Proverbs 25:26
Like a muddied spring or a polluted well
are the righteous who give way to the wicked.
You are hot and thirsty. You hear the splashing of water; you look ahead and see the fountain. Eager to splash the water on your face and drink, you run up to it only to find it polluted. The disappointment is great. What held such promise has proven to be false. So it is with the righteous who give in to wickedness, who compromise with the wicked.
We know what to expect from a mud hole. It is the fountain, the spring that had held out hope to us and then dashed our expectations. All the more reason then for us, who are righteous in Christ, to strive to be the spring of fresh water for our neighbors. They see in us the Spirit of Christ. They hear us speak of the Living Water of the gospel and testify that we drink of it and that it has made all the difference in us. Then we need to remain true.
We may not use the excuse of our unbelieving neighbors. We cannot excuse bad behavior on being tired or having a bad day. We cannot “get even” when harmed. We cannot retaliate. We cannot appeal to what anyone or anything has done to us as an excuse for our muddy behavior. For we are to be springs of water to the thirsty and fountains for the weary. If they come to us and find us polluted in their time of need, then we muddy the very gospel we boast of.
Because you do not know what this day will hold and who will be watching and needing you to be fresh water, pray for the Spirit to keep you clean throughout this day. Many are weary and thirsty, and it may very well be you they look to for the Living Water.
Psalm 122
I rejoiced with those who said to me,
“Let us go to the house of the Lord.”
2 Our feet are standing
in your gates, Jerusalem.3 Jerusalem is built like a city
that is closely compacted together.
4 That is where the tribes go up—
the tribes of the Lord—
to praise the name of the Lord
according to the statute given to Israel.
5 There stand the thrones for judgment,
the thrones of the house of David.6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls
and security within your citadels.”
8 For the sake of my family and friends,
I will say, “Peace be within you.”
9 For the sake of the house of the Lord our God,
I will seek your prosperity.