From Empty To Overflowing
Everyone is thirsty for real life until that thirst is met in knowing Christ. They are empty of what really matters, and they know something is missing. However, when they come to Christ and drink of His living water that provides not only eternal life, but abundant life, that water overflows from them to others around them. They are a constant spring of living water for others.(John 7:37,38) What a drastic change!
The word pictures or parables of Jesus are so instructive for us. Think about being thirsty. Our mouths get dry, we long for water to quench our thirst. However, the thirst returns regularly because of the body's need for water, so we must continually take in life sustaining fluids, or we will die. Thirst shows a lack of what we need for life. This is spiritually true, when we do not have the Holy Spirit residing in us, because we have not come to believe in Christ yet. The spiritual thirst for real life shows a lack. In fact, it shows we are empty, because we have none of what it takes to have life.
When we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts, our inner being. He meets our needs by giving us life abundantly, and He begins to flow through us to others. He is a river of living water flowing from us. What does that say? We transition from being empty to being full to overflowing. We go from being needy to meeting needs in others. We have what others need to have life, and it flows from us to them. That is the change that takes place in every believer according to Jesus.
I know we can quench the Spirit and grieve the Spirit, so that we do not allow the Spirit to work in us and flow from us as we should, but that does not negate what Jesus is saying here. Every believer has an abundant supply of the Spirit, and we will want to share what we have with others, because we know that others will die without the living water and be separated from God forever. The Spirit convicts us and inspires us to do whatever it takes to share life with others who are thirsty. How about you? Are you empty or overflowing?
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 8-10.
The word pictures or parables of Jesus are so instructive for us. Think about being thirsty. Our mouths get dry, we long for water to quench our thirst. However, the thirst returns regularly because of the body's need for water, so we must continually take in life sustaining fluids, or we will die. Thirst shows a lack of what we need for life. This is spiritually true, when we do not have the Holy Spirit residing in us, because we have not come to believe in Christ yet. The spiritual thirst for real life shows a lack. In fact, it shows we are empty, because we have none of what it takes to have life.
When we come to Christ, the Holy Spirit comes to live in our hearts, our inner being. He meets our needs by giving us life abundantly, and He begins to flow through us to others. He is a river of living water flowing from us. What does that say? We transition from being empty to being full to overflowing. We go from being needy to meeting needs in others. We have what others need to have life, and it flows from us to them. That is the change that takes place in every believer according to Jesus.
I know we can quench the Spirit and grieve the Spirit, so that we do not allow the Spirit to work in us and flow from us as we should, but that does not negate what Jesus is saying here. Every believer has an abundant supply of the Spirit, and we will want to share what we have with others, because we know that others will die without the living water and be separated from God forever. The Spirit convicts us and inspires us to do whatever it takes to share life with others who are thirsty. How about you? Are you empty or overflowing?
Tomorrow, I intend to read John 8-10.