Take the water of life freely

Revelation 22:17 (KJV) finishes the prophecy of Jesus' second coming by saying

Let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

The amazing word here is "freely," a word which holds importance for our prayers. When we pray, we don't need to bring anything to God. Certainly not material possessions, but also not some lame claim to have obeyed his commandments.

Rather, we just come as ourselves. Full of sin, but also full of thirst for his righteousness. And never lose sight of how important this "water of life" is. As Jesus says in John 4:14 (KJV),

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.

I will not let thee go, except thou bless me

Chapter 32 of Genesis recounts the mysterious time when Jacob wrestled throughout the night with God. It's a dense passage, with many important spiritual implications.

But I'd like to focus on what Jacob says to God at daybreak, when God is getting ready to leave. Jacob says (verse 26, KJV),

I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.

But, wait! Doesn't Jacob's tone seem a little rude? He doesn't say "please." In fact, he's physically holding onto God. Yet, God still honors the request, and certainly not because Jacob is righteous. In fact, most of Jacob's behaviors up until this point involve deception of some form or another.

Yet despite Jacob's unrighteousness, and despite his apparent rudeness, God honors Jacob's request. Jesus speeks of a similar theme in Luke 11 and Luke 18. In both of those chapters, Jesus tells parables of people who repeatedly, and annoyingly, makes requests. Yet, in both passages, those requests are honored.

I believe the message is that, when we make requests of God, we need not concern ourselves with decorum. After all, standards of "etiquette" are created by humans, not God. And we need not even pretend to be righteous. We're not. Rather, we must make our requests in faith, and with a full reliance on God's providence.

Tempted to turn back

In Numbers 13, the Israelites are struggling with their journey to their new land. Although God provides food, water, and guidance, conditions in the desert are unpleasant, and the inhabitants of the land to be conquered appear intimidating. The Israelites face strong temptations to return to Egypt. In Numbers 14:4 (KJV), the people say,

Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.

In the Old Testament, Egypt represents the literal place from which the Israelites left. But it also represents our former lives before following God. The journey can be difficult, and we are often tempted to "return to Egypt." But let us pray for strength to press forward. As Jesus says in Revelation 3:5 (KJV),

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life.

It's not too late

Joel 12:13 is a very famous verse, but let's first focus on the verse that comes before it. Verse 12 (KJV) reads,

Now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning.

God is telling us to confess our sins, whatever they might be, right now. The fasting-weeping-mourning part means that our repentance should be honest and heartfelt. We should feel legitimate shame, sorrow, and embarrassment for breaking his commandments. That opportunity is available to us right now, and we should take that opportunity.

The next verse, the famous one (verse 13, KJV), builds upon the previous verse to clarify how we should (and should not) show remorse. It reads,

Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God.

We should not "rend our garments" or engage in some other kind of outward show. Rather, our remorse should be inward. Our heart should ache for sinning.

These two verses, so simple yet so powerful, express how God views true repentance.

Guided by the Bible

Two sections of the gospel of Luke speak to the importance of basing our spiritual growth on the bible itself.

The first, appearing in Luke 24, tells the story of Jesus making a post-resurrection appearance to two of his disciples on the road to Emmaus. While concealing his identity so that they cannot recognize him, Jesus proceeds to explain the meaning of his life, death, and resurrection. First, it is noteworthy that Jesus is willing to teach just two people. We should find that encouraging, because if he is willing to reach out to such a small audience, he also must be willing to speak to our hearts.

But another noteworthy aspect of the "road to Emmaus" in the way in which Jesus chooses to teach. Verse 27 (KJV) reads

And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Surely Jesus could have conjured up new doctrine, if he wanted. But instead, he teaches from "all the scriptures."

Now, turn to Luke 16, where Jesus tells the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. In a truly horrifying story, Jesus tells of a rich man who, following his death, is condemned to an eternity of suffering. The man begs Abraham to allow him to return to earth so that he can warn his relatives. Abraham refuses saying (verse 31, KJV)

If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

"Moses and the prophets," of course, refers to the biblical writings. The main point is that, in both the "road to Emmaus" and "Lazarus and the rich man," Jesus refers to the importance of biblical writings. Therefore, let us use the bible as the primary guide for our prayers and spiritual growth.

Go, and sin no more

In John 8, the religious leaders and lawyers brought to Jesus a woman accused of breaking Jewish law. The most famous line from that episode is undoubtedly Jesus' challenge (John 8:7, KJV),

He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.

The religious leaders and lawyers, recognizing their own guilt, file away, leaving just Jesus and the woman. After a brief exchange, Jesus lets her know that she is forgiven. He then sends her away with the command (John 8:11, KJV),

Go, and sin no more.

Each word here is crucial. First, "Go" implies that she should get on with her life. The "and" indicates that getting on with her life comes with another requirement. And that, of course, is to leave her sinful lifestyle.

We all know the process of repentance. We know the words required to confess our sins. But let us not ignore the other part of repentance: Sin no more. That does not mean that we'll achieve sinless perfection going forward. But it does mean that a crucial part of repentance is a firm commitment to leave our sinful lifestyles.

Rise and pray

In Luke 22, Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives. When finished, he returns to his disciples and finds them ... sleeping! Jesus' response might seem somewhat out of place (Luke 22:46, KJV),

Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

Immediately after this quote, Jesus is arrested. So what "temptation" are we talking about?

As with most of Jesus' sayings, the intended audience is far broader than simply those who happen to be with him at the time. Indeed, this line seems to be a warning to all of us. Jesus likely isn't speaking negatively of sleep, because elsewhere (e.g., Matthew 26:45) Jesus actually advises his disciples to continue in their rest.

Rather, "sleep" likely references any slothful, unhealthy behavior. Jesus is telling us that the antidote to temptation and sin is really quite simple: stop what you're doing and pray!