It is good to remember what it was that first drew us to know Jesus, for it can give us compassion for those who are still on their journey to discover Him. For myself, I distinctly recall 2 people from my high school, a brother and a sister, who just seemed to radiate love and kindness. Whatever it was that I saw on them I found very attractive. Neither of them ever talked to me about God, but looking back, I realize that I was seeing the presence of the Holy Spirit illuminating their lives. It was one point of light among several others that helped me choose to say yes to Jesus.
As we spend time communing with God, we become more and more like Him, and our lives increasingly reflect His life. In John 15:5, Jesus tells us that “I am the sprouting vine and you’re my branches. As you live in union with me as your source, fruitfulness will stream from within you” TPT. In this union with Christ our hearts soften and yield. We connect to Him, spirit to spirit, and receive direct downloads of His essence. After all, it is Christ who lives in you, the hope of glory. Not by trying hard to be good but by turning our thoughts to Him again and again, in worship, in gratitude, in simple acknowledgment.
Being filled with His love, we release a river of living water into the world around us. And this water “tastes” like something, just like I tasted in high school. Jesus had this to say: “if anyone drinks the living water I give them, they will never thirst again and will be forever satisfied! For when you drink the water I give you it becomes a gushing fountain of the Holy Spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life!” (John 4:14-15). I can think of many times when I’ve seen someone “taste” that water for the first time, and they are always amazed! It is so beyond anything the world has to offer!
According to Galatians 5:22, the fruit of abiding in Christ looks like this: love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, meekness, self-control, goodness and faith. These are the same qualities that flowed through Jesus and impacted His world when He walked on earth, and they impact our world through us as well. Our hearts are the conduits through which Heaven is reaching earth. May we continue to abide in this love as those thirsty ones around us have eyes to see what is readily available to them.
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