Rick Howe
Published: 2017-03-07
Total Pages: 393
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Daily devotional readings featuring quotes from Rick Howe books on joy, Scripture readings, and reflections designed to help readers cultivate a joyful vision of life. Two and a half thousand years ago the word of God came to the prophet Jeremiah: Be appalled, O heavens, at this, be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the LORD, for my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. (Jeremiah 2:10-13) God offers himself to his people to satisfy their deepest desires, they seek their heart's fulfillment apart from him, and the heavens are scandalized - not only by the monumental affront to God, but by the massive folly and futility of it all. A forsaken fountain. Long lines before broken cisterns. Unslaked thirst. People perishing in the heat of the day. There are hucksters in our own day offering to supply us from broken cisterns, with promises that will not, because they cannot, be kept. Heaven is still appalled that their pathetic offers are taken. But you are reading this because you are thirsty and you are tired of broken cisterns. Living Waters is my attempt to guide you to a fountain that has refreshed the people of God for thousands of years. The water is God himself. The cup from which we drink is his written Word to us. The quenching of our thirst is joy: a delighted awareness of God in the events of life and savoring a relationship with him in all of life. You will find daily readings for an entire year. Each day begins with a quote from one of my books, Path of Life: Finding the Joy You've Always Longed For, or River of Delights: Quenching Your Thirst For Joy, Volumes 1 and 2. This is followed by one or more Scripture readings - the most important part of the endeavor - and then a short paragraph from me to engage your thinking and further direct your heart toward joy. Let me encourage you to bring your Bible and a journal every day. Not every reading deals directly with joy, but all are important for living joyfully in the world. Topics include your relationship with God, marriage and family life, work, rest, play, community, creativity, and other ways in which you engage with the world. Joy embraces all of this! These are the foundational premises of this book: Joy is the highest and best gift God gives to us, because he offers himself in his gift and he is supreme! Nothing will satisfy your soul and quench your deep inner thirst like joy in God and the enjoyment of life under his good hand. Joy can touch and transform every dimension of your life.