How do you know that you truly believe? Is it enough just to read the Bible? Is it enough to say that you believe? Does saying the right words and doing the right things make you someone who believes? How do you come to a place of believing?
Jesus was attending a feast in Jerusalem in John 7. The people all around him swirled with questions and with differing answers. Some said He was a prophet, some a teacher, some the Christ. They were confused. Some believed, some wanted to kill Him. “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. ” (John 7:37–39, NIV84)
What are these streams that Jesus promised? They are streams of life. The word “living” is the Greek word Zoe. Zoe speaks of being alive, vitality, and able to give life. It is the thought of living without dying. It is life with power. It is true life. It is fresh life. It is full life. The word streams speaks of rivers, torrents and floods. This is not a trickle of life, but it is an overflowing flood of life.
How do you get these streams? You come to Jesus. You believe. You drink. You drink according to your thirst. You drink according to your desire for him. The more you thirst, the more you drink. The more you drink, the fuller you become. The fuller you become, the more you start to overflow. The more you overflow, the more you can touch people around you with the same life of Jesus.
So here is the test of believing and of faith. Jesus said if we believe, overflowing rivers of life will flow out of us. What flows from us? Is life flowing or is death flowing?
What happens when you get offended or hurt by someone? Anger and bitterness continue the cycle of relationship destruction. Love and forgiveness bring life. What happens when you disagree with a Christian? Do you speak poorly about them to others in a spirit of gossip and division and bring death? Or do you spend time with that person in love seeking understand and unity? What happens when someone you know gets sick? Is there enough of the life of Jesus to touch that person with life, healing and wholeness? Do you seek to encourage the body of Christ, or are your words discouraging and condemning?
What I notice is that many people say they have life, but they fail to let life flow. I say, spend more time drinking. Spend more time with Jesus and you can’t help but become a life giver. When we are overflowing with the life of Jesus, we will preach the Gospel, bring freedom to the captives, heal the brokenhearted, lay hands on the sick, cleanse the leper, cast out demons, and raise the dead.
If we are not there yet, rest assured it is within reach. I believe that all things are possible with God. I believe that the promise of Jesus is true. I believe that if I drink of Him, I will become like Him. I believe that as I become like Him, He will use me to touch this world.
So I drink. I gulp. I thirst. I drink. I drink until I feel I cannot contain Him and then I drink some more. I drink until His joy fills me with His strength. I drink until there is less of me and more of Him. I drink in life to destroy the hold of death. I drink and some say I am drunk. I keep drinking.
I want the whole world to know the life and love of Jesus, so I drink. Will you drink with me?
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