must utilize these other virtues if we are to see the reaping of our crops. For what man is patient with his son unless he loves him? What man prays for the ending of conflict unless he is full of peace? How does one promote change in the world unless he has hope change will come?

What comes of patience is not merely the crops themselves, but, as the writer of Proverbs puts it, “great understanding.” The “patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly.” The most patient people are usually some of the wisest people. Why? Because patience often pursues knowledge and wisdom or experience that yields knowledge and wisdom. I once had a computer science professor who told me, “You can’t learn to program by someone simply showing you; you have to practice yourself.” This is a valuable lesson to whatever we are doing. When we are patient and see things through to the end, the Lord teaches us valuable lessons that we can apply to the glory of His Kingdom.

How is your patience today? Are you struggling to complete things? Are you losing hope? If so, remember the farmer. One day all this waiting shall pay off. Whether it is a situation in our own lives, or the very patient waiting of Christ’s return, God’s children will reap their reward. Be patient, and I promise good things will come. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich

A Compassionate Neighbor

A Compassionate Neighbor

Mat 14:13-16 NIV - When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick. As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a remote place, and it's already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food." Jesus replied, "They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat."

The number of times in which we see Jesus showing compassion on the needy is astonishing. This really ought to make us stop and examine our own lives. If we proclaim to have Christ living within us, then the same sort of compassion that lived in Him must live in us. This means we, too, must help the needy. Many believers are terrified of this command. “What can I do?” they ask. “I’m not a missionary or a pastor—let them do it.” The truth, however, is that the same spirit resides in all of us--the same spirit that “had compassion on [a large crowd] and healed their sick.” The same spirit that did not follow the advice of his disciples but commanded his disciples to “give [the crowds] something to eat.” Now, our Lord did not well have to show compassion to these people. Furthermore, He did not have to top it off with one of the most popular and spectacular miracles of all time. But this was who Jesus was, and this is who Jesus is.

Beloved, that Jesus is in us as well. He commands us to show love and compassion to our neighbors. We, too, are asked for many things by many people. People have all sorts of needs in their lives. It is through these needs that we have an opportunity to show them their greatest need—salvation. Neediness is an interface to salvation—a bridge which connects the saved man to the lost man. When others see good deeds, they see a motive behind good deeds. By openly showing them our motive of love, their hearts are hopefully turned further to God. I once opened the door for a woman in one of my college classes. She looked at me in shock and said, “I didn’t know guys still did that kind of stuff anymore.” People in our society do not expect compassion, for our society is still incredibly individualistic. When they see it, we are given an opportunity to do as our Lord often did, and present to them the Gospel or at least to plant the seed of the Gospel into their lives.

Will you show compassion today? I know we are often busy, and it is easy to simply yell, “No time!” and move on. This is precisely what we must not do. We can make time for even the smallest and simplest acts of compassion. I challenge you to think of at least one act of compassion you can show every day. It will totally change your perspective on life. It will put you in the shoes of Jesus, and it will cause further fellowship with the Holy Spirit. Most of all, it just may save a soul. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich

Spiritual Success

Spiritual Success

Mat 6:19-21 NIV - "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

“Alexander cried when he heard Anaxarchus talk about the infinite number of worlds in the universe. One of Alexander's friends asked him what was the matter, and he replied: ‘There are so many worlds, and I have not yet conquered even one.’”

--http://www.e-classics.com/ALEXANDER.htm#18

It’s said that when Alexander the Great was told the number of worlds in the universe, he wept. He replied that there “are so many worlds, and [he had] not yet conquered even one.” I’ve often wondered about the state of worldly success. What happens when you become so successful that there is nothing left to conquer, or that your pursuits seem meaningless? Perhaps it is the point where man begins to address his spiritual needs once and for all. We often read books of past United States presidents and kings of ancient history reflecting on their lives in their old age. Many people of great power begin to speak about their faith and engage in philanthropic work. Perhaps this is what happens when man realizes worldly pursuits are in vain.

Thankfully, we don’t have to conquer the world to realize this. Jesus tells us in Matthew to “not store up for [ourselves] treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.” Instead we are to “store up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.”

As Christians, God has called us to live for heavenly success, not worldly success. The greatest believers in history were never after fame and fortune and prestige: they were after the heart of Christ. They desperately wanted to bring glory to God, to help the oppressed, and to preach the Gospel in every way God gave them.

This is clearly demonstrated by Christ’s way of life. As a king, we certainly do not see Jesus pursuing worldly success. He calls us to “store up for [ourselves] treasures in heaven” because that is, in fact, just what he is doing on Earth. He is not building a physical empire. He is not allying himself with governors of the provinces of Rome, nor gathering a militia in which to stage a rebellion. There were religious sects at the time that did this, many of whose leaders claimed to be the Son of God. But Jesus understood the most invaluable lesson of success—it is only success to glorify God.

We always see Jesus preaching this message of heavenly success. We see Him obsessively repeating this business of “glorifying the Father” in everything He does and says. Why? Because spiritual success is about God. It is not about how we may receive pats on the back and be told how we are such wonderful people. It is not that others may look at us and see nobility. Rather, it is about others looking at us and seeing Christ Himself dying for their sins. This is the ultimate goal of our lives—we are mirrors of Christ. As mirrors, may we seek spiritual success that God may be glorified. Let us store up treasures in heaven, not in the vanity of earthly success. If you have been seeking worldly success rather than spiritual success, come to Christ today and ask Him to change your heart, that you may seek success for the glory of God, not for the glory of yourself. Amen.

With love in Christ,



Austin Aldrich