The Chief Bottler

 

I’m Duane Matz and welcome to Today’s Living Word.

 

“We praise Thee O God our Redeemer Creator,” The first line I sang today from hymn # 188 in my Ambassador hymnal, and it got me thinking about redemption. A good thing to be thinking about during this holy week on the church calendar. I remember growing up and the days of collecting all our used soda water bottles, throwing them in my coaster wagon and taking them to the mom and pop grocery store where they would pay me 2 cents for every bottle. They didn’t care how dirty they were, they would be collected by the bottling company,  sterilized and made fit for the use that they were created for! They were redeemed!

 

You and I are a lot like those dirty old soda bottles. Some perhaps more soiled than others, but not beyond use for the Chief Bottler! He bought you and I back (redeemed us) with the precious blood of His only Son on Calvary. It is His desire to refill us with his Holy Spirit, that we may go forth into the world to help quench the thirst of a parched world.

Jesus said in  Joh 7:37-39, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 "He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."

 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

 

Listen! Maybe you are like the prodigal son who wasted God’s grace on sinful living, or maybe you’re like the stay at home son sitting around collecting dust. Come back to the heavenly bottling factory. Let God redeem you, clean you up and fill you with living water to fulfill the purpose for which you were created! There’s a thirsty world that needs you!

 

I’m Duane Matz and that’s Today’s Living Word.