The sweetness of your own water
38 Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
John 7:38Bible Reading
Proverbs 5:15-20
15 Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. 16 Why should your springs flow in the streets, your streams of water in the public squares? 17 Let them be yours alone, never to be shared with strangers. 18 May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth: 19 A loving doe, a graceful fawn—may her breasts satisfy you always; may you be captivated by her love forever. 20 Why be captivated, my son, by an adulteress, or embrace the bosom of a stranger?
There is a kind of confidence that comes from knowing you did the work. When you walk into an exam room knowing you read each chapter, worked each problem, and memorized each formula, you feel steady. That is the feeling of drinking from your own cistern. It is cool, refreshing water. But when you have skimmed, copied, or relied on luck, you are thirsty. Your mouth is dry. Solomon invites us to the joy of ownership. He tells us to fall in love with our own journey. Your degree is your assignment for this season. Be faithful to it. Do not cheat on your studies with distraction. Do not flirt with laziness. Commit. Dive deep. Be captivated by the opportunity to learn. The world is full of scattered springs—distracted, shallow, and ineffective. Be a deep well. The deeper you dig in private, the more you will refresh the world in public.
Action Point
Pick one subject you struggle to love. Spend 30 minutes researching the most meaningful or interesting aspect of that subject. Find a reason to appreciate it.
Prayer Point
Father, I want to be a deep well. I am tired of being shallow. I am tired of borrowing water. Help me dig. Give me endurance to study until I strike the fresh water of understanding. Let me be satisfied in my work. In Jesus’ name.
Reflection Point
Do I feel like an imposter in my classes? Could it be because I have not done the work to own the knowledge?