My people have done two evils: They have turned away from me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells. (NCV, Jeremiah 2:13)I've never dug a well, but I have dug trenches for footers and water lines. It's hot, dirty work. Put yourself in Jeremiah's place. It's a hot, dry day. You offer someone a pitcher of pure, refreshing water, but rather than accept your life-saving, thirst-quenching gift, they raise their hands in the international symbol for stop, and declare, No, I'm going to dig my own well. Not only will the work be physically exhausting, but the muddy water they're going to get (if any) is hours, maybe days away. And the taste won't even compare. Sure, it might keep them alive, but that's about all.
Who would make that choice? We do. Why is it when God freely offers us his best, we go digging for something inferior?
We're like hemoglobin. (How's that for a left turn?) Did you know that if the hemoglobin in our red blood cells is given the choice, it prefers to bond with carbon monoxide rather than oxygen? That means if hemoglobin has an empty seat, and both an oxygen molecule and a carbon monoxide molecule are waiting on the curb, the hemoglobin will pick up the carbon monoxide almost every time. It seems to make the hemoglobin happy... and then we die.
Will you dig for muddy water this week, or accept Christ's gift of living water?
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