2 The Liquid of Life. 4 Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean.

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1 1 Living Life to the Full a Gift to be Celebrated! 2 The Liquid of Life 3 One of the most famous poems in the English language was written in 1797, by Samuel Taylor Coleridge. It s called The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and it tells of an ill-fated sea voyage. At one point the ship, powered only by wind, sits dead in a breezeless sea. A section of the poem reads: 4 Day after day, day after day, We stuck, nor breath nor motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. 5 Water, water, every where, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink. 6 Think about that: Water, water, every where,/nor any drop to drink. That would, I imagine, be so terribly disheartening and alarming. Surrounded by a vast ocean of water: clear, fresh, blue water, so rich and teeming with incredible and wonderful life. And yet for a human to drink this water salt water would be like drinking poison. Ocean water is wonderful to sail on, surf on, fish in, paint pictures of, and look at. But it s Page 1

2 deadly for us to drink. 7 It is kind of ironic. Our planet is, as we know, mostly water. We learn as kids that the Earth s surface is covered much more by water than by land. If you look at a satellite photo of the Earth from space, you can see for yourself that it s true. An astonishing 71 percent of the Earth s surface is ocean water, salt water. And while this water is filled with fish and whales and coral and an almost endless variety of creatures that thrive in it, for us, as humans, to drink that water is all but death. 8 In fact, of all the water on the Earth, only about 0.37% is drinkable. Yes, only 0.37% is, in its natural state, drinkable. Thus, water really is a precious commodity, especially when you realize that it is so essential to all life on earth, including us humans. Our planet wouldn t be our planet, and life as we know it wouldn t be here without water. Water is about as basic to our existence as is air. 9 No wonder, then, that the Bible talks a great deal about water and that it does so in many different contexts, too. The Bible s first depiction of what the primeval Earth was like at the beginning of the six days of Creation reads like this: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. 10 And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters (Gen. 1:1, 2, NKJV). Page 2

3 11 Now, most people would be wise not to speculate too much on exactly what was here and what was happening here. But we can safely say, based on these texts, that with phrases like the face of the deep and the face of the waters, that water was certainly here at the beginning. By the second day of Creation, there was a dividing of the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament (Gen. 1:7, NKJV). 12 And on day three, what happens but that the waters under the heaven were gathered together into one place, so that the dry land would appear (Gen. 1:9, NKJV). 13 Water, water everywhere. Thus, water was clearly part of the earliest stages of our planet s existence. In Genesis 2, we also see water but now in a different form: But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground (verse 6, KJV, emphases supplied). A mist, water in the form of vapor, nourished the new planet. Then, in the same chapter a few verses later, the Bible tells us about a river that watered Eden and that then divided into four other rivers, each given its own name. 14 And then, of course, when the wickedness of humanity was so great that God decided to destroy them and start over, He did it with what? Water. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered (Gen. 7:19, KJV). Thus, water, which is so crucial to life, also can be a form of death and destruction. Page 3

4 15 Now let s jump ahead many years to the Exodus from Egypt. What was the crucial, defining moment, the moment when a new nation was born, a kingdom of priests? It was the dividing of the waters at the Red Sea. And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, 16 and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea 17 upon the dry ground: and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand, and on their left (Exod. 14:21, 22, KJV). 18 Scholars have long noted the parallel with this story to the original Creation event. The Hebrew word for the Spirit of God that hovered over the waters, in Genesis 1, is the same word for the wind that God used to divide the waters during Creation and then at the Red Sea. And of course, in that dividing of the waters, dry land appeared in both events in the Creation of the world and later in the Exodus of Israel for deliverance from Egypt. 19 Thus, we see water linked to God as the Creator, the One who spoke our world into existence. And, too, we see water here, in Exodus, linked to God as the Redeemer, the One who redeemed the Hebrew nation from Egyptian bondage, a symbol of the redemption that we have in Jesus Christ, whose life and death is the foundation and source of our own redemption. Page 4

5 20 Now, jump ahead to the New Testament, where we also see the prevalent role of water, one of the most powerful images being that of baptism by immersion, symbolic of the death to our old self and of a new life in Christ. As Paul so clearly says, Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? 21 Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, 22 even so we also should walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:3,4, NKJV). 23 Notice with me: the newness of life. The waters of baptism point to a new life, a new life in Jesus Christ. Thus, here, too, we see water associated with life, though now in a deeply spiritual sense. And that s not surprising, is it? Water is essential to life at the most basic level. 24 We cannot exist as spiritual beings without first existing as physical ones. And physical life, at least as we know it here on Earth, cannot exist without water. Without water our heart, our liver, our kidneys everything would stop functioning, and we would die. We have trillions of cells in the human body, and every last one of them needs water to survive. 25 Next to air, water is the most vital element needed for survival. By weight, a newborn infant is approximately 75 percent water, and an adult about70 percent. A man weighing 198 pounds has about138 pounds of water in his body. Page 5

6 26 The gray matter of the brain is approximately 85 percent water, blood is 83 percent water, muscles are about 75 percent water, and even hard marrowbones are 20 to 25 percent water. The cells and tissues of the body not only contain water but also are continually bathed in fluid and require water to perform their functions. 27 Water, the liquid of life, performs so many functions in our body that are utterly essential for our existence and wellbeing. Water forms the transport system within the body. Water is a lubricant for movement. Our joints don t use oil as our cars do! Water is the prime transporter of waste via the kidneys. Water helps keep our body temperature at the right level. And blood, our precious blood, is composed of a great deal of water. 28 For the life of the flesh is in the blood (Lev. 17:11, NKJV). And if blood can t function without water, we can,again, see how crucial water is for our existence. Water, water everywhere. 29 About two thirds of the water our body requires comes from ingested liquid, about one third from our food, and a small amount of liquid is synthesized during food metabolism. Fruits and vegetables generally have higher water content than do other food groups. There s more water in an apple than in a serving of French fries, for sure, which is only one of a dozen other reasons that eating an apple is so much better for you than eating French fries. 30 Ideally, the body maintains a balance between the amount of water lost each day and the amount taken in to replace what is lost. The average human excretes a total of some 2,300 milliliters of water daily, during low activity at normal temperature, and 6,600 milliliters in prolonged heavy exercise. Page 6

7 31 The point is, just by the mere act of living, much less working and doing whatever it is we do, we are expending water. But the more active we are, the more we use up. And that water needs to be replaced, which is why we need to make sure that we are drinking enough water. 32 Yes, water. Not coffee, not tea, not Dr. Pepper, not Mountain Dew, not V-8, or Red Bull. Water! 33 What happens if we don t drink enough water? When we don t provide our bodies with enough water, they attempt to avoid dehydration by decreasing sweat and urine output. If this attempt by the body fails to compensate for the loss, and insufficient fluid intake persists, we get dehydrated, which can be a very dangerous physical condition. Dehydration causes an impairment of the body s cooling mechanisms, along with a possible rise in body temperature and an inefficient disposal of body waste. 34 The blood thickens, and blood flow becomes impaired, increasing the risk of intravascular clotting. This may manifest as stroke or a heart attack. Dehydration may cause a person to experience dizziness or headache. 35 During prolonged, arduous exercise serious dehydration may occur, so careful attention to fluid intake is particularly important under these circumstances. Drinking an inadequate amount of water also increases the risk of developing kidney and gallstones. Page 7

8 36 Water is crucial in the whole digestive process. I think we all know it feels like when that doesn t work well, don t we? Thus, if you don t want to be stuffing yourself with Ex-Lax and the like, drink water! Exercise and fiber intake play a role, as well. 37 In 1995, The Journal of the American Medical Association called attention to the hazards from inadequate fluid intake that older Americans faced. It s estimated that adequate hydration of older people could save thousands of days of hospitalization and millions of dollars each year. Such an observation has implications for all age groups worldwide. Thus it s amazing: in so many cases, medical problems could be avoided if people simply drank more water! 38 The 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends that, to help stay hydrated during prolonged physical activity or in hot weather, we drink fluids during the activity, as well as several glasses of water or other fluid after the physical activity is completed. 39 Begin drinking water in the morning, because the body is relatively dehydrated from perspiration during sleep. Then continue to drink water at regular intervals throughout the day. 40 How much water should we drink each day? There s no clearcut answer. It depends upon various circumstances. Someone working hard outside for hours in the hot sun is going to expend more water than someone sitting down in a cool house, watching TV. 41 Thus, each one is going to need different optimum amounts to replenish what is lost. It s now said that an adequate intake for men is roughly 3 liters (about 13 cups) of water a day. For women it is said to be2.2 liters (about 9 cups) a day. Page 8

9 42 Whatever amount you drink, be sure to drink water that is pure and clean. Contaminated water can be very, very dangerous. If you have clean and fresh water, be thankful to the Lord for that. Did you know that hundreds of millions of people around the world do not have ready access to fresh and clean water? Most of us can turn a knob and clean water comes flowing out of various faucets in our house. Millions of others have to scrounge to find clean water. 43 According to UNICEF: Across the globe, every day, 1,400 children die from diseases directly linked to unsafe water or a lack of basic sanitation facilities. ( 44 If that many die every day, can you imagine how many more are suffering the ill effects of not having what most of us take for granted? 45 A man once wrote an article about his experience of walking down the aisle of a grocery store, filled with row after row of bottled water. Let me quote him, in full: Last week, while in a grocery store, I noticed some bottled water at the beginning of an aisle. I followed the flow, walking past one brand, then another, and another, and on and on, a river of bottles big bottles, little bottles, blue bottles, green bottles, brown bottles, long and slender bottles, short and squat bottles; glass bottles, plastic bottles, six-packs, 20-packs, bottles with French and Italian names, bottles with water from about every creek and deep spring in America. Down the entire isle one brand after another, one kind after another for every taste, fetish, and thirst. I m talking about water, water! for crying out loud. Page 9

10 46 Tell me this isn t sick. I m not even thinking about it in the context of the fact that about... what? two billion people around the world drink out of the same waters that others defecate in. I m talking about it in it s own context, that of a consumer society so pampered it has created a market for its own designer water. 47 Water, water everywhere? If only that we true for everyone and that water were drinkable. Another important use of water is cleansing. We know in the Bible that water is a symbol of spiritual cleansing, right? Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word (Eph. 5:25, 26, NKJV). 48 Well, we can understand that, because we know how crucial water is to physical cleanliness. Being dirty simply increases the risk of getting sick. In contrast, frequent hand washing may reduce transmission of many infectious agents from person to person. If people thoroughly washed their hands with soap and water before eating and after activities that soil their hands, a large percentage of infectious diseases would be eliminated. Yes, just from washing hands. 49 Hydrotherapy is the use of water as a simple home therapeutic application. It s best applied as a help for simple muscular aches, pains, and bruises. When dealing with muscular aches, apply hot, wet towels, alternated with cold, wet towels (ending with a cold application) to affected areas to improve blood flow. 50 If recent injury and bruising have occurred, cold compresses are more appropriate. Caution should be exercised where the skin is diseased or cut. When blood flow becomes impaired or there is neurological damage resulting in an inability to feel heat, hot applications may lead to serious injury, so caution is Page 10

11 again advised. This is especially applicable to people with diabetes or those whose nerves have been damaged by injury or surgery. 51 There are many modes of hydrotherapy, such as cold-mitten friction, hot foot baths, heat compresses, and ice compresses; and it s unfortunate that so few utilize this most useful tool for relief. If you don t know about hydrotherapy, it s certainly something worth looking into. 52 A man injured his elbow during a badminton game. He would not listen to advice to compress the injury of his elbow with ice to reduce internal bleeding. The next day the bruised area around his elbow had swollen so much that he went to see the doctor right away. The doctor advised the use of ice compresses at home and charged a $100 consultation fee! 53 Ellen White told us years ago, The external application of water is one of the easiest and most satisfactory ways of regulating the circulation of the blood But many have never learned by experience the beneficial effects of the proper use of water All should become intelligent in its use in simple home treatments. The Ministry of Healing,p Page 11

12 56 Yes, water is a precious and indispensable resource and can be used for so many things. As we saw, the vast majority of the Earth s water is simply not drinkable. What s worse is that in some parts of the world, water shortages are terrible. People die of starvation because there s not enough water to grow the crops. 57 Thus, it s important to avoid wasting water. When possible, install toilets and shower heads in your home that use less water. When brushing your teeth, turn on the water taps only to wet and then rinse your toothbrush; turn taps off while brushing your teeth. Repair leaking faucets; continuous small drips over time can turn into huge amounts of wasted water. Also, watch for other appropriate ways to conserve water in your day-to-day routines. 58 And, please, let s all do what we can to avoid polluting water. Water can be polluted by human excrement, industrial waste, and chemicals. Animals raised in large agricultural feed-lot operations consume huge quantities of water, and their excrement has the potential to pollute groundwater and nearby rivers and streams. 59 Eating a vegetarian diet helps to conserve water, because foods consumed in a plant-based diet require much less water to produce. That s right. If the entire world were vegetarians, a great deal of the water shortage problems would be solved! 60 One could go on and on about water. It is, in many ways, truly a miracle liquid. It nourishes us, sustains us, can heal us, and cleanse us. It is truly the liquid of life. Page 12

13 61 Which, again, is why we find it all through the Bible. There s one place, in particular, where we can see just how crucial the whole idea of water is. Two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ met a woman, in Samaria, who had come to a well to draw water. He asked her for a drink, and in the ensuing conversation, He said that He could give her water that would take away her thirst forever. 62 Whoever drinks of this water [from the well] will thirst again, Jesus told her, 63 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. 64 But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life (John 4:13, 14, NKJV). 65 Now, there s so much to take away just from here. As we have just seen, water is essential for life, for human life here on earth. And life is, of course, a wonderful gift from God. It s precious, and we all covet it. 66 But we all know what? You can drink every day the right amount of fresh and pure water. You can follow the health message to the very letter. You can have inherited the best set of genes. You can have everything going for you and do everything right: right food, right drink, right exercise. And, yet, you will, sooner or later what? Yes, sooner or later, if Jesus doesn t return before then, you will die. Water, physical Page 13

14 water, H20, no matter how wonderful, no matter how healthy for us, no matter how essential for our body, doesn t keep us alive forever. 67 If we want that and as humans we want that then we need something more. The Adventist health message can give us a much better quality of life here and now. It really can, and it s a wonderful gift from God to us. But it doesn t give us eternal life, everlasting life, does it? 68 A jogger was running down the street and someone driving by in a car rolled down the window and yelled, You re going to die, anyway! Rude, but essentially right. However wonderful the health message is, it can t solve our race s greatest enemy, which is death. 69 Only Jesus can. Which is why, when He talked to the Samaritan woman, He sought to point her to a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. Everlasting life. He was pointing her to Himself and to what He came to accomplish for every human being; and that is, to die for his or her sins so that each person can have everlasting life in Him. 70 And Jesus used the image of water, a fountain of water, springing up into everlasting life. Water, physical water, H20, is essential for life, for the temporal and fleeting physical existence we have here. We can t have that existence without it. But for eternal life, H20 is useless. If works don t save us, drinking water won t either. No, for that we need Jesus and the redemption and salvation that He worked out in His life for us. 71 We saw, right at the beginning, how prevalent water was in the earliest stages of Creation. Well, if we come now to the other end of the Bible, to the book of Revelation, to the last chapter, to the existence of the redeemed in the new heaven and new earth long promised to us, what do we find? And Page 14

15 the Spirit and the bride say, Come! And let him who hears say, Come! And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely (Rev. 22:17, NKJV). 72 The water of life. Water, water everywhere, and now, thanks to the grace of God, plenty for all of us to drink. 73 Cover Replacement. 74 All Rights Reserved. Artwork designed by Page 15