Quotes are from the following devotional: scriptural passages from the Berean Standard Bible, and multiple links are provided for additional study.
God starts His work:
Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
Chambers, “Fountains of Blessings”
Let’s briefly consider the men and women whom calls to accomplish His purposes. Abraham and Sarah were long beyond the years of having a child. Rahab gives sanctuary to the Hebrew scouts in her home and saves her family. Ruth follows Naomi home and seeks God becoming part of Jesus’ lineage. David was a teen shepherd that even Samuel overlooks at first. Consider that the disciples Jesus calls are mostly common men who weren’t religious leaders/scholars.
This quote encourages us to remain steadfast in our callings. Even when others don’t respond, and ignore our efforts. Be steadfast, keep pressing ahead in your journey of faith!
Rivers of Life
When Jesus encounters the Samaritan women at the well, He promises her that He will give her eternal water. John 4:14 (BSB)
14But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
As this conversation progresses, the Samaritan women realizes that Jesus is a prophet then later that Jesus is the Messiah. Jesus reveals Himself as the Messiah to a Samaritan woman who has a less than moral lifestyle. The following article explains this in detail:
https://www.crivoice.org/WT-samaritan.html
Jesus reveals Himself to those who are seeking and open to receiving His truth! The Samaritan woman then goes into town and tells everyone about Jesus. The result: many of them believe in Jesus! What is your testimony? Why didn’t Jesus met the local religious leader and ask to speak? Jesus has a purpose and message for all the He does!
What is the living water?
The next logical question is what is the “river” Chambers and “living waters”? It is Holy Spirit. I refer to Holy Spirit without “the” article because Holy Spirit is a Person of God’s Holy Trinity. He is a He not an impersonal “thing” or “object.”
John explains the Living Water in John 7:37-39 (BSB)
Living Water
37On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ ” 39He was speaking about the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were later to receive. For the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.
For more details:
https://www.gotquestions.org/living-water.html
Are you seeking true life in Holy Spirit? Consider the response to Jesus later in chapter seven:
Division over Jesus
40On hearing these words, some of the people said, “This is truly the Prophet.”
41Others declared, “This is the Christ.”
But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee? 42Doesn’t the Scripture say that the Christ will come from the line of David and from Bethlehem, the village where David lived?”
43So there was division in the crowd because of Jesus. 44Some of them wanted to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him.
Jesus proclaims the truth and they were fussing over him coming from Nazareth instead of Bethlehem. Recall that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, but later lived in Egypt until Joseph, Mary, and family return to Nazareth. In the following verses it’s obvious that the religious leaders (Pharisees and priests) have major issues with Jesus. They go so far as to say “49But this crowd that does not know the law, they are under a curse.”
Their knowledge of the law keeps them from believing! Nicodemus speaks up and they immediately correct him. In their mind “no prophet comes out from Galilee.” Their notion of who the messiah would be blinds them to the appearance of The Messiah!
Some people believe! That is the reality of Jesus and God. Some will believe, others will scoff and mock seeking any reason(s) to not believe or respond.
Blessings Flow through us
As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us.
Chambers, “Fountains of Blessings”
Key to relationship with God: what flows through us. What is the fruit of our life? Do we produce fruit of Holy Spirit or the fruit of the world? Written about this previously:
True Faith: Walking In Spirit
Are you receiving Christ and His blessings? What is the source of your life?
Spirit: River of Life
It is not a blessing that you pass on, or an experience that you share with others, but a river that continually flows through you. Stay at the Source, closely guarding your faith in Jesus Christ and your relationship to Him, and there will be a steady flow into the lives of others with no dryness or deadness whatsoever.
Chambers, “Fountains of Blessings”
The key is for Holy Spirit to keep flowing! Daily time with God and seeking His Kingdom and Righteousness first keeps us on track. Beware of burnout and exhausting yourself! Keep near to Christ and encourage others! May God’s Holy Spirit flow through your life and witness to others.
Words of Grace & Hope 