May 13 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

These readings focus on the Holy Spirit. In the Old Covenant (or Testament), the Spirit "anoints" one person here and one there to perform a special work for God. In the New Covenant, the Spirit is "poured out" like rain on the whole church of Christ.

Bible Reading:

Ezekiel 47:1–12

Bible Text:

"I saw water coming out from ... the ... temple.... 'Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the [river] flows' " (Ezek. 47:1, 9).

Devotional:

Water is scarce in many places. But all of us need it. for water brings life. Without it we are in a desert; with it we live in a garden. A spring of water is a source of life.

God is the source of all blessings. In many biblical pictures his dwelling place is the origin of the river of life, the healing stream that brings God's goodness to humanity.

In the beginning (Gen. 2:6,10–14), paradise was the source of the cosmic rivers of blessing. In Ezekiel's vision the river originated in God's temple, at the center of the new community. The water of God's river brought life even to the Dead Sea. And at the end John sees "the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1).

This is the faith all of us must confess and the lesson everybody has to learn: God is the source of all blessings. If we have no connection with God, we lose the energy. Without a faith connection with the Source, life shrivels as a plant without moisture.

Water is therefore an apt image for the Spirit of God. Once we have tasted this water of life, we cannot be satisfied by living on a few drops a day. We plead with God for the river of life and the "showers of blessing."

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.