Our Source of Rivers of Living Water

 

In the Old Testament, Jesus was the Rock from which the Israelites were supplied fresh water in the barren wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:4). In the New Testament, He is still our source of living water. His springs of eternal life give us a well of living water to draw from at any time (John 4:13-14).

As God regenerates our spirit and heals our soul, there are multiple rivers of living water flowing from our innermost being and refreshing us and anyone who comes in contact with us (John 7:37-39).

If we do not feel this free cascade of life flowing from within us, then there is a dam of negative emotions, unresolved conflict and sin entrenched in our soul. They control the floodgate to God's living water within us and block the rivers' flow.

Physically, if we are not thirsty, we will not drink. Yet, when we are thirsty, we often eat instead of drink, thinking that we are hungry. We gorge our self on food and are never satisfied, because we do not fill our cells with the life-giving water they crave.

Spiritually, we actually need to come to Christ, our living water; yet we often turn to sin to satisfy us instead. We miss out on the life-giving water that Christ offers to this lost and dying world.

He reaches out especially to those who realize they are poor and destitute without personal means to obtain this living water by their own efforts (Isaiah 55:1). Without cost to us, yet with great personal cost to Himself, Jesus freely gives us His living water (Revelation 21:6).

His saving work continues through each moment of our life (Philippians 1:6). We see a constant change in our thinking and behavior. We gain spiritual understanding, power and maturity which flow through us to those God brings into our life (1 Corinthians 2:11-16; Galatians 5:15-25; Ephesians 5:18-21). 

Prayer:

Father God, as the deer pants after the water book to quench its thirst, so too we thirst for You, our living God (Psalm 42:1). We thirst and yearn for You in this weary, arid land where there is no other source of the water of life (Psalm 63:1). Help us to humble our self under Your mighty hand and to meekly accept Your living water, drinking freely until these mighty rivers flow from our innermost being.

Your rivers of living water satisfy every part of our spirit, soul and body. Peace and joy flood every cell of our being (Philippians 3:19; Nehemiah 9:20). Lead us to those in our life who are thirsting for You and help us to offer them a drink from Your rivers of life within us.

Thought for the Day:

The Holy Spirit and the Bride say to the thirsty, "Come;" anyone wishing to drink the water of life may come without personal cost and drink of the rivers of living water flowing from the throne of God and from within His Saints.

- Revelation 22:17; Psalm 78:15-16; Proverbs 4:23; Isaiah 44:3; Ezekiel 36:26-27, 47:1-9; Joel 3:18, Zechariah 13:1, 14:8                       

Waiting on God

I love the way the Holy Spirit warns us of mishaps before they happen. He leads us to places, which we never dreamed we would go. He also brings people into our lives that enrich and nourish us. Paul had such experiences all during his life. In one instance, the Holy Spirit even warned him that he would visit Rome (Acts 19:21) and that prison and hardships awaited him there (Acts 20:23).

However, this journey to Rome took almost three years. Along the way, Paul met many people and he shared with them the gospel of Christ. He even met a governor (Acts 24:25), whom he almost persuaded to trust in Jesus! Paul also lived his testimony before shipmates, natives who observed his snakebite and even to those who threatened his life.

Sometimes, God requires us to wait on His timing for His promises to come to pass. He seldom tells us the reason things happen as they do. He just asks us to trust in Him (Proverbs 3:5-6). Often we wonder how the various circumstances in our lives will ever come together in a meaningful way. God promises that all things, even the negative things, will turn out for our good (Romans 8:28).

One thing modern human beings have in common is that we hate to wait! If we would only look beyond the events in our life to the face of our Savior, He would take the anxiety right out of the waiting process. We would also stop groaning about the things in our past. If we live in the present moment, God will meet us right where we are. As we wait upon the Lord, He will renew our strength. We will rise up on wings like the eagles and soar high into the spiritual realm of life (Isaiah 40:31).

God has a purpose for everything that occurs in our life, even if we never realize what it is until we make it to heaven. The Psalmist exhorts us to wait on the Lord and to be courageous, because as we do, God shall strengthen our heart (Psalm 27:14). Our soul waits for the Lord as we put our hope in His Word (Psalm 103:5).

In times of waiting, we can pause in God’s presence to be refreshed, linger in our memories of His goodness, remain faithful to His calling on our life and prepare our hearts for His next set of instructions. All the while, we can rejoice with gladness in our heart and learn to lean on Him all the more during the barren times or the heated trials of our life.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, I do not have patience when it comes to waiting. I want to arrive right on time and not a minute too soon. I want to put my dinner in the oven and have it come out on time. I want to make an appointment and have people show up on time. But, life does not always happen on my time schedule. Teach me, Lord, to wait on You and to be content in whatever circumstances You bring to pass in my life.

Thought for the Day:

Surrender your soul to the blessings of each day as God provides it.