March 20 - Streams

Overview of: John

Today's Reading:
John 7:1 – 8:59
"Jesus and Belief"

Focus Verses: John 7:37-39
37 On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Insight:
Jesus stood up on the last and greatest day of the Feast of Tabernacles and offered "living water" for all who were thirsty. He said, "Come to me and drink." He promised that belief in him would result in a stream of living water flowing from within the believer. From and within! The Spirit that Jesus was offering would well up within the innermost part of the believer's being and flow outward.

Response and Action:
Faith in Jesus is the solution for my thirsty heart. How can I come to Jesus and drink? I can come to before him in worship and surrender. I can read and take in his teachings recorded in scripture. I can reflect on his many interactions with people recorded in the gospels. I can call out to him in prayer. I can obey him, heed his warnings, cling to his promises, and follow his example. For years and years I have been coming to Jesus in these ways and I have indeed found cool water for my soul.

Oh God, thank you for Jesus. Keep the cool and living water of the Spirit he gives flowing in my being. May that stream not only satisfy my thirst, may it also flow out of me and be a source of life and hope to everyone around me. Help me to be a blessing to my family, friends, and neighbors through the living stream of your Spirit. Amen.

Old Testament for Today: Isaiah 55:1-3a
1 "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. 2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. 3a Give ear and come to me; hear me, that your soul may live.
In Context: Isaiah 55

Proverb for Today: Prov. 20:12
"Ears that hear and eyes that see—the LORD has made them both."

Recommended Reading:
Streams of Living Water
by Richard Foster