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Are you a fountain or a drain?
ARE YOU A FOUNTAIN OR A DRAIN?
"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Jn 7:38 NKJV
It is a startling event in Jesus’ life. He stands publicly - in the middle of the crowd at the feast - and cries aloud, grabbing their attention boldly, “if any man thirsts, let him come to me, and drink!” He follows with this statement – striking and maybe puzzling. It seems designed to provoke their curiosity, to get them to dig deeper. John tells us he was speaking of the Spirit, “which they that believed on him were to receive”. But Jesus leaves it unexplained, and allows them to digest it, and choose to learn more – or not!
Those who would believe on him would be a fountain of life – a river of living water – to people around them. They would be instruments of God and a glory to him. The Spirit of God will dwell in them, and BY them the work of God will be done. And in so doing they would bless others, guiding and upholding their friends and family in their own relation to God. Are we a fountain of life to others, or are we a spiritual drain?
There is a sense in which very human being - without Christ - is a drain on his fellowman! Think about it. For some the point is obvious – we all know of people who take advantage of others, who steal or cheat or bully others or deal drugs. They use others for their own ends and they prey on the weak. And there are others who are just lazy and irresponsible – they will thoughtlessly and selfishly allow others to organize, plan and work and cover for them. But even men and women who are decent and good hard-working citizens – if they reject the message of Christ - fall short of what God destined them to be. And to that extent they fail to realize their potential, and fail to be the “fountain” they could be to their family, friends and neighbors. And we who are Christians, who have named the name of Christ, when we live our lives for self, turning our backs on God’s design for us, then to that extent we fail to cooperate in his work of redeeming the world.
We live in a poisoned world – the consequences of sin surround us – grief and trouble, pain and heartbreak, war and family strife, disease and death. His plan is to redeem men from this slavery, and we are called to be redeemed, and them to help others to realize it as well. When we reject God’s offer and fail to take our place on his side, then we are a drag and a drain on his plan and his people. His Spirit cannot do his work in us, and so he cannot do his work through us. Make up your mind to let rivers of living water flow from you.
Larry Walker, May 2011
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