02/22/2018
Do living waters flow from you? Are you filled with the Holy Spirit as Jesus had said, and become the source of a flood... not a trickle, but rivers of living Water? If you are able to contain the desire to spread the good news of the gospel, then you have not yet found the source of the waters that Jesus spoke of, and there is more for you to believe will come. These are the waters of life which will be offered by both the Spirit and the bride of Jesus Christ.
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'" Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
John 7:38-39 ESV
Out of our faith in Jesus Christ will come living waters, but you must want to receive the Holy Spirit in order for this to become a reality to you. It comes without price; it is free to us because admission has already been paid. We can believe that Jesus is the Son of God, but more awaits us.
“The Spirit and the Bride say, "Come." And let the one who hears say, "Come." And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”
Revelation 22:17 ESV
The Spirit calls, and the church calls, so that those who hear them will indeed respond to the call and come, but once they have arrived, a decision must be made. Will those who have heard the word and responded, been called, desire to receive the water of life? Will they have the river of Living Water released to flow from within them?
John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. He began to call to those around Him without having to seek it further... bridled only by the limitations of His human body that had to mature like all of us do. Listen to what his mother was told...
“for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.”
Luke 1:15 ESV
So John the Baptist began to announce the coming of Jesus Christ the Messiah, He foretold of the coming of the Son of God. The waters were flowing from him, and he couldn’t contain them. It cost him his life. The apostles received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and once they had, the waters began to flow, and they couldn’t contain them. For all but John it cost them their life. All of these died violently at the hands of those who didn’t believe, but even in death the promise of life could not be contained. Jesus had defeated death, and eternal life flows on.
When we accept the Holy Spirit the waters will begin to flow. They will gush from you uncontrollably, as if you were a child who had been told a secret that you just couldn’t keep, or a new mother that couldn’t wait to tell her family that she was expecting. It builds within us until at last it must be released and rushes out in jubilation... it desires to open the joy and waters held within all who would hear.
Have you accepted the fact that Jesus is the Son of God? Have you gone down in the waters of Baptism? Have you tasted the flesh and blood of Christ in Communion? Are you convinced that eternal life awaits you? Are you living your life seeking a closer relationship with Jesus with each breath you take, and are satisfied with all of this and the walk you have with Him? Then perhaps that is enough for you...
“It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master...”
Matthew 10:25 ESV
But, if you hear a call that leads you further; if you hear the word “Come” and must go there. If you answer because you can’t help but do so, because the desire is just too strong to overcome... then there is more. There is a sound of rushing water that will not let your rest until you have reached it. How surprised when you find it within you, and that you must taste it. There is a change that awaits you which will open your heart to the gushing river of Living Water that is building there and presses to be released.
This desire, and this river of Living Water, will lead you to places that will challenge you, and might even be dangerous, or, as in the case of the apostles, take your life. It is raging, and frightening in its intensity, but also can be calming beyond all you have known. It gives a rest that can’t be found elsewhere, and clears the vision of heaven. It is the intensity we see in John the Baptist, and the humility and tranquility we see in Jesus. It is comfort and wisdom, it is a deep abiding love, and is also the disdain and confrontation of one’s own family. But beyond all of this it is the essence of Holiness, the peak of righteousness, a relationship with God that our heart desires most. Are you hearing the word “Come?”
Prayer:
Father, thank you for your Holy Spirit and for the call it has had for me. Thank you for this next step in my relationship with you, and the Living Water that gushes forth from my heart. Give me the wisdom and the dedication that is required to walk this way. Help me to quench the thirst of those who desire to drink Father. Never let me fear, for you are always with me, and your promise of eternal life my shield; your faithfulness my reward for spiritual bravery in the face of much danger. You are my provider, and my comforter; you give me peace and rest; you give me power to resist evil, and a voice of direction to those in the wilderness... a word that can bring water from the rock, and a sound that can topple walls. Great are you Holy Father, and great is your Son Jesus Christ. Call to those who will come, and open those who are bursting with water. Let the Spirit and the church call out, and your children come.
Rich Forbes