In & Out

Think of ponds - some are beautiful and some are nasty. What’s the difference?

Water flow

Fresh water flowing in, being stirred up, and flowing out

Or water that flows in, but goes nowhere

It is the same with us. We are like ponds.

To be healthy and fresh, we must allow God to flow things into us, stir things up in us, and flow things out of us

When nothing is flowing out, we get nasty

We see this really clearly spelled out in Paul’s letters to Timothy

2 Timothy 1:3–7 NLT

3 Timothy, I thank God for you—the God I serve with a clear conscience, just as my ancestors did. Night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. 4 I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I will be filled with joy when we are together again. 5 I remember your genuine faith, for you share the faith that first filled your grandmother Lois and your mother, Eunice. And I know that same faith continues strong in you. 6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. 7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.

When we don’t embrace this process, it is often because of fear

We’re afraid of change, we’re afraid of challenge, we’re afraid of being stretched

Or perhaps we don’t embrace the process because we are complacent

We are so busy enjoying the blessings of God, that we’ve stopped thinking about what we are supposed to do with them

If we live this way, the blessings of God will become bitter and turn to rot in our souls and we will actually regress

Matthew 25:14–29 NLT

14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. 16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.

So let’s not be like the last servant, doing nothing with the things that God is pouring into us

God has blessed you in order to make you a blessing to others (2 Corinthians 9:10-11)

Let’s be a rich, clean pond of life giving water which blesses people and brings honor and glory to our Lord, Jesus Christ

Questions for Discussion

What has God been flowing into you?

What is God stirring up in you?

What is God wanting to flow out from you, as ministry to others?

Are there people you can name, that God is placing on your heart to pour into?

Exhortation for the Week

Reread the parable in Matthew 25:14-29. Ask the Lord to show you what He is calling you to do with what you’ve been given, and then begin to do it.

Summary

The strength, healing, and blessings that God flows into our life, only lead to maturity in us when we allow them to stir up and then flow back out into the lives of other people. Without this outflow process, the good things of God will turn sour within us, and we will actually relapse into unhealthy and destructive ways of life. But when we actually put to use those things that God has poured into us, then we move forward into greater health and maturity.