Day 155: Living Waters

On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.  He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water."  John 7:37-38

I feel like these days there are people who are walking around with earplugs when they go to church or listen to the Gospel.

While we are in the midst of praising God and proclaiming God's name, Jesus invites us to come and drink.  The next part of the invitation is key, though.  Those who come to Jesus to drink will themselves become fountains of living water.

Of course, when we read this statement, we need a definition.  What are living waters?  John gives us a good answer, saying that this is the Holy Spirit.  But even then, we can have issues with understanding this because of the fact that we might not know what the Holy Spirit is.

When we think of the Spirit, we should always remember the breath of life, for spirit and breath are one and the same word in Greek and Hebrew.  And the Holy Spirit is the Lord and giver of life.  And what is life?  Life can be anything that we make of it, but Jesus has been clear from the beginning that eternal life comes from our faith in him.  Therefore, life is following Jesus.

So, if we are coming to Jesus for a drink, should our fountain of living water look like an outpouring of judgment based on the law of Moses?  Certainly not!  As Paul has said, the law reveals death.  Jesus, on the other hand, shows us life.  Jesus, the preacher and manifestation of love, is life.  We cannot forget that fact.  Jesus is the fulfillment of everything we do.  All of our worship, all our prayers, our reading, our preaching, our listening, our learning, our understanding points to Jesus.  Everything points to God's unconditional love for us.

When we go to Jesus for a drink of water, we will begin our transformation, much like a detox diet.  We will start to drink of this life giving water which will cleanse us both inside and out.  Then, through our transformation, we will start to become a fountain of love.  We will know that we are drinking of this fountain, for that will be when we are showing our love forth throughout all of the pain and suffering that exists in the world.  As Christians, we can only claim to be followers of Jesus Christ if we are becoming fountains of Jesus' love.  Otherwise, we are just pedants, proclaiming and sealing ourselves in hatred that closes in on us until we die both in body and spirit.  We need the Holy Spirit.  We need life.  We need love. 

Day 107: God's Gift

"If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?  Or if he asks for an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"  Luke 11:11-13

This is one of my favorite passages from the bible because it explains the grace of God so well.

We know how to carry out transactions so well that it just becomes second nature to us.  Yet, that by itself is a display of courtesy towards our neighbors.  We are prone to give whatever anybody requests.  Now, that doesn't go without acknowledging that there can be an entirely different context surrounding these occasions.  We can give things over with an attitude.  We could even give things that are of poor quality.  But in general, we will give when we are asked.

Imagine being in a classroom and somebody asks for a pencil.  Unless it's during an important test or competition, there is always someone there to give over a pencil, even if it's short, chewed up, and without an eraser.  These are the kinds of things Jesus is referring us to.

Paul has taken many opportunities throughout his letters to explain what the Holy Spirit is.  It's kind of like a gift basket for us, with everything being useful (unlike a basket with a few things we could just do away with).  The Holy Spirit is something that guides us in our living.  It's a mode of communication from the Holy Trinity to us.  It's also something that drives us to pursue godly things in our lives.

So, if we can ask our friends and (occasionally) our enemies for things and receive what we'd asked for, how much better would be the things that come straight from God?  God, who is all loving, all caring, all forgiving, has shown us a gift.  We are receiving a gift that comes out of all things that are good in the universe.  The Holy Spirit is good.  God's gift is perfect.

The Lord is Good

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; happy are they who trust in Him." (Psalm 34:8)
This message is simple.  God is all around us.  God is there when we run away.  God is there when we retreat to our closet of deceiving ourselves, our closet of our own arrogance.  Open the door.  Reach out your hands for God.  Know that God is ready to take all of our issues into God's arms.
Today, we commemorate all of the angels.  I like to remember that God has us covered in all sorts of ways.  God sends us the Holy Spirit to move in us. God sends us the angels to speak to us.  God sends out the prophets to teach us.  God sends us Jesus so that we can be one with Him.  God is ready for you.  Are you ready for God?