"On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, 'If you are thirsty, come to Me! If you believe in Me, come and drink! For the Scriptures declare that rivers of living water shall flow out from within.' " John 7:37-38......'What comes out of us? Rivers of Living Water, or rivers of bitterness, anger, and hopelessness?" T. Austin-Sparks
I remember as a very young believer going to a missions service and listening to the missionary talk of his work in West Africa. I don't remember much of anything he said but this one thing. He spoke of one of his fellow missionaries who was known among the people he served as "Rev. Gunpowder." He was so named because of his angry and explosive outbursts. Very likely the man had a good heart and loved those he sought to reach, but what registered on these ones was none of that, but his seeming inability to control his temper. He who was to be a vessel of living water to others, was himself in deep need of that very water. How many of us find ourselves so much like him in our day to day lives?
Wherever we are, does the sweetness of His life flow out of us there? Especially in those difficult places filled with difficult people. Do the waters of our lives flow with His sweetness, or our bitterness? With His hope, or our despair? With His joy, or our anger and disappointment? With His sure expectation of victory, or our resigned attitude of defeat?
In times of warfare, particularly in arid lands, armies would often pollute the water sources, usually by throwing the body of a dead animal down a well or into a stream. The corruption would spread, and what may once have been a source of sweet refreshment was now a source of poisonous death. Where might that be happening in your heart right now? What is polluting the flowing of His living water in your life? Where has the enemy, though offense, disappointment, delay, managed to throw "a dead body" into the stream? Such a stream contains no life. Only death. If such a stream is flowing right now, would you have an end to it?
There is only one remedy. Remove the corpse, and bring it to Him. Lay it before Him, surrendering all of it to Him. Only by this will the rivers of living water begin to flow again to and through us. Let the river flow my friend. Let the river flow.
Blessings,
Pastor O
Wherever we are, does the sweetness of His life flow out of us there? Especially in those difficult places filled with difficult people. Do the waters of our lives flow with His sweetness, or our bitterness? With His hope, or our despair? With His joy, or our anger and disappointment? With His sure expectation of victory, or our resigned attitude of defeat?
In times of warfare, particularly in arid lands, armies would often pollute the water sources, usually by throwing the body of a dead animal down a well or into a stream. The corruption would spread, and what may once have been a source of sweet refreshment was now a source of poisonous death. Where might that be happening in your heart right now? What is polluting the flowing of His living water in your life? Where has the enemy, though offense, disappointment, delay, managed to throw "a dead body" into the stream? Such a stream contains no life. Only death. If such a stream is flowing right now, would you have an end to it?
There is only one remedy. Remove the corpse, and bring it to Him. Lay it before Him, surrendering all of it to Him. Only by this will the rivers of living water begin to flow again to and through us. Let the river flow my friend. Let the river flow.
Blessings,
Pastor O
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