It is raining right now and that is good news! Here in South Texas, we have had a dry summer. The only relief we had were a few showers, separated by weeks with no rain. Dry weather isn’t that unusual in this area, but we normally get enough. I don’t have a sprinkler system installed and I normally water my trees and plants with a water hose, twice a week. Because of the lack of rain, I bought a sprinkler attachment for my garden hose and set it up in two places to cover my front yard. Water restrictions are in effect, so I can on use the sprinkler one day per week and only during certain hours. On a couple occasions I was busy during our allowed water time, so my yard dried up and turned brown. Farmers and ranchers have it worse, because they depend on rain to water their crops and grow grass to feed their cattle. Rain or the lack there of is always a subject of discussion in Texas. Just a year ago (2017) Hurricane Harvey dumped record rainfall, caused massive flooding and destruction in Houston. San Antonio was spared flooding and damaging wind, but we had plenty of rain.
To make things worse, we have had 27 days with highs exceeding 100 F degrees (37.77 C). With high humidity making it feel worse, we longed for temps to drop to the 90’s. It was so hot it wasn’t really cooling off very much at night. I couldn’t work very long in the yard before I was drenched with sweat and exhausted from the heat. The rain gave us a refreshing break from the extreme heat. The cooler temperatures feel great and make me forget how hot and miserable we were before. Now that I am refreshed, I can withstand the hot and dry days that will come.
That is something like going through spiritual dry spells. If we stay out of Church, fail to pray, and miss reading our Bible to get our refreshment, we will dry up much like my yard. For brief periods we can get enough to survive, but who wants to just survive? We need the constant nourishment that we can only get from GOD! We get that constant flow by abiding (living) in JESUS. JESUS said, “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” We can’t survive without Him! “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire…” Without Him we will dry up and die! “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (John 15:5-7 KJV). With Him you will live in abundance!
How is this possible? Why would GOD want me to live in Him? “God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life…For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved” (John 3:16-17 KJV). You are precious to GOD and He paid a high price so you could be with Him. He doesn’t want you to dry up from a lack of nourishment. He gave His all to save you and He wants you to have all the life He has to give. Accept JESUS and live!
Wayne Lance (2018)