Streams of Living Water!
Scripture reading for October 31 : John 6-8
Thirst is a great motivator! When we were farming in Iowa, picking up hay bales on a humid summer afternoon with no breeze really worked up a thirst. The ones working in the barn had a “thirsty” job as well. Another job was cutting sunflowers out of the soybean fields with a machete. We had one farm with half-mile rows. It would be a mile up and back. In the hot summer sun, I would be thirsty before I got to the far end of the field. I knew that I would have to cut my way back to the water jug. It was a good motivator for the whole crew to work faster and make it back!
“On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living waster will flow from within him.” “By this He meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.” John 7:37-39
On this last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, the custom was to get two large jars of water from the pool of Siloam and pour it out as an offering before the Lord at the temple. It was probably at this time that Jesus stood up and spoke to the crowd. He invited those that were spiritually thirsty to come to Him. He promised if they would drink of His life, a life-giving stream of “living water” would flow from within them. John interprets this prophetic Word of Jesus as referring to the Holy Spirit being poured out after Jesus’ ascension. The Holy Spirit would be a life-giving spring that would bring rivers of refreshing and life to those who would believe on Jesus and receive the Spirit as the Father’s blessing!
Are you “thirsty” from your hard work and labors in this sin-filled world? Has keeping the Law of God worn you out? Do you need a rest and refreshing? Jesus calls for us to come to Him for the relief we need. He was glorified as He ascended into heaven and was seated at God’s right hand. He poured out the Spirit on the day of Pentecost! He alone is the source of this spring of special “living water”, obtained by faith in Jesus Christ. That should motivate you to ‘believe’ your way back to the source and take a long drink! Living water: there’s no other drink like it to quench thirst for God!
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