Great Plains Daily Devotional for 1/18/19

John 4:13-15 

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”

Last year we took the grandchildren to the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. For weeks in advance, we planned and talked about it. They heard stories, examined shells, and looked at pictures, but nothing compares to seeing it yourself.

So we all loaded up in a rented minivan and began the long trip to the Outer Banks in North Carolina. There were so many sites to see along the way. We packed snacks, activities, took our devices and began the first day of the journey. It was a long drive to Charleston, North Carolina which was our first nights destination.

Day two we started out early, well rested and the anticipation was mounting. Once again we had things to keep us busy in the car. The talk was mostly about where we were going to stay, how the sand would feel under our feet, what the ocean would look like, and how fun it would be to feel the waves.

At last, at around 5 p.m., we reached the Crystal Coast. We had to go over the causeway to see the ocean for the first time.
As we approached the causeway, my son-in-law asked our granddaughter, “Ellie, are you excited to see the ocean for the first time?”
She looked at me and was giddy with joy. Her little hands were together in a grasp that I could almost feel. She anticipated that long awaited joy of seeing the ocean and almost could not contain herself.

Of course once we made it to our accommodations, the first thing we did was unpack our swimsuits and head out to see the ocean. The second, very touching sight was seeing the grandkids stand in awe of such a big body of water. They were mesmerized by the waves. It was breathtaking.

This caused me to think of other areas in my life that it is possible to share joy with family and friends and discuss things of eternal value. How can I create this same excitement for our grandchildren about having “new Life” in Christ? How can we show them how to find life-long tools available to help them get through tough times we all have?

One possibility might be, setting our church attendance as a priority, and making that known to family. We can read bible stories, talk about family struggles and how God has made a difference in the way we handle them, and give them every opportunity possible to see God in action. Even the ocean is a teaching tool for creation.

I can pray individually for each family member and friend, that he or she see some reflection of God in others, and myself, which causes them to desire a relationship with Him.

God will do his part, but it is also up to me to do mine.

Isaiah 43:1-7
Psalm 29
Acts 8:14-17
Luke 3:15-17, 21-22