Broken Cisterns

“For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.” (Jeremiah 2:13)

In lecturing to military units concerning survival I always started out by saying , “Your canteen is more important than your weapon.” You can live for a while without food and even without your weapon, but you cannot live very long without water. In third world countries, all over the world, I have seen, mostly women, carrying pots of water from some source of water (well, creek, etc) to their home for the survival of their family. To go along with all the other unsanitary conditions of life in these places, the water is usually unsanitary. Many prissy people in this country would not use it for bathing.

At least 3 million children in the world, this very day, have never had a clean, sanitary cup of water to drink. Many so called scientists, think the water molecule is simple, but it is very complex. I live in a city, where most of the potable water is taken from a very polluted river. I boil my drinking water. Inland cities, dump their treated sewage into the river. I am a firm believer that treated or not, the sewage and other contaminates going into the rivers from various streams, have so compromised the river water that even though we are told the water has been cleansed and filtered with chemicals, such as chloride and fluoride, before presented for human consumption, it is not clean. The contaminants of the water have so mitigated the human immune system that we are more susceptible to disease.

“But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4:14)

In speaking before Christian groups, I often brought out the fact that almost every country church in Eastern North Carolina always had a well in the front yard. You always knew, that if you found a church, you could find some refreshing water. Some of the very old churches even had a trough where an animal could be watered. It was at a well, and the common need for a cool drink of water, that our Lord encountered a woman who had come at midday to get water. And when He disclosed some things to her about her married life, we are told she ran to the city leaving her pitcher behind to tell others of this marvelous person who has assured all of us, that if we drink of the pure water of his redemption, we will never thirst again.

People do what they do, because they believe what they believe. Most do not want to believe in purity, they desire the contaminated life, they desire water from a broken cistern. Even in this time of a media promoted swine flu epidemic, we learn that the border guards are not allowed to use face masks. The H1N1 virus certainly is not controlled by face masks or even hand washing, but everyone should use some common sense about this virus or any other germ. I have said a thousand times in public that I am amazed that most young people turn out as well as they do considering the sins to which they are exposed. I would further say that I am amazed that most of us are as healthy as we are considering the microbiology (germs, bacteria) to which we are exposed.

I was talking with an internist this very morning who has just returned from a medical specialist meeting and he said, “So many people are interested in a prevention.” We should be interested in preventing everything involving our health. (heart attack, cancer, stroke, claims most lives brought on by incorrect eating, diabolical living) We should be interested in everything involved in protecting our country, what other nation will rescue us? (Our surge toward Marxist socialism, our surge to absolute bankruptcy) We should be interested in our eternal destination (Our churches, pulpits, have become cauldrons of doubt, disbelief, depravity). We should become interested in our daily intellectual pursuits (Eliminate the idol of TV with its trash, deceit, mediocrity).

We are blessed with one life to live, those of us who have survived the abortionist, disease and assassins of bad behavior. This is not a dress rehearsal, some of you may believe you will be reincarnated as a cat, a dog or even Napoleon. Some believe that the grave is the end of the road, that you just become fertilizer. I have good news, just as pure water is good for you, the creator of the universe gave His only “begotten Son”, His most precious possession, to give you the gift of eternal life, a ransom for all who want the truth and who believe in the truth.

“Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.” (2 Timothy 4:12)