Free-Flowing Channels

Each spring, the melting snows and rains fill the ponds and create huge puddles in our driveway. They drain much faster when I dig out channels to let them flow to lower ground.

When I walked down the driveway the next day to get the mail, the channels had stopped flowing because they had been plugged by soggy dead leaves and mud. I used a stick or rock to clear the waterway. Once again, a stream of water was flowing into the ditch.

It reminded me of the hymn "Channels Only",
especially the last verse:

"Jesus, fill now with Thy Spirit,
Hearts that full surrender know,
That the streams of living water,
From the inner man may flow.

Channels only, blessed Master,
But with all Thy wondrous pow'r,
Flowing through us, Thou canst use us,
Ev'ry day and ev'ry hour."

(by Mary E. Maxwell)

My life tends to get cluttered with "dead soggy leaves" so that God's Spirit is hindered from flowing. God's reservoir of love and goodness isn't flowing to those around me.



I need to clean out the debris in my channels. I want to be useful. I want His Spirit to fill me. I want His power to be evident in my life.