If Anyone Thirsts

The Feast of Booths, also known as the Festival of Tabernacles, was a week-long celebration when the Jews remembered the intervention of God during their wandering in the wilderness, as described in the book of Exodus. (Exodus 17:1-7)

As part of this holiday, the priests would carry water from the Pool of Siloam to the altar, remembering God's provision of water from the rock. The last day of the feast is the culmination of the festivities, when the priests would recite Psalm 118:25 while making seven circuits around the altar. This backdrop is crucial for understanding why Jesus spoke these particular words, at this particular time.

To Gain The World

For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
Mark 8:36

by Chuck Ness

I brought my tomato plants inside the house about a Month ago to allow the tomatoes that were still on the plants to mature instead of letting the plants die in the cold. A Month later one plant has mostly died, but there is still one the last tomato that is almost ready to harvest. As you can see, the other plant is still hanging in there and even has some new tomatoes growing.

Now while the plants themselves are wilting away with every day that passes by, you will notice how the plants send all there energy to the tomatoes so their seeds could survive, even though that ensures the plant itself would die sooner. 

Sadly, humans are not so wise. Unlike plants and animals, we humans destroy our seeds so that we, not our children, will survive. Instead of ensuring the propagation of our kind, humans will often times sacrifice our future generations so that we can have more for ourselves.

After all it costs money and time to raise a child, and in doing so we must sacrifice things we would otherwise enjoy. This is why we humans will often times sacrifice our children to the god of self, so that we can enjoy the benefits a care free life might offer us. Benefits we would otherwise not enjoy if we are encumbered with the responsibility of a child.

I Failed As A Watchman

by Chuck Ness

An acquaintance whom I worked with on a few jobs around the valley died from COVID complications this past week. He had respiratory problems already, and he was in his late 60s. My heart is broken, because I was a bad watchman. He knew I am a Christian, but I never pushed the issue of his faith to know where he was.

True, only God knows our hearts, and until we get to heaven none of us truly know where another persons heart is. Yet, I never heard him speak of Jesus, and he never joined in a conversation whenever I would bring up my faith or beliefs.

On his fb page he has never mentioned the name of a Jesus, nor even eluded to his faith in any way. I do know he spent much free time fishing and traveling places to fish, and he enjoyed drinking socially but was not one to over indulge.

A Father Pays The Price For His Children's Crimes

As a gift of his love for his eight-year old son, a father gives him a baseball and a bat. The father tells the boy to be carefull as to not break any windows, nor harm anyone with the toys.

So the boy takes his gift and goes outside to play with the new toy. He grabs the bat with his hand, rests it upon his shoulder and tosses the ball into the air with his other hand. As the ball descends he swings the bat at the ball. To his complete enjoyment, the boy hits the ball squarely and it goes sailing into the air. As the baseball flies across the yard, it enters the neighbors yard and smashes into their living room window.

That's when the neighbor comes outside to confront the boy about his window. The neighbor realizes that an eight-year old boy cannot fix, nor pay for the broken window. Yet he demands justice. So he confronts the boys father, who gave him the destructive instruments that shattered his living room window.