Terminals or channels?

Terminals or channels?

He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.” – John 7:38

1 Corinthians 12:4-11

 4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.

 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.

 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.

 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.

 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.

 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

For hundreds of years, ships had to sail around the tip of South America to get to the West Coast of America. It was very time-consuming and often dangerous. There was a need to connect the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans. The Isthmus of Panama was chosen to become a channel for maritime trade. Building the Panama Canal was one of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken. But Panama Canal was well worth the effort.

President Teddy Roosevelt was instrumental in getting the Panama Canal built. The United States commenced building a canal across a 50-mile stretch of the Panama isthmus in 1904. The Americans were able to eliminate the source of yellow fever by ridding the area of disease-carrying mosquitoes. The Panama Canal opened in 1914, linking the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans

The area where the canal was to be built was part of Columbia. The nation of Panama did not exist. An independence movement resulted in the Republic of Panama being formed. It was recognized by the United States on November 6, 1903. The United States was granted exclusive and permanent possession of the Panama Canal Zone. In exchange, Panama received $10 million and an annuity of $250,000 beginning nine years later.

A terminal forms or appears at the end of something. South America was the boundary that separated the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The Pacific Ocean terminated at the West Coast of South America while the Atlantic Ocean terminated on the East Coast of South America. The Panama Canal created a channel between the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans.

The Father intends for each child of the King to be a channel, not a terminal.

John 7:38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, “From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”

“Jesus was referring to the experience of Israel recorded in Exodus 17:1-7. That water was but a picture of the Spirit of God. Believers would not only drink the living water, but they would become channels of living water to bless a thirsty world! The “artesian well” that He promised in John 4:14 has now become a flowing river!” (Wiersbe).

The Lord Jesus Christ promises that all who believe in Him will have streams of living water flow out of them from their innermost being. Children of the King are to be channels of living water.

REFLECT & PRAY

As the Father quenches our spiritual thirst, we in turn are to pay it forward and satisfy the spiritual thirst of others.

Father thank You for Your kind intention of making each child of the King a channel of blessing to others in need. Please make it so.

INSIGHT

Something entirely new was about to happen to all people that would believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. He promises that the Holy Spirit will enter every child of the King at the moment they believe in Him. His work within our hearts is likened to large quantities of flowing water streaming out of us to benefit others.

John 7:38-39

 38 Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

 39 (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)

When people are thirsty, they need water. Water quenches the thirst and promotes growth and fruitfulness. The Holy Spirit spiritually satisfies the inner person and enables fruit-bearing. “The expression ‘out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’ means out of the person’s inward parts or inner life would flow streams of help to others” (BBC).

“All who believe on Him will have their own needs supplied and will receive rivers of spiritual blessing that will flow out from them to others. All through the Old Testament, it was taught that those who accepted the Messiah would be helped themselves and would be channels of blessing to others (Isaiah 55:1) (BBC).

This is very similar to what the Lord Jesus Christ said to the Samaritan woman. He offered her living water. He told her that it would become a spring of water welling up to eternal life (John 4:13-14). This is quite similar to rivers of living water flowing from the heart.

Children of the King are members of the body of Christ. Each is given a spiritual gift, ways to serve, and the results of service.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7

 4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.

 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.

 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.

 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

Children of the King are diverse in their natural and spiritual makeup. These gifts are not intended to be bottled up, terminated. Rather they are intended to be used for the common good. With these gifts, we are to help one another and build each other up.

“‘To each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for mutual benefit.’ The gifts are given to individuals so that they may benefit others and serve the whole body” (Garland).

“No one can be indwelt by the Spirit of God and keep that Spirit to himself. Where the Spirit is, He flows forth” (Temple). Could it be if there is no flowing forth, the Holy Spirit is not there?

How is your flow?

1 Peter 4:10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

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