October 29 THE FOUNTAIN OF LIFE "For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light" (Psalms 36:9, NKJV). This imagery of the fountain was especially forceful to the people of Palestine where water was a very scarce and precious commodity. This figure of the fountain of life fittingly represents Jesus Christ who is the source of all life. Paul refers to him as "Christ who is our life" (Colossians 3:4, NKJV). Jesus is the fountain of life both spiritually and literally. He is the source of the life that now is, as well as the source of the life that is to come. This fact is expressed by Ellen G. White in these words: "In Christ is life, original, unborrowed, underived."--The Desire of Ages, p. 530. The plan of salvation is rooted in the fact that Christ, as the fountain of all life, came to restore to the human race the life that was lost through sin. Jesus is not only the source of life, He is also the origin of all that gives meaning, purpose, and reality to life. True happiness, abundant living, genuine joy, inner satisfaction, and peace of mind are all by-products of the life that Jesus gives. Christ declared "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10, NKJV). Speaking of the life that emanates from the fountain of life, Ellen G. White observes, "This life is not inherent in man. He can possess it only through Christ. He cannot earn it; it is given him as a free gift if he will believe in Christ as his personal Saviour. 'This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has sent.' John 17:3. This is the open fountain of life for the world."--SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 5, p. 1130. My Prayer Today: Lord, You are the fount of every blessing. Give me, this day, Your abundant life. Amen.