December 6, 2016 RIVERS OF LIVING WATER
John 7:37-38: “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, from his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’”
No doubt that many in the world, if not most, are about trying to find something or someone to fill the emptiness and the void that is ever-present. According to man’s logic and opinion, riches, material gain, prestige, a good income, the right mate, or whatever, will fill the void. In fact, the culture in which we live perpetrates the idea that man should do and seek whatever it is that brings him happiness and fulfillment. The philosophy of the world is in total opposition to the message of truth that Jesus came to teach and to demonstrate-that He alone is the one who satisfies our deepest longings. Simply stated, it is man living according to his/her own dictates, or man living as unto the Lord. Just as in the day of John, Jesus is still proclaiming the same message; the message that only He is the source of abundant, satisfying life and that He is the only one who fills the longings of our heart. It is important to note that our belief in Jesus must be in accordance with the Scriptures, and not according to our own preferences, opinions and interpretations. Fundamentally, we live out of our heart-our innermost being. The good news of the gospel is that at salvation, God gives us a new heart, enabling us to live not according to the philosophy of the world, but according to the ways of God! A major issue, and a stumbling block for believers to be aware of, is that of trying to blend together the ways of the world and the ways of God. The fact is that it is impossible to blend the two; we live according to one or the other at any given time. Isaiah 55:8 makes it clear that His ways are not the same as man’s ways: “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD.” (Let us not misunderstand; because we have a new heart, our ways and our thoughts can be in accordance with His ways.) When a believer is walking in his/her new identity (out of their new heart), the life of Jesus is experienced in the heart and the mind and His life becomes “rivers of living waters” flowing out of us. We must ask ourselves if our heart is indeed turned to the things of God, or is the focus of our heart somewhere else. When it is our heart desire to know God in a personal way, and we are learning of Him through the Scriptures, we will find, just as Jesus said, rivers of living waters flowing out of our innermost beings.
Isaiah 55:1-2: “Ho! Every one who thirst, come to the waters; and you who have no money come, buy and eat. Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. ‘Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy?’ Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, and delight yourself in abundance.”
Blessings,
Buddy
RSS Feed