The Good River

“And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.” – Revelation 22:1

“There is a river that flows from God above

There is a fountain that’s filled with God’s great love.

Come to these waters there is a vast supply

There is a river that never shall run dry” – David Sapp

            If you find a good river, you can live, and live well.  A good river supplies all want that the human needs to survive (given you can fashion a few necessary tools).  A good river is full of nutrients that will supply to surrounding banks with fertile soil.  This in turn will cause trees to grow and you can cut them down to build a house.  The river supplies you shelter.  A good river will draw all manner of surrounding life to it.  The deer will come to drink, as will squirrels, dove, and rabbits.  The ducks will dabble in it and the fish will swim it.  Moreover, you can sow crops in that same soil that grows trees and produce fruit.  A good river supplies food.  Finally and perhaps the most obvious, a good river provides water.  Water to drink, water to bath, water to cook with, and water to help your crops grow.  A good river acts as a conveyor belt, day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute, supplying you with all that is needed to live.  The river is a consistent and abundant supplier of all that is needed to sustain you in this life; and if you dwell near it, you will live and live well.

            Jesus Christ is a good river.   The waters of his grace and power flow from the throne of God into the heart of man.  “He supplieth all our needs according to His riches in glory.”  He can and will supply everything you need, day by day, hour by hour, and moment by moment.  There is nothing too hard for God, but we have to be planted by Him.  As the Psalmest David said, we have to be a tree planted by the rivers of water.  We stay within its banks, we drink from the nutrients that flow down from the Almighty.  The words of Christ, they are to us.  The commandments he teaches, these are more than a recommend course of action; they’re our life (in every sense of the word).  This river, Jesus Christ, is our sustenance, we live by Him, in Him, and through Him.  The devil would march out other suppliers.  He would say money can do this, that it can supply all.  That is a lie.  The devil would say that another person can do this, this is a lie.  Perhaps a life of travel or a life of learning, a drug or a group.  He would say anything other than the river could be the river, but they are only counterfeits.  They are only cheap imitations of the good river.  There is many things in the sanctified life that cannot be explained.  To me, one of those is the knowing that there is always a sure supply.  There will be times when things are tough or money is tight.  Sure, there are unknowns and opportunities to worry; but no matter what is or what comes, you always know deep down that God is there and he will provide.  That is a blessing beyond measure, an unexplainable comfort; it cannot be found anywhere else.  It only comes from the river.

            Jesus Christ wants to be your river, he wants to be your provider and comforter, but he cannot do that unless you chose to dwell with him.  He cannot bring life and provide for you if you do not put your trust in Him.  When the early settlers first settled these lands they risked their all, and they put their trust in the rivers and waterways of this country.  If the rivers ran dry, and the crops quit growing, they died, and not just them; their families as well.  They trusted the river to keep them.  If you place all your trust in Jesus Christ, he will keep you.  He will provide.  He is sufficient.  He is the good river.