Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Alan Fong
3 min read
Resplendent Rivers
Today's Verse:
He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) ~John 7:38-39
Someone has said that one picture can represent a multitude of words. Jesus was the “Master” of using pictures and symbols to embed a noteworthy principle into our minds. In our devotion this morning, let us see what faith and the Holy Spirit produce in the life of a completely yielded believer.
We see the perspective.
Jesus was in Jerusalem at the celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles. The unbelieving Jews rejected the fact that Jesus is God. On this last day of the Feast, Jesus drew from the celebration what was fresh and stirring in the minds of the Jews. The priest carried two golden pitchers, and with a parade of worshipers, went down to the pool of Siloam to draw water out into one of the pitchers. The other pitcher was filled with wine. On the way back, a parade of worshipers followed and sang Psalm 118 as they made their way back to the city. As they re-entered through the Water Gate, they approached the altar where both contents were poured into two silver pitchers. The wine was poured out as a drink offering and followed by the water. The entire celebration was breathtaking as it celebrated God’s goodness and thanked Him for His bounty. Prayer was offered to God to ask Him for rain for the next season of crops. The Jews understood the necessity of water for their sustenance and crops. Water is a vital essence for life itself. Water could become scarce and leave them in a difficult situation. This is the backdrop to the powerful proclamation that Jesus would make in John 7:38-39.
We see a Person.
This Person is Jesus. Jesus demonstrated in no uncertain terms that He is the Son of God. Each sign and wonder performed by Him, as well as His messages, were rejected by the Jews. They accused Him of blasphemy. There was hatred and rejection of His Person. It is sad how Jesus is rejected by people of all walks of life. The Apostle John calls this the spirit of the antichrist. He went on to state that anyone who did not confess that Jesus is come in the flesh is not of God. We must not lose sight of the fact that in John 7, Jesus was present among the Jews, and it was a great opportunity for the gatherers at that Feast to believe on Him.
We see a persuasion.
In John 7:38 Jesus said, “He that believeth on me....” He was referring to the importance of having faith in Him. There comes a moment when there is enough evidence and enough said that a man must decide to believe in Jesus. A man must be persuaded in his mind that Jesus is God. A man must be persuaded in his heart that Jesus is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. The culmination of events at this great feast was an invitation to exercise faith. The absence of faith means an absence of blessing.
We see a power.
Jesus also spoke about power: Spirit power! He was referring to the combination of faith in Him and unrestricted control of the Holy Spirit over our lives with the product being rivers of living water gushing out of a man’s life. He was referring to available power, necessary power, and exclusive power. Just as it was important to pray for rain for the crops, they needed the Spirit’s filling in order to be the people that God wanted them to be.
We see a plethora.
Jesus refers to rivers of living water. The word "rivers" is plural: many rivers, many sources, and unending supply. Faith accompanied by an unrestricted control of the Holy Spirit results in a plethora of power overflowing in the life of that servant who so desires to be used of God. Here Jesus makes an invitation for a life of resplendent rivers. Are you thirsting for God to make your life one that is rivers of living water? Will you meet the conditions for such a life?
Have a Spirit-filled God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: Matthew 7-8
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