Wells That Never Run Dry (Mike Glenn)

Wells That Never Run Dry, by Mike Glenn

When the woman at the well asked Jesus how He was going to draw water from the well without a his own jar, He told her if she knew to whom she was talking, she’d ask for water from Him. His water, He said, is like wells of water that never run dry. In a country known for its deserts, that’s a tall promise.

In a world known to be desert of relationships and love, we read these passages and sigh. What one of us wouldn’t want a life overflowing with love and peace and grace?

We try to love people. We really try, but the best we can come up with is an occasional cup of compassion. Most of us don’t have the resources to keep a well spring of love flowing. We simply run out.

Why?

If we’re going to address this, we need to confront a common misconception most people, even Christians, have God and how He blesses. In our world, we deal with limitations. There’s only so much time, only so much money, only so many resources to go around. When they’re gone, they’re gone.

Because we’re limited, if someone else has something, that means you can’t have it. Most of us live by a theology of scarcity. That is, we think God only has so much. He only has so much love, so much love, and so many resources. When God runs out, everybody is out.

Of course, God is not limited. That’s one of the things that makes Him God.

This also means the person who is seriously pursuing a transforming relationship with Jesus Christ has a challenge to hold all Christ wants to give. Our lives overflow with His goodness and love. You can’t hold the ocean in a thimble and when Christ pours Himself into you, it runs over and out into the world around you. When Christ says that He’s come that we have abundant life, the image is we’re literally looking for places to give grace away lest we drown in it.

Our love for neighbor isn’t our love at all. It’s the love of Christ flowing in us, through us, and over us. We live and love in the overflow of Christ.

You would think this would be something that no one would ever forget, especially ministers. However, do you know who forgets this most of all?

Ministers.

In fact, ministers are usually the first to forget. It’s a professional hazard.

We think because we hang around the church all of the time it’s the same thing as being with Jesus. It’s not.

We think working for Jesus is the same thing as being with Him. It’s not.

We think because we’ve talked about Jesus all day it’s the same thing as talking with Him. It’s not.

So, we give up our prayer time to get to a breakfast meeting. We don’t read the Bible anymore – at least not for ourselves. We read the Bible a lot. We have to get ready to teach or preach, but we no longer read the Bible for the love of reading the Bible. We’re too busy. The church demands too much. Before you know it, our wells have run dry. Our lives become empty. Our ministries have pulled to much for us. Now, we have nothing else to give.

No matter how you express your ministry, whatever the details of your mission are, ministry and mission come out of the overflow of Christ’s presence in our lives. Without that overflow, we’re useless in our ministry. We can’t neglect our relationship with Christ for the illusion of getting more done for Jesus.

Remember, Jesus had a habit of slipping away to be alone with His Father. We would do well to follow His example.

Ministers don’t explode. You rarely hear of pastors losing their minds and attacking board members or staff. OK, we do think about from time to time, but we never act on it.

Ministers implode. That is, the pressure on the outside becomes greater than the pressure on the inside and we collapse like an empty soda can. When this happens, ministers will do all kinds of crazy and stupid things to get fired from the ministry. They’ll look at porn on church computers. They’ll have an affair with someone in the church. They’ll succumb to an addiction. This acting out will be so clumsy and brazen, it will make you think they were trying to get fired.

They were. It’s a type of spiritual suicide. Ministers will do something so bad, the church will have to fire them. Working in a church can take Jesus away from you in a hurry. Endless demands, dead end meetings, unreasonable expectations – well, you know the list – means the pastor, and most of the time, their families just can’t take it anymore. Did you know about half of those who graduate seminary won’t be in the ministry within five years of their graduation?

If you work on the staff of Brentwood Baptist Church, don’t be surprised if I walk up to you at random times and ask you two questions. First, what you are reading in Scripture? Second, what is Jesus teaching you? The radical teaching of Christianity is our Rabbi is alive. If you open the Bible, He’s promised to meet us in that moment and teach us – just like He taught, Peter, John, James and all the rest.

You had better be able to tell me real fast where you’re reading in the Scripture and what you’re learning from Jesus. “Uggghhh…” is not a good answer. In fact, that answer might get you sent home. You’re absolutely no good to us if you’re not ministering out of the overflow. You have nothing to give. In fact, you’re dangerous to the church because you’re trying to do ministry out of your own strength…and that never ends well.

So, here goes. Are you ready? Where are you reading in Scripture? And what is Jesus teaching you?

Remember, “Uuuuggghhh” isn’t a good answer.