What Jesus Did : John 7:37-39 - Living Water
by Phil Ware
Living Water - John 7:37-39
The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood and said with a loud voice, "If a person is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. That is what the Scriptures say." Jesus was talking about the {Holy} Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet {died and} been raised to glory. But later, those people that believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit. (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
Such a huge difference between a cistern and a well. A cistern has to be filled with water from the outside. It is not self-renewing and can run dry. An artesian well has flowing water that bubbles up with its cool and refreshing blessing. This same difference exists between a person trying to be spiritual and a Spirit-filled person. When we become Christians, Jesus blesses us with his Spirit. That presence and power in our lives makes all the difference in the world. It is his Living Water inside of us, renewing us, refreshing us, empowering us, slaking our thirst, and giving us life. Living for Jesus is more than just a spiritual commitment on our part requiring our effort; it is also the gift and blessing of Jesus enabled by his Spirit.
Today's Prayer
Holy God, my Righteous and Eternal Father, the gift of your Son who died for my sins is such a gracious and wonderful blessing. To add the gift of your Holy Spirit, given to me by your Son Jesus, is such a daily treasure and sustaining grace. For these gifts, the two greatest of my life, I give you thanks and praise as I dedicate my life to your service in Jesus' name. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
The last day of the festival came. It was the most important day. On that day Jesus stood and said with a loud voice, "If a person is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. If a person believes in me, rivers of living water will flow out from his heart. That is what the Scriptures say." Jesus was talking about the {Holy} Spirit. The Spirit had not yet been given to people, because Jesus had not yet {died and} been raised to glory. But later, those people that believed in Jesus would receive the Spirit. The people heard these things that Jesus said. Some of the people said, "This man really is the Prophet. " Other people said, "He is the Christ. " Other people said, "The Christ will not come from Galilee. The Scriptures say that the Christ will come from the family of David. And the Scriptures say that the Christ will come from Bethlehem, the town where David lived." So the people did not agree with each other about Jesus. Some of the people wanted to arrest Jesus. But no person tried to do this. The temple police went back to the leading priests and the Pharisees. The priests and the Pharisees asked, "Why did you not bring Jesus?" The temple police answered, "The things he says are greater than the words of any person we've ever heard!" The Pharisees answered, "So Jesus has fooled you too! Have any of the leaders believed in Jesus? No! Have any of us Pharisees believed in him? No! But those people {out there} know nothing about the law. They are under God's curse!" But Nicodemus was there in that group. Nicodemus was the one that had gone to see Jesus before. Nicodemus said, "Our law will not let us judge a person without hearing him. We cannot judge him until we know what he has done." The Jewish leaders answered, "Are you from Galilee too? Study the Scriptures. You will learn that no prophet comes from Galilee." [The oldest and best Greek copies of John do not have verses 7:53-8:11]-- John 7:37-52 (ERV)
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