Living water 

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'””

‭John‬ ‭7:38‬ ‭ESV‬‬

In my hometown we have an attraction called the Capital Lake. It is better known to locals as the “Duck Pond.” I have fond memories of taking bread and feeding the many geese that migrate to the area for the winter months. In recent years the fish have grown so much in number and in size my children have more fun feeding the fish than the ducks and geese. As a child we were always urged to be cautious as not to fall into the pond. We were told stories of children accidentally falling in and having to be rescued. While the water is not deep the sheer amount of animals sharing that small space makes for very murky water. In contrast to the “Duck Pond” a few minutes drive away can take you to the mighty Missouri. Trying to sound technical and a little educated I looked up the amount of water that flows through the Missouri. I found that 86,340 cubic feet of water flows every cubic second. I have absolutely no clue what that means so I will just leave that there for those of you who know what it may mean. 

Today, I want to talk about the contrast between the river and our lovely little pond. At times in the hot summer the river seems so inviting with it cool water. In contrast I have never looked at the duckpond and wanted to jump in. It seems that lots of things get deposited and just stay. Although, I was told that there is some movement out of the duckpond the amount out of water flowing out of the duckpond compared to the amount flowing out of the river is very different. 

In our spiritual lives we have the same situation. The scriptures say that out of our bellies or hearts should flow rivers of living water. What if that doesn’t happen? What if I have no flowing in my life? What a blessed age we live in. With access to podcasts I can attend some of the greatest services and hear the most renowned speakers. I can soak in the music of choirs and singers from across the globe. All of these wonderful things can be deposited into my life, but I must ask myself a question. Is there a flow? Do I give out when I receive? 

Paul spoke multiple times (Phil 2:17) about being poured out as a drink offering. What an example of a life of service to the kingdom. He truly poured himself out. 

The bittsweet nature of this blessed media age is that it is so easy to have microwave blessings. We can sit in the comfort of our own homes and get spiritually plump off of all the goodness, but not step out of our front door to share the blessing. When we continually receive and do not give we become just like the duckpond. Not a place place where others can come for refreshing, but a place stocked full of past blessings that have turned murky. 

Lord, let my life have a flow. Continue to lead me to blessings that strengthen me, but in turn let me share those blessings to those in need.