The Rest of the Story- LIVING WATER
The Rest of the Story
by
Rocky Fleming
Friday -Living Water
 |
I like visiting California and all areas out west that do well with their agriculture. When I am there, I look longingly at the amazing fields of produce being grown, whether it is fruits of all kinds, nuts of all kinds, or the many different types of vegetables. I have the same admiration for the agriculture in Israel. On either side of the Jordan River are amazing fields of vegetables and fruits. I believe both areas can grow about anything they attempt for they have good soil and a climate with a lot of sun and mild winters. My part of the country has poor soil and challenging weather. We cannot grow anything unless we dig a hole and replace the chalky, rocky mess with soil hauled in from a different place. But those good areas are not without their own challenge, for both areas lack something and because of this lacking, they would be barren ground without it. The only things that would grow would be only those things that thrive in a desert. What is lacking is steady rainfall, and water from other sources has to be highly managed to get it to the plants and trees in the fields. Because they have done this successfully, we are able to enjoy the amazing results. This brings me back to my subject of the Gospel and what Jesus said about it. But before I get to that, I want to share a precursor to His claim about the Living Waterwith a scripture written several hundred years before. Here it is:
The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (Isaiah 58:11 NIV)
The above scripture is one of those prophetic promises in the Bible that we read about where God promises that He will bless His people with something in the future. This is what He said He would do for His people, which I believe are His children, the followers of Christ. The next scripture I share deals with Who this Water will be for and it is a Who, not a what. This is how Jesus described Him:
"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:38-39 ESV)
Therefore we read that Jesus is saying that the Living Water promised several hundred years before and by Him is actually the Holy Spirit who goes to and works within a believer. What does this mean for His Church which are Christians around the world? Consider:
Before Christ, our life is like those arid areas in Israel and California with their great soil and sunshine. There is great potential. But they cannot produce their potential without water. Water must flow to the plants for them to live and produce. Likewise, amazing things happen in our life and with our life when we have a steady flow of the Living Water in our life as Jesus spoke of. In John 15, Jesus tells us what happens from this spiritual metaphor. He called it "fruit." Do you get the connection? The Living Waterflows to us and through us to others and it produces an amazing harvest of good in our life, for our life, and through our life to those lives around us. This is an aspect of the Gospel that is rarely taught and likely not understood. It is critical to allow the Gospel's full benefit to work in our life and surround our life, for this is the way the Church is kept safe, made strong, and able to impact our world around us. When the Holy Spirit is not allowed to flow or He is hindered in some way, we will not see the supernatural fruit that Jesus promised. We will instead see frustrated sterile efforts that fall short of a magnificent work that God can do through our lives.
Can we prevent the Living Water from doing His work in us, and through us? We can if we create a dam of hindrances that get in the way of His flow. Yesterday I said I would share today how we grow in our faith. Here goes: I have come to believe that my spiritual growth in faith is less about what I do and more about what the Spirit does to me and through me. It is when I surrender myself to Him and remove those things that hinder my intimacy with Him that opens the flow and allows the Living Water to nurture me. My faith grows stronger from this Living Water, just like a plant in an arid field does when it gets water. The revelations and insights for living and serving others come from the intimate, tender, and loving flow of His Spirit. The fruit is obvious. But what is not obvious often times are the hindrances. The good news is that it is His idea to come to me and make a way for me to be filled with His Living Water so He can do His great work in me. He wants this for all of His children. Again I must say that what we are being shown is the good news of a relationship with God and what He can do through our life, and it is called the Gospel. He will help you and me to allow His Spirit to flow if we sincerely seek to know what creates a blockage that keeps His flow dammed up and away from our life. By God's grace He initiated a plan, and by our faith we can make all He wants for us a reality. Seek Him and ask Him, "Lord what must I do to receive more of You and to give more of me to You?" He will break through and let you know what needs to be done. From that point, it is simply an act of obedience on your part to remove the hindrance. Then the river of Living Water will flow in and out of you just like Jesus promised. It is then that your faith will grow, and you will see greater works for God through your life than you could ever produce on your own. This is why He wants your faith in Him to grow, so that you can learn to walk with Him, and become the man He wants to make of you.