Focus

Experience silence in the midst of your busy day. Take some time to relax into a time to be with God.

Read

John 7:37-39 (NRSV)

On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

Reflect

Living water, at its source, is pure. It flows up from a bubbling stream or flows down from mountain rains, running through natural materials that filter and purify it.

An insurance adjuster told me that in a natural disaster, it is usually not the wind or the water that cause the greatest damage to a home, but what is in the wind and the water. The limbs, trees, mud, metal and parts of other buildings are what is most destructive. My husband, who sells carpet, says water from a burst water pipe does not damage carpet. If a leak is caught early enough and the water is removed quickly, you simply pull the wet carpet up so the pad and flooring underneath can dry. Dirt, debris, and stagnant water are the problem. Flood water is full of contaminats, but living water is cleansing and life-giving.

The religious leaders of Jesus’ day contaminated God’s laws by using them in ways that God had not intended. They had lost sight of the purity of God’s laws because they were focusing on legalities. They put observance of the law above the needs of people

Jesus reminds the people of the purity of the salvation God offers. He points them to the Holy Spirit that will soon overflow the hearts of those who believe. What a refreshing, life-giving contrast it is to the oppressive laws that burden them.

Examine your life to see if there is debris that would cause damage to your relationship with God. Let the overflowing, life-giving Spirit cleanse the impurity from your mind and soul, and lighten your burdens today.

Pray

Creator God, the Tree of Life springs from the living waters. Your grace through the life of Jesus Christ gives us renewal. We thank you for the gift of cleansing. Let the Holy Spirit flow from our hearts like water flows from the head waters of a fresh spring, refreshing those around us. Amen.

Go with God.