Three Springs
"For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the tfountain of living waters, And hewn themselves cisterns-broken cisterns that can hold no water." (Jeremiah 2:13 NKJV)[1]
God is the fountain or spring of living water. Here in the mountains of Northeast Tennessee there are a number of springs. I remember as a little boy a relative taking me to one that someone had fixed to make it easier for people to collect the water to take home. Someone had run a pipe with a cutoff on the end. They had cemented the area below the pipe so the people would not have to get in the mud to get their water. It was good, cold, clean water. I compare this water to the true Word of God that is taught and preached. It will quench your thirst.
There is another spring which my mother's parents took me to a few years later. It was a pipe sticking out of the mountain. It was cold water but it was iron water. My father told me that in that area before they had a water system put in that was the only water that was available for the people to collect to use in their homes. I thought it tasted different but not too bad. Those people who had to use it all the time may have gotten used to it. I compare this water to the teaching and preaching of some that bring a message that sounds good but is a little off. Some people listen to these preachers and teachers not knowing they are getting used to the messages and not knowing it is not the pure living water.
There is a third spring I remember seeing. It was right off the side of what used to be the main highway at the top of the mountain near the North Carolina state line. It also was a pipe sticking out of the mountain. The only difference with this one is that there was a house just above it. You know that house didn't have any running water so you were not sure if the water was pure or not. In fact we doubted the purity of that water so we never drank it. There are some teachers and preachers that you hear that you know are not teaching the pure Word. These you stay away from.
None of these springs would give enough water for a household. If someone wanted to use the water from a spring that was on their property they would probably build a cistern. Webster defines a cistern as: "an artificial reservoir (as an underground tank) for storing liquids and especially water" (as rainwater)[2]
Jesus said that if you belong to Him you will have a spring of living water flowing from you. The people Jeremiah was talking to didn't have the springs or fountains of water. They were building cisterns to try to catch the living water. There are people that still do that today. They think they can work their way into heaven by doing enough good deeds.
Don't try to build your own cistern. Give your life to Jesus Christ and you will have rivers of living water flowing from you. Then be careful what spring you drink from. Make sure it contains the pure living water.
By Dean W. Masters
Unedited redistribution approved
[1] The New King James Version. 1996, c1982. Thomas Nelson: Nashville
[2]Merriam-Webster, I. 1996, c1993. Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary. Includes index. (10th ed.). Merriam-Webster: Springfield, Mass., U.S.A.