the promise
that Jesus cried out,, and
that we need to grasp.
“…Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’. Now this He said about the Spirit…”
John 7:37-39
we have an inheritance. [[may the eyes of our hearts be opened to the riches of it,, through the spirit of wisdom and of revelation. Ephesians 1:17-19]]
and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee,, or down payment,, of it, [[until we acquire full possession of it as God redeems us in glory. Ephesians 1:14]]
Jesus’ focus wasn’t on that we have living water flowing into us, or abiding within us, He said,,
these rivers of living water,,
bubbling up, gushing forth, flowing,,
abundant with refreshment and salubrity [health-giving],
are the Holy Spirit,,
and they will flow out of the innermost part of you.
[[they are to be released]].
the dead sea.
“there is an almost eerie lack of life within its depths. There are no fish swimming beneath the surface, no plants growing at the base. The Dead Sea carries an extremely high mineral and salt content, which makes it impossible for life to survive.”[i]
the only major water source flowing into the Dead Sea is the Jordan River,,
an important source of life and vitality to surrounding dry lands,
[[and the river that the God-man was immersed in, that all righteousness may be fulfilled,,
the river that the sandals John was not worthy to carry stood in as the heavens opened to Him,,
the river that geographically marked the dissension of the ‘dove’ upon the One who would soon baptize His own,, with the Holy Spirit and fire. ]]
So what makes the Dead Sea so salty,, causing it to be marked by lifelessness even with such a life-giving river sourcing it?
[no water flows out of it. ]
water only leaves by evaporation,, leaving salt and mineral deposits behind.
and with no outward flow,, the salt gets trapped, meaning no fresh water and no ability for life.
self-absorbency [[preoccupation with one’s own emotions, interests or situation].
the self-absorbed Christian completely hinders the movement and flow of the Spirit,,
not only to bring life to everyone and every circumstance encountered, but to the point of breeding death within.
are you a river of life,, or a dead sea?
are you being sourced by the Fountain of Living Waters ((Jeremiah 18:13)),,
living a lifestyle of complete dependency and yieldedness [[always aware, always in tune, always obedient]] so that the Spirit can flow through you,
or are you living in self-sufficiency,, and not even receiving in order to give?
are you pouring out,, freely giving the Kingdom as you’ve freely received it,,
or are you standing water,, offering no life to those around you and building deposits of stagnation and death within the innermost parts of yourself?
How dependent on the Holy Spirit are we willing to live?
the paradoxes of the Kingdom,,
be dead to self to be truly alive. pour out to be filled.
be poor in Spirit,, [[live from Me]]
“…Jesus stood up and cried out, ‘if anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, ‘out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’. Now this He said about the Spirit…”
John 7:37-39
we have an inheritance. [[may the eyes of our hearts be opened to the riches of it,, through the spirit of wisdom and of revelation. Ephesians 1:17-19]]
and the Holy Spirit is the guarantee,, or down payment,, of it, [[until we acquire full possession of it as God redeems us in glory. Ephesians 1:14]]
Jesus’ focus wasn’t on that we have living water flowing into us, or abiding within us, He said,,
these rivers of living water,,
bubbling up, gushing forth, flowing,,
abundant with refreshment and salubrity [health-giving],
are the Holy Spirit,,
and they will flow out of the innermost part of you.
[[they are to be released]].
the dead sea.
“there is an almost eerie lack of life within its depths. There are no fish swimming beneath the surface, no plants growing at the base. The Dead Sea carries an extremely high mineral and salt content, which makes it impossible for life to survive.”[i]
the only major water source flowing into the Dead Sea is the Jordan River,,
an important source of life and vitality to surrounding dry lands,
[[and the river that the God-man was immersed in, that all righteousness may be fulfilled,,
the river that the sandals John was not worthy to carry stood in as the heavens opened to Him,,
the river that geographically marked the dissension of the ‘dove’ upon the One who would soon baptize His own,, with the Holy Spirit and fire. ]]
So what makes the Dead Sea so salty,, causing it to be marked by lifelessness even with such a life-giving river sourcing it?
[no water flows out of it. ]
water only leaves by evaporation,, leaving salt and mineral deposits behind.
and with no outward flow,, the salt gets trapped, meaning no fresh water and no ability for life.
self-absorbency [[preoccupation with one’s own emotions, interests or situation].
the self-absorbed Christian completely hinders the movement and flow of the Spirit,,
not only to bring life to everyone and every circumstance encountered, but to the point of breeding death within.
are you a river of life,, or a dead sea?
are you being sourced by the Fountain of Living Waters ((Jeremiah 18:13)),,
living a lifestyle of complete dependency and yieldedness [[always aware, always in tune, always obedient]] so that the Spirit can flow through you,
or are you living in self-sufficiency,, and not even receiving in order to give?
are you pouring out,, freely giving the Kingdom as you’ve freely received it,,
or are you standing water,, offering no life to those around you and building deposits of stagnation and death within the innermost parts of yourself?
How dependent on the Holy Spirit are we willing to live?
the paradoxes of the Kingdom,,
be dead to self to be truly alive. pour out to be filled.
be poor in Spirit,, [[live from Me]]
[i] www.sfbsc.com/about-the-dead-sea
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