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The River of Life
The Bible tells us in many places that God pours out His Spirit on us so that we can pour out blessings on others. God spoke these words as recorded in Joel 2:28-29:
"And afterward, I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days." (NIV)
Peter reiterated this prophesy when he spoke after the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2: 16-18. The crowds thought that those who had received the Holy Spirit in the upper room were drunk on wine - even though it was in the morning. But Peter explained that the Holy Spirit had filled them as Joel had
prophesied! He literally told them that they were not to get drunk on wine but were to be 'drunk' by the infilling of the Holy Spirit.
We are instructed to be filled (refilled) constantly with the Holy Spirit so that we can, when squeezed, pour out the "fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control." (NIV) Christ said to the woman at the well in John 4:14 "but whoever drinks from the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (NIV)
The River of Living Water is a concept that goes back as far as Genesis and the four rivers that flowed from the Garden of Eden. Later, the rivers of significance to the life of the children of God were the Red Sea and the River Jordan. Each had to be crossed and were done so through the miracles of God in the parting of their waters. Later the River of Living Water
was described in Ezekiel 47 as follows:
"The man brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water coming out from under the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was coming down from under the south side of the temple, south of the altar.
He then brought me out through the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate facing east, and the water was flowing from the south side.
As the man went eastward with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a thousand cubits and then led me through water that was ankle-deep. He measured off another thousand cubits and led me through water that was knee-deep.
He measured off another thousand and led me through water that was up to the waist. He measured off another thousand, but now it was a river that I could not cross, because the water had risen and was deep enough to swim in-a river that no one could cross.
He asked me, 'Son of man, do you see this?'
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. He said to me, 'This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, where it enters the Sea. When it empties into the Sea, the water there becomes fresh.'
'Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.'"
The ultimate significance of the River of Living Water is the fact that it cleanses us from our stains and sins.
We can enter His Living Waters by accepting Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour and publicly confessing that He is the Son of God. Then, His living waters through the Holy Spirit, will be poured into us and direct us to do His will and further His Kingdom.
Won't you come into His River today?
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