BROKEN CISTERNS Part II

Other Broken Cisterns

Besides loving the things of this world there are other broken cisterns and I want look into them.  It is important that we see with the eyes of the Lord the following verses so we can see what God is warning His people about.  The prophet picks up this theme again in Chapter 9: Jeremiah 9:23-24 “Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, [the fountain of living waters] that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” We see three other broken cisterns, human wisdom; human strength or abilities and the false security of money and wealth.


HUMAN WISDOM

A broken cistern of today that Gods people are turning to for satisfaction is human wisdom.  One needs to be careful here; let us remember that human wisdom stems from the fallen human nature. God has made it very clear in the scriptures that our thoughts are not His thoughts and our ways are not His ways; we also have this that the human mind is continually at enmity with God.  Peter speaking out of his own human thinking argued with the Lord when Jesus spoke of His soon departure and the method of His death, “surely this shall not be”, Peter made an assumption using his own reasoning and The Lord Himself rebuked his little declaration and condemned his speech as the words of Satan.  We must be very careful in this area, there is only one truth, there is only one right and it is founded in the Word of God and the Words of Jesus Christ.

I want to give a little counsel to those who depend on psychology, even Christian psychology. Psychology is the study of the human mind and how it works. One should be very careful about feeding on this, the human mind is incapable of discerning Gods thoughts; at it’s best it is unreliable, and at it’s worst it is wicked. Bear in mind what Jeremiah said in 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” Why study the mind to try and figure it out? The book of Proverbs tells us the fool is the one who seeks to know his own heart: Proverbs 18:2 “A fool hath no delight in understanding, but that his heart may discover itself.”

We find the real power over the mind in Romans 12:2 “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This comes by seeking he who is the fountain of living waters. This word transformed is actually “metamorpho”, which is where we get our word “metamorphosis” or “to transform”. It is the same process that changes a caterpillar into a butterfly. We don't need to know the human mind; we want to know the mind of Christ. This word for “transform” is also translated “transfigure” in Matthew 17:2, and Mark. 9:2. The same word is used in 2 Corinthians 3:18 and is translated “Changed”. 2 Corinthians 3:18  “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

In reality this is where the metamorphosis takes place; our human minds are fallen, corrupt, we don't need intellect we need The Spirit of God to touch us and renew our minds. The Lord is the fountain of living water, only He can satisfy.  He is the only one we need. The Apostle Paul also gives stern warning in the book of Colossians: Col 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” Psychology is vain deceit after the rudiment of this world; it is not of Christ and therefore, it can only leave one with more questions about truth than they started with. Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” On He can satisfy, complete us. Is Jesus satisfying to us or do we need other things?  Answer the following questions as honestly as you can:

     Do you need to have earthly things to be happy and secure?

     Do you feel confident in your own strength and abilities?

Does your intellect need to be titillated with human wisdom?
     
If any of these are true of us, then we may be drinking from a broken cistern and we may have already forsaken the fountain of living water.  Dear ones let us conclude this essay with words from the book of Colossians: Col 2:9-10 “For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:” Christ came that we might find in him our all sufficiency; let us do His sacrifice for us justice by making Him our all in all.

May God truly bless each and every one of you.
Rev. Frank R Anderson