Freely Flowingfeatured

“I will make rivers flow on barren heights, and springs within the valleys.  I will turn the desert into pools of water and the parched ground into springs.” Isaiah 41:18

God gave the prophet Isaiah the hopeful words above not only for the Israelites centuries ago but also for us.  God’s promise to provide life-giving water was eternally fulfilled in His Son, Jesus.  In John 4:14, Jesus says, “Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”  Later in John 7: 38-39, Jesus goes on to say, “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.”

There are three key truths here, I think.  1)  Following Jesus is the way to stay well-hydrated spiritually, 2) the living water that He provides us is not to be hoarded but is to be shared, and 3) the Holy Spirit enables this whole process.  It is our spiritual life-cycle.  His life-giving truth nourishes us, enabling us to share His life-giving nourishment with others.

Perhaps Paul was thinking of the Jesus’ living water when he wrote about the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5: 22-23, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.”   If all the people that I encounter experienced only the fruit that Paul describes – well, that would be a miracle!  The living water of Jesus would be flowing from me freely.  Unfortunately, the living water in me often gets dammed up by my self-absorption and my inclination to be easily distracted from what should be my number one priority – Him.

I’ve lately been convicted about a second component of letting that living water flow from me – opening my mouth and speaking about my faith.  Even if I were to let the Holy Spirit consistently flow through me and the fruit of the Spirit were on full display, I still am called to speak about the source of that living water.  The Psalmist often refers to giving voice to the source of our very existence and our hope.  Psalm 89:1 says, “I will sing of the Lord’s great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations.”  In verse 15, he goes on to say, “Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim you, who walk in the light of your presence, Lord.”

I have never been a great “acclaimer.”  I get scared, nervous and tongue-tied.  With the help of the Holy Spirit, I’ve become a tiny bit braver and made a little progress.  But I have a long way to go.

My husband and I are getting ready to go on vacation in South Africa and Zimbabwe.  We will be traveling with a tour group of about 2 dozen or so people we don’t know.  Now I love this part of travelling; I love to meet new people and make new friends.  This time, however, I have been praying that the Holy Spirit will provide the opportunity for me to share my faith with a new friend AND that I won’t chicken out! 

In Luke 9:26 Jesus said, “Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory ….”  I really don’t want Jesus to be ashamed of me, so I think it’s time for me to get over my tongue-tied silence.  It’s time to speak of my faith without fear.  I can’t do it on own – none of us can!  But the Spirit that Jesus provides with His living water can provide me with the power and the words so His life-giving water can flow from me freely.    

I wonder how our world would be changed if we all let the Spirit turn us into springs of His living water?  What if people experienced only love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control when they encountered us?  What if we told them that the source of those qualities was Jesus Christ and that He could provide them with living water as well?  It’s what we’ve all been called to do and it’s never too late to get started!!

P.S.  Due to our upcoming trip, I won’t be posting any more devotionals until late March.  You’ll get a “bravery” update from me then! [jetpack_subscription_form]