LIFE GIVING RIVERS OF WATER

LIFE GIVING RIVERS OF WATER  

 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believes on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water." John 7: 37-38

John has recorded incidents in the first year of our Lord's ministry. We now come to a comparatively brief section in which he records happenings in the central and crowded two years. He arrived in Jerusalem at the feast of Tabernacles. His fame had spread, and there was discussion concerning Him there. Having arrived, He taught in the Temple precincts. In doing so He rebuked their attitude, and referred to the miracle wrought on an earlier occasion in the Bethesda porches. On the last day of the feast He stood and made His great utterance concerning the FLOWING OF THE RIVERS, claiming that He was able to satisfy thirst, and, moreover, that those who received such satisfaction from Him SHOULD BECOME CHANNELS through whom the overflowing RIVERS should pass. The religious authorities had sent officers to arrest Him, but owing unquestionably to the wonder of His speech they were unable so to do, for they said when they were asked why they had failed, "Never man so spake." One voice was raised at this point in His defense, the VOICE OF NICODEMUS who listened to His rivers of grace shared with the teacher of Israel. At the close of the day "every man went to his own house."

The greatest Person Who ever walked this earth was actively speaking TRUTH AND WISDOM that men were unable to discover themselves. He was on a mission of sharing Truth (John 7:29, 33). Men were making their hatred for truth through their comments and actions known. He here spoke of the coming ability of men to discover from His words life giving thoughts of Christ that could be SHARED AND PROVIDE BLESSINGS to those that would hear those words. LIFE GIVING RIVERS FLOW from the inner core of a human because of repentance. The plan of God from eternity past was being unfolded before their ears and hearts. All words shared by Him at this point were PURE GRACE. Later He would state to His disciples of His being the Master Teacher and Lord of this earth in John 13:13, the Despot Who has the sole right to declare Truth as His brother declared concerning Him in Jude 4.

Men today either receive His words as grace from above or hate the actual sharing and speaking of His close friends who declare to others what the Holy Spirit has led them to understand and flow from their mouths. They are easy to make righteous judgments concerning their reaction to those words shared from above. Thank God for Jesus opening His mouth while here and having them recorded in the BOOK OF LIFE GIVING RIVERS OF WATER.