Daily Devotional for October 21, 2021
A Salty Spring
“How about a hike up one of the mountain trails before dinner?” Mr. Charles called out to the boys in his church youth group. This camping trip was a yearly event they’d all been looking forward to.
“Yes!” exclaimed several of the boys. They eagerly scrambled up and started out.
After hiking a while, they came across a spring of water. “My great-grandpa said that when he was a boy, he drank water from a spring in the woods behind their house,” said Nathan. “Can we get a drink here?”
Mr. Charles shook his head. “Better not. The water may be okay, but I don’t know. Besides, even if it’s good, there might only be enough fresh water for one or two of you before it turns salty.”
Nathan gave Mr. Charles a puzzled look. “If it’s a freshwater spring, it wouldn’t turn salty! A spring doesn’t give two kinds of water.”
Mr. Charles smiled. “That’s exactly right. The Bible makes that point when it talks about controlling our tongues. The book of James says that just like a spring doesn’t give both fresh and salty water, a person whose heart is filled with Jesus’s love doesn’t say both loving and unkind words.”
Nathan remembered the angry words he had exchanged with his friend Tate that morning as they were setting up their tent. I’ve been talking to him a lot lately about Jesus, and I invited him on this camping trip, Nathan thought. But what I said today sure didn’t show Jesus’s love.
“When we trust in Jesus, He fills us with His love,” Mr. Charles continued. “Like water bubbling up from a spring, the words we speak should flow from that love. If you’ve been careless in that area, ask Jesus and anyone you’ve hurt to forgive you. Trust God to help you make sure your words come from the pure source of love He’s put in your heart. Now, who needs a drink?”
“From this spring?” asked Nathan. “You said we shouldn’t drink from it.”
“No, not from this spring.” Mr. Charles smiled. “From the water bottles you brought along.”
As the boys drank from their water bottles, Nathan prayed silently, asking Jesus to forgive him for his angry words. Then he went to find Tate so he could ask his forgiveness too.
-Deana Rogers
How about you?
Do your words bubble up from the spring of love Jesus has put in your heart? Or do you sometimes say things that are hurtful and unkind? Salty words shouldn’t be coming from the mouth of someone who’s been changed by Jesus. He’s filled you with His love so you can show it to others. Let the words you speak flow out of the love He’s given you.
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