The River of Your Spiritual Life: Streams That Flow into What We Believe

By Paul Esswein

Have you known Jesus for a while and felt you wanted to keep growing but didnt know how? One way to grow in Jesus is to understand the streams that flow into our spiritual life. There are four ways we can seek and know God better. They are historically identified as Gods Word, church tradition, life experiences, and human reasoning.

This book looks at the four streams that feed our spiritual life, addresses the limitations of each one, and provides pertinent examples of how all four work together. As each one contributes to our spiritual growth, we know Jesus better.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: May 18, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543422467

Book preview

Copyright © 2017 by Paul Esswein.

Library of Congress Control Number:   2017907668

ISBN:      Hardcover      978-1-5434-2244-3

                Softcover        978-1-5434-2245-0

                 eBook            978-1-5434-2246-7

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved.

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Rev. date: 05/17/2017

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Contents

Introduction

1 The importance of streams

2 The streams that flow into the river of what we believe

3 The boundaries of the streams

4 The confluence of the streams

5 Let the streams flow together (examples)

Conclusion

Bibliography

Endnotes

Introduction

I thought it was going to be a two to three hour rafting trip over some gentle white water rapids. It sounded like a great way to relax and spend part of my vacation. That is what my wife, who made the reservation, insinuated from her conversation with me. When the attendant at the rafting post gave me a piece of paper where I had to sign my life away in case of an accident, I suspected it was more than a short trip over 1-3 class rapids. When he handed me a helmet and some safety gear, I knew it was more involved than I was led to believe. As I watched him pack lunches in the raft, I knew this was more than a brief, two hour trip. What my wife didn’t tell me was that she had signed my son and me (not herself of course) up for an eight hour trip down mostly 3-4 class (one 5 class thrown in) rapids. I suppose that if I had known the details of this ‘relaxing’ vacation whitewater rafting trip beforehand, I would have bailed out and missed the wonderful and exciting day of rafting down some of the best white water rapids in Northern California.

This experience was exciting, instructive and helpful. It was an adventure that I hadn’t planned on taking and probably would not have experienced if I had been left to plan it by myself. As I look back on it, it was well worth the while and I learned a lot from it. I know I will certainly never forget it. Little did I know that this profoundly beautiful stream and my time on it would serve as an excellent model for a discussion on the four foundational parts that flow together and make up what we believe. These four streams that flow into what we believe make up a vital part of our spiritual life. These streams of theological reflection are helpful, instructive and exciting to follow. Experience each stream that feeds our faith enables us to more fully grow, develop and mature in our walk with Jesus. As they flow together they merge into the river of our spiritual life. When they work together, our spiritual life is like a river full of life-giving water quenching the thirsty parts of our soul. I will remember the experience on the river all the more because it serves as a catalyst for understanding the streams that flow into what we believe.

This was not the beginning of my journey with the river of our spiritual lives and its four components. As a follower of Jesus for over 40 years, I have grown in understanding how the streams of God’s Word, Church Tradition, Life Experiences and Human Reason work in my life to enrich and develop my knowledge of God. The more I seek to know Him, the more I rely on these four streams to enrich my spiritual life. I have learned to value each one and to recognize the boundaries of each one. Sometimes I have focused only on one stream and neglected the others. This has led me to misunderstanding what God was teaching me and to a spiritual life that was lacking balance. As I have grown in knowing the Lord over the years, I have learned to regulate the flow of these streams so they provide essentials nutrients to my spiritual life. It has not always been easy, but over time has born great fruit in my walk with the Lord. My journey with the Lord is far from over, but I plan to keep using these four streams to help me experience a closer walk with Him.

As a pastor for 30 years, I have had the privilege of leading many of God’s people in their spiritual journeys. I have been able to regularly share His Word from the pulpit, to counsel those who were confused about their spiritual life, to spiritually guide some who needed direction in their walk with the Lord and to pray with others for God’s wisdom as they sought to know Him better. Throughout the years, I have found myself directing others to these four streams as a way to help them grow in the Lord. I have met many believers who sincerely committed their life to Jesus at a point in time in the past, but have experienced little spiritual growth since that time. As I direct them to these four streams, I have been amazed to watch spiritual growth take place. It is like pouring water on a small pant and watching it perk up over time.

My heart and deep passion as a pastor whom God has called is to help His people grow in knowledge of the Lord. This is spiritual, experiential, practical and intellectual knowledge. I have found that guiding them to the four streams and letting them water their thirsty souls brings spiritual vitality. The river of their spiritual life is greatly enriched when they can understand what these streams are, what limitations they have, and how they flow together. I pray that those who are seeking a deeper, richer spiritual understanding of their walk with the Lord Jesus will be helped by this book. It is my hope that this brief look at the streams that make-up what we believe and become the river of our spiritual life will help all those who read this book.

1

The importance of streams

The American River is about 119 miles long and runs from the Sierra Nevada Mountains in northern California into the Sacramento River. It has three main tributaries, or streams, that provide great white water rafting excursions of varying degrees. They are the north fork, the middle fork and the south fork.

The north fork is the longest tributary and is about 88 miles long. It has one of the most biologically diverse habitats in North America. It commences near Lake Tahoe at an elevation of about 7900 feet. Because it begins at a high altitude and drops into the foothills of the Sacramento valley, it is noted for its class four and five white water rafting excursions. It is often referred to as the romantic branch of the river because many people fall in love with its beauty when they first see it. The Middle Fork begins near the North Fork but is smaller, only 62 miles long. It is characterized by a broader stream, some canyons, many natural waterfalls, camping and hiking facilities and quiet living areas. It is used more extensively for motorboat and recreation uses than the other streams. The South Fork begins just south of Lake Tahoe and is most noted for the place where gold was first discovered in California. Sutter’s Mill is located along its banks designating it as the birthplace of the California gold rush. Many people populated this area at one time in search of their fortune in gold. Once the gold was mined out of the river, the population declined and abandoned their search for a fortune in gold. There are still remnants of those miners and their work along the stream’s banks. These three tributaries are similar in many ways. For example, they all have white-water rafting excursions of differing degrees of rapids. They are also different, unique, and have different histories and recreational uses. Each tributary contributes in its own way to the flow of water into the American River.

The Forks all finally come together at Folsom Lake near Folsom, California. From the Lake, the American River runs another 30 miles or so until it feeds into the Sacramento River. The American River is a valuable watershed for this part of Northern California and gives much needed water to residents and farmers in the area. Its impact can even extend to other parts of the country. The crops these farmer produce supply food to many places in the United States. Without this water source, many of the crops that feed hundreds of thousands of people could not be grown. It is also used for recreational purposes allowing for one of the best white water rafting experiences in the state. Finally, its waters are used for hydro-electric purposes providing many in the area with electrical power. In short, it provides water that brings life to an otherwise dry and barren foothill and valley area. The River needs the tributaries and their unique qualities to bring such vitality to this part of the State.

Tributaries, or streams, are very beneficial to people living along them and to the water table of the area they flow through and into. They drain the surface water and snow melt into a central stream. They provide life for a variety of unique species of plants and animals. They can also improve the habitat of the land surrounding the water. When properly managed, tributaries can provide a valuable source of water for populations, for farmers and for those who want to recreate. In the same way, each stream in what we believe provides an essential resource for a sound theological river that makes up our spiritual life. It helps us grow and be a more effective witness for the Lord, improves our understanding of the work God is doing in our lives, and enables us to enjoy fellowship with other believers when we meet together. The streams flowing into what we believe are different in many ways but they all have the same purpose. They help us know God better. They provide a way for us to reflect on what we believe and provide life-giving nutrients to our spiritual life. As tributaries are varied and are valuable to the environment, so these streams that flow into what we believe and make-up our spiritual life are different and important. They are needed for our constant, mature, spiritual growth.

What are these theological streams that feed into or make-up what we believe? Several streams, or sources, flow and unite together to help us understand what we believe and shape our spiritual life. They help us contemplate in a more profound way what we believe and why we believe it. Each one is different and contributes an important part to our spiritual life. Each is a necessary way to discover more about and define more clearly our system of belief. They have been historically identified as; God’s Word, Church Tradition, Life Experiences, and Human Reasoning.¹ All four sources, like tributaries flowing into a river of life. They work together to help us develop a more mature way for spiritual reflection and to have a more balanced understanding of what we believe. We must employ all four sources in order to have an ever-maturing knowledge of God. They help us learn what is sound and true and balance each other out. While some tributaries are larger and have more impact than others, they are all important to our spiritual growth. When we allow them to flow together and into one river, our spiritual life in enhanced with the water needed for its growth.

Whenever we talk about, teach, read or write about God, we are doing theological reflection and developing our spiritual life. This is not something reserved for pastors, seminary professors or scholars alone. It is a part of all of our Christian experiences. All of us, as followers of Jesus, are theologians in one sense or another. We all ‘do theology’ as individual believers and as members of His body,