Water-The Universal Solvent

Years ago I heard the term "universal solvent" being applied to water. As an explanation was given to me, I pictured the work that water can do; washing off dirt and grime, polishing stones to a beautiful shine as it pours over them for years. It can be the gentlest cleanser available yet has the power to shape and mold even the hardest of surfaces. It makes a beautiful and peaceful sound when gravity pulls it along a stream bed, yet with the mighty strength of the oceans' currents, it is a force with which to be reckoned. Yet our bodies can't live without it! So is it any wonder that our Lord and Savior, Jesus, would be called "The Living Water"?

If we look at this for a moment, we can see that it was His deep love and compassion for us that caused Him to be our "solvent". His blood and death on the cross washed us clean of our sins. While His resurrection brought victory over the wage of that sin which was death. He died for ALL who choose to believe in Him not just a select few. Christianity is not a private club or a religion of preferred members only. Jesus offers eternal life to everyone on the face of the earth. You can't get more "universal" than that!

As we explore this a little further, we can see that He is so very gentle in His daily washing of us as we get dirty from walking in this world. Yet He will be a torrent of judgment to those who have rejected His gift and denied Him as God. Just as any human needs the molecule of water to survive, so too is the need of His "water", His Spirit, to live eternally. His "living water" comes to us as we accept Him as our Savior and dwells within us forever. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the trinity and was promised to us as our helper. He prays for us when we don't know what to say, He counsels us in our trials, He brings peace to the believer even in the hardest of times, He convicts us of our sinful ways and brings to us the power to overcome them. He provides for us a multitude of things, but without Him we will die, spiritually.

Like the stones in the river bed, we notice with time that the sharp edges we used to project are softening and that we are starting to have a little bit of sheen to our appearance. Even the roughest of stones can be polished into a gem with the "living water" of Jesus.

So, the next time you shower, ask yourself if you have truly been cleansed by the blood of Christ. The next time that you take a drink, think about whether or not you are drinking enough of Jesus, through prayer and by reading His Word. Are you receiving the peace that you need from the Holy Spirit, like a quiet stream of water would provide, as you lean on Him? What part of your life needs the perfect "Universal Solvent" applied?