“On the last day, the climax of
the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowd, ‘Anyone who is thirsty may
come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures
declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.”’ (When he said, “living
water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing
in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet
entered into his glory.)” John 7:37-39
I know the “rivers of living
water” have been specifically designated as being representative of the Holy
Spirit in this passage but for me it is also a wonderful metaphor for
everything about Jesus, His life and His message.
One of our home church
questions was, “Have you ever known someone who had “rivers of
living water” flowing out of them to others around them?” Last night Mother Theresa, Max
Lucado, Billy Graham and several other famous persons were mentioned.
I doubt this gift is reserved only
for the famous. This gift is not necessarily the path to fame either.
To have rivers of living water flowing from my
heart is something I attain to. More than anything I want to be a life bringer
to those people whose paths intersect my own. Through Jesus and with the help
of my eternal companion, the Holy Spirit, I want to be able to offer the hope that
is Jesus to the hopeless, the Peace beyond all understanding to the troubled
and the greatest Love in all of history to the abandoned. (Ask and you will receive.)
Lord, I need patience for the
drivers who insist on tailgating at night, their headlights blindingly bright
in my rear view mirror. That’s been happening a lot lately. (Smile.) I am a
work in progress.
My river doesn’t have to be huge or grandiose
or even one of the Seven Wonders of the World. I am happy to be a trickle of
a stream just big enough to make some small difference.
I want to give thanks this
morning because the blog has made it easy for me to incorporate the practice of
daily meditation. I also want to give thanks because having a Scriptural focus starting
my day has overflowed. This is different because the posts that were closed out with a Bible passage caused me to reflect only on what I had written. It's much better this way because when my mind is still, or my hands busy with a mundane
task, I find myself musing on God's word instead.
It serves as a reminder that Christ,
of the Living Water, always flows within.
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