THE WORD 4 ev 1

Today’s reading is John 7 (click here for link)

I once had the opportunity to spend a day boating down the Rhine River in Germany. It was one of the most beautiful and inspiring trips of my life. The green, hilly landscape and the ancient cliff-side castles drifted by emerging in and out of the cool morning mist, all in stark—yet appropriate—contrast to the modern fishing villages and shops nestled on the rocky banks. The Rhine made innumerable winds and winds through that rugged landscape, no obstacle could deter it. I will never forget that trip.

A river is a powerful force, it is victoriously persistent. It overcomes every barrier. When it comes to an obstacle, for a brief while it may be baulked, but it soon makes a pathway round the obstacle.

Jesus' words in our text today reflected the same: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. For whoever believes in me, the Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within him." John 7:37-38

Jesus says our lives lived in faith are like rivers of living water. In fact, this how the Holy Spirit stirs in our hearts—like a river. We never know when and how he will flow through us. But he does! And notice… he flows out of us, too! In fact, it is interesting to note that Jesus did not say, “Believe in me and you will have an abundance of the fullness of God.” Rather, he said, “Believe in me and every blessing God gives to you shall flow out of you.” In other words, If we drink of Jesus, it is not what we gain, but what He pours through us that counts.

The Holy Spirit has been opening up marvelous truths to our minds, and every truth He has opened up is an indication of the wider river He will flow through us. God intends to flow blessing through you into this dry and parched land. Indeed, if you believe in Jesus, you will find that God has nourished in you mighty torrents of blessing for others.

Moral of the story… Don’t put an obstacle in that way of God’s river! Let the Spirit flow through you.

Pastor Aaron