"But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying 'The water is ours!' So he named the well Esek, because they contended with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah. He moved away form there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehobeth, for he said, 'At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land." (Genesis 26:19-22)
"But whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next; for truly I say to you, you will not finish going through the cities of Israel until the Son of Man comes." (Matthew 10:23)
Church can be a harsh, condemning, hard place to fit in and be loved sometimes. There are literally people that would just love to see people fail, fall, and make mistakes. It's like they seem to be waiting around the corner, so when that moment of weakness does sneak up on you they can jump out and scream "I told you so!!" It's not all churches, I would venture to say it's not most churches. It's not all Christians, and not even most Christians. But there is a rising number of "believers" that have a perfect parallel to Genesis 26:19-22.
It's almost like when Isaac's herdsmen were digging the well and they found the water. They were excited, everyone was. They were pumped, ecstatic and wanted to share the findings. But somewhere, somehow the spirit of authority and selfishness reared its ugly head and decided not to go away. All of a sudden, the herdsmen of Gerar stepped up and said, "Wait a second! You may have dug this well, but this is our land! My grandparents paid for this land, tilled this land, built the well covering, and made this a reality. This isn't your well! This water that you're so excited about is worth telling people about but they can't just come up and hang out. They can't be dirty, stinky, messy, sinful, frustrated, or even dress inappropriately. They must live up to certain things before becoming part of this well. This well is distinguished and different. And if you don't agree, you can go find another well to call your own."
So, Isaac's guys did just that. Until they found a well that Gerar would leave alone. They then camped there, found a home there, and were FRUITFUL there! In fact, Isaac knew that they would be FRUITFUL in THAT land because they found a well that accepted anyone, for anything, at anytime. I was also reminded of Matthew 10:23 when thinking about this. Do you want to know why people are jumping from church to church, not committing, loving, or standing still in a place? Because they feel persecuted, uncomfortable, condemned, and even judged! It's a matter of principle that was set in place. Jesus told His disciples to do this. If they felt that way - go where they didn't.
I'm tired of seeing pastor's that would like for churches that are different from their fail. I'm sick of hearing people hold past grudges against one another so they can't even grow the Kingdom with a good heart! I'm frustrated with people feeling condemned and unwelcomed in church because a mistake was made. I'm tired of answering the question of "will you allow homosexuals and lesbians in your church?" When we start entertaining these thoughts, ideas, and concepts we begin to try to dictate who can come to the fresh water that we've found. That is when people will start looking for a well that people won't keep them from enjoying!
Lord, please don't let Radiate or me, be a well that people run from, but a well of your fresh water that people run to! It's about bringing people to salvation, true repentance, great things in your plan, and restoration. Help me to help You, help them! Amen.
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