Come With a Pail

The title is a borrowed thought from John Newton.  Dear John.  He was and is so much more than the  the hymn Amazing Grace which he gave to the world. That would be great enough indeed.  But in  fact he was a faithful parish priest in a pokey little village in Buckinghamshire, England.

As was the habit of most in his time, John was a prolific writer, yes of hymns but also of sermons and journals which have been preserved for us.

One such sermon is based on Revelation 22.17 "And the Spirit and the bride say, Come, and let him that heareth say come.  And let him that is athirst come.  And whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely."

Mr. Newton's thought is that when people 'beg wine they come with a small vessel.  When they beg water they go with a pail.'  How appropriate.  When coming to the Fountain, the Water of Life how foolish it is to come seeking  droplets when streams are offered.  What more could we want?  The Fountain is pointed out and we are invited. Not only that, we are encouraged to freely partake.

Our God is never stingy.  No, not in any of His ways, dealings or offers.  The taking falls to us.  Always.

The one who is wise keeps close to this Fountain.

The sad opposite was told by the prophet Jeremiah: "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living water, and hewed themselves out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."  [Jeremiah 2.13]

Cisterns hold stored, stagnant water which sits above settled silt and who knows what else.
Why would we ever settle for that when the fresh, the excellent is offered?
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Have you ever sipped water from a mountain stream?
It is bubbling and sparkling.  It refreshes as well as quenching thirst.
The same is true of wells that feed from such streams.

This should be our water of choice This Day.
Meet you at The Well!

"All my fresh springs (my source of life and joy) are in Thee."

Psalm 87.7 

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Photo: Jon Wornham, Isle of Man