Published by admin on 18 Feb 2011 at 05:04 pm
RIPPLES IN THE WATER
As a child I enjoyed throwing stones in the lake where we lived just to watch the ripples. I was fascinated to watch the ripples go out in a circle from where the stone landed, and on a calm day, they would actually go all the way across the lake, bounce off the shore, and go back toward where the stone landed. Now, what possible importance could this have in the scheme of things, aside from the fact that every stone I threw in the lake would raise the water level by the amount of the volume of the stone? Glad you asked. There are some Biblical examples I will draw from, the first being about giving. It is written in Ecclesiastes 11:1-2: Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days. Give a portion to seven, and also to eight; for thou knowest not what evil shall be upon the earth. Another was spoken by the Lord Jesus in Luke 6:30-38:
Luk 6:30 Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. Luk 6:31 And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise. Luk 6:32 For if ye love them which love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. Luk 6:33 And if ye do good to them which do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. Luk 6:34 And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again. Luk 6:35 But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Luk 6:36 Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. Luk 6:37 Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven: Luk 6:38 Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again. You see, just as a stone cast in the water makes ripples that go out to affect the water beyond where the stone was cast, your giving unto others has the same effect. Your giving touches others beyond you, and you don’t always know in what ways, for we do not always see the results immediately how others beyond our circle of influence are touched. But wait: there’s more.
Remember how I said the ripples reach the shore and turn back? In both Ecclesiastes and Luke, we are told that which we cast upon the waters, or give, will come back to us. Notice it isn’t always right away, as it says “for thou shalt find it after many days.” And the Lord Jesus didn’t set a time for Give, and it shall be given unto you to come back to you, but it will, and God’s timing being perfect, will assure it will be there exactly when you need it. Why am I telling you this? Because the LORD told me to. There are many preachers out there with their hands out wanting you to give. Some use manipulation and guilt to get you to give to them, and God will deal with them. Always ask the LORD where to give and when, for you are the steward of the LORD’s goods, and all you possess is His, not yours anyway. If you are moved in your heart by the Holy Spirit to give, then do so, because once it’s out of your hand, it’s no longer yours, and you aren’t responsible for what they do with it, but you have set the law into motion when you gave, and sooner or later, it will come back to you.
In Ecclesiastes where it says Cast thy bread upon the waters: for thou shalt find it after many days, shows the law of seed reproducing after its own kind. If you cast bread, it will come back bread, not pickles. If you cast money, it will come back money. If you cast work or services, it will come back work or services. If you cast love, it will come back love. If you cast envy and strife, it will come back envy and strife. Everything given will come back in kind and in measure given. If you give a little, you will get little back. If you give in abundance, you will receive in abundance. You get the idea, don’t you?
But this isn’t all about giving.. It’s also about your words. Isn’t it wonderful how the LORD can instruct us in several things in one lesson? We often fail to understand how our words are also like stones cast in the water. Those words go out from us, and like ripples on the water, continue going until something stops them. Then, they start making their way back where they came from. I’ve often said, If I have to eat my words one day, I’ll make sure they’re sweet. When you speak, you need to realize those words spoken will affect not just where they’re directed, but they will come back and affect you. And you are the one who determines if that will be good, or bad. But you can’t beat the system God set up. Even God Himself is subject to what He set up. Isaiah 55:11 says, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. When the Lord Jesus sent His Word and healed the Centurion’s servant, it accomplished what He sent it to do, and then it came back to Him in the form of a testimony that the servant was healed, ready to go forth again and accomplish the next task.
When the devil attacks you with whatsoever he uses to bring waste, ruin, and destruction into your life, you have the Word of God to use as a stone to cast in the waters. Each stone you cast must be the Word of God that is given for the particular situation. Pick your stones carefully, even as David carefully chose five smooth stones from the brook to slay Goliath with. He didn’t pick up just any old stone, he carefully chose the right ones to serve the purpose at hand. You need to diligently search the Scriptures to find the right verses that concern what you are dealing with. Then you speak them forth, and God says His Word will not return to Him void, but will accomplish that which He pleases. His healing scriptures spoken out will bring healing. And they not only will heal those who you speak them over, they will accomplish that person’s healing, then turn back like ripples in a pond and heal you, too. Remember the seed reproducing after its own kind? Healing verses heal. They have to, they can’t do anything else. Carrot seeds can’t bring forth elephants, at least not where I live.
There are certain laws the LORD has set in place, that cannot be broken, and these are just a couple examples. Let these examples serve you well in life. It has been said what you make happen for others, God will make happen for you. He knows the where and when, so you don’t have to concern yourself with that part. Even if you throw a stone in a pond in the middle of the most severe storm you’ve ever had in your life and the wind is blowing, and the waves are crashing white with froth, the law still stands. Though you may not be able to see the ripples going forth from the stone you threw in, they’re still moving, and they will do so till they meet the end of the water, and they’ll return to where the stone entered the water. One day you’ll see it and rejoice, for God is always good for His Word!
Darryl on 18 Feb 2011 at 6:34 pm #
Awesom analogy of the stone being thrown in the water when there is a storm. You can’t see the ripple or don’t think in the natural it makes much difference, but God knows.
veronica on 19 Feb 2011 at 5:19 am #
Thank you very much – this is very true – has experienced many times in my life.
God bless
Ted on 19 Feb 2011 at 10:38 am #
Thanks Pastor Jerry. This reminds us, again, to be very careful with the words we speak.
Cami on 19 Feb 2011 at 1:37 pm #
This message I find very much connected to last week’s. In both we are led to learn and use God’s word.
We should know what the Bible reveals is God’s will for us and then we should use God’s word to continually plant good seeds in thoughts, prayer and actions.
The word of God should be the foundation of everything we think, pray and do.
Sandy on 20 Feb 2011 at 8:38 am #
My 84 year old mother has macular degeneration and her left eye is gone (according to the specialist) and they say the other is going quickly…I’ve asked the Lord for healing and no further deteriation. I covet your prayers as well…thank you for ministering to me weekly…this one hit home for sure!
Sandra Woodberry on 18 Dec 2018 at 4:58 am #
This message has been a blessing for me. I woke up this morning with a song, singing “Let there be ripples of water for me and for you”. I didn’t know exactly what it meant, so I searched it out and found your beautiful message. We serve an awesome God and He will always let you know His will for you. Thank you. God bless you