Devotion 5.21.26
John 7
Rivers of Living Water
37 On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” 39 Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Jesus promises his Spirit and the fruit it will yield.
Google is a wonderful tool. The imagery of "living water" reminded me of a drawing in a lesson Pastor Stephen used, but I could not remember the passage. I found it in seconds using Google and typing in "water flowing from heaven" and then finally "water flowing from the temple." That took me to Ezekial 47, in which God takes Ezekial, referred to as "the son of man," to see a small trickle at the altar in the temple becoming a river like the Mississippi as starts in Minnesota (been there), churns south through St. Louis (been on the river there), finding its way to the Gulf of Mexico through New Orleans (fished there), and the life it provides along the way and the abundance of life in its delta. (Read Ezekial 47 by clicking the link at the end. If you are reading this on the app, it will direct you there at the beginning of the devotion near biblical citations)
Ezekial is given this vision of "water flowing from the temple" to illustrate the abundance of God's love for his people. Folks here on the South Plains can certainly appreciate the importance of water as we grown cotton, wheat (near cattle), sorghum, and vineyards. Water in an arid climate is precious. God's people in the Old and New Testament are in similar climates, so the lesson is not lost on them either.
Christ promises a "living water" which will bear fruit through his Spirit. This week, we observe, recognize, and celebrate the fruits of this Spirit, the provider of the living water from Christ, by giving us faith and the abundance of gifts that faith can give. God sends his Spirit to give us all we need and more to thrive.
Pray with me: Gracious Father, Forgive me when I needlessly worry about the source of gift needed in our community. We have the gift from your Spirit in our midst. We have gifts in abundance in fact. Help us to see these gifts and to utilize them to share your Word in our community. We give thanks for your gifts. In Christ's name, Amen.
Hope Men's Ministry is a ministry in service to Hope Lutheran Church and School. Our purpose is to grow, unite, and share God's Word to all men through meaningful activities. These activities center on fellowship, service, conversation, prayer, study and devotion as we seek to become men of God as He created us to be.