Living Water

Living Water
“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10.
Living water in Jewish culture is water in motion. Rain water, rivers, wells, spring-fed lakes even oceans are considered living water. It is water that washes things away dirt and impurities it is water that cleanses. At the same time it is the source of life.
This is something that is seen dramatically in the middle east. For months the land is parched. You can smell the dust. Then when the rains come the dust is washed away. New life emerges, the land becomes lush and green.
Jesus mentions living water twice. The first time is with the Samaritan woman at the well there he states,
“Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10.
Notice here he does not call himself the living water only that he would give her living water.
Later in John we read,
“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.  
Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.”  
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.” John 7:37-39.
Note here Jesus means it is the Holy Spirit which indwells believers, that flows from above through the heart of the redeemed that brings life and light to the world.
As Christians we are the channel through which Living Water flows.
Living water in the natural world has it’s source from above it is rain water that falls from above. It is then channelled by rivers and springs throughout the land. Land that uses the water to produce new life.
Likewise when it comes to the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is channelled through believers to the world around them where it convicts individuals of sin. Producing believers in Christ and life everlasting.
That is why it is important for Christians to follow the words of the writer of Hebrews who said,
“Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.
Please think about it.

Your Decision

Your decision
“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters.  
And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.  
Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come. Matthew 12: 30-32.
Here is a controversial topic in Christian circles, blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. It is according to Jesus the only sin that will not be forgiven. There are many thoughts as to what it is among Christian theologians and denominations.
One explanation that I can accept personally is “sin which will not be forgiven is the stubborn refusal to heed the Holy Spirit’s conviction about your sin and accept the forgiveness that Christ offers.”
The apostle Paul states,

“for all have sinned

 and fall short of the glory of God,...”

Romans 3:23,

Christians believe we all have sinned, the pope, evangelist, pastors, teachers, the person in the pew and the person on the street, everyone. It is the Holy Spirit’s Job to convict individuals of their sin.
Billy Graham the American evangelist states,

“It is the Holy Spirits Job to Convict, 

God’s job to judge 

and my job to love, 

Billy Graham.

The apostle John writes,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.  
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.” 1John 1:9-10.
Sin is falling short of God’s ideals for our lives. It is failure to follow God’s laws. Something we all from time to time do. Sin separates us from God.
God in His wisdom knows this that is why he sent Jesus to die for our sins. The apostle Paul explains,
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  
Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  
But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 
Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!  
For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life!  
Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation” Romans 5:6-11
Jesus paid the price for our sins. The sins of each individual. C. S. Lewis notes,

“He died not for men, but for each man. 

If each man had been the only man made, 

He would have done no less.” 

C.S. Lewis.

That is the amazing fact about Jesus. He paid the price for each of us as individuals. For each person who would believe in him.
Jesus speaking of himself said,
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son”. John 3:16-18.
The apostle Paul tells us,

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—

and this not from yourselves, 

it is the gift of God—  

not by works, so that no one can boast.”

 Ephesians 2:8,9.

It is by God’s grace we get to heaven. Accepting the saving grace of God is an act of faith on the part of the individual. The writer of Hebrews tells us,

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for 

and certain of what we do not see.” 

 Hebrews 11:1

“And without faith it is impossible to please God,

 because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists

 and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” 

Hebrews 11:6

It is up to you the individual to believe this or not.
I as a Christian believe that when the message of Christ is presented in spirit and truth to anyone the Holy Spirit is there to show the person what is right and wrong.
That being said when God created mankind he did not create robots he created individuals with complete freedom. Freedom do whatever they wished and believe what ever they wish.
Thus the decision is up to you the reader. Do you believe Jesus is the Son of God, the saviour of mankind?
Are you in faith willing to confess your sins directly to God? Are you willing to accept the saving grace God offers through Jesus and to accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour?
Please think about it.