What are you searching for today? Are you finding what you need?
+++
On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and shouted, “All who are thirsty should come to me! All who believe in me should drink! As the scriptures said concerning me, Rivers of living water will flow out from within him.” Jesus said this concerning the Spirit. Those who believed in him would soon receive the Spirit, but they hadn’t experienced the Spirit yet since Jesus hadn’t yet been glorified.
John 7:37-39 – CEB
So what’s up with toilet paper? Have you, like me, scanned the grocery store aisle in vain? Have you stood in Costco staring at empty shelves, shaking your head in amazement? Where did all the toilet paper go?
Is it a sheer case of supply and demand? Since folks have been stuck at home, has the demand really soared that much? Or is the issue a function of hoarding, giving into the fear that there won’t be enough?
We fear scarcity. We worry there won’t be enough. What if I can’t get what I need? What if I can’t get what I want? Such fears spawn selfishness, prejudice and sometimes even violence.
Jesus takes a different stance, offering not scarcity, but abundance. His invitation is not for a select few, but for all who will listen. “All who are thirsty should come to me” (John 7:37).
Jesus is opening the gate, putting out the welcome mat, inviting us to come and partake of the gift He offers. He invites all, not most, not some, but all. “All who believe in me should drink!” (John 7:37).
An open invitation, an open cup. Plenty to share. Not scarcity, but abundance. Jesus is offering living water that will quench our thirst, and not just a few drops, but rivers full of what we are yearning for. “Rivers of living water will flow out from within Him“ (John 7:38). More than we could ever drink, more than we could ever need.
Jesus is calling us to come to Him, to receive the blessings that flow from knowing and trusting Him. He alone can give us what our souls yearn for: rest, peace, hope. We can’t find these things anywhere else. The world cannot give us peace that lasts or hope that endures. Only trusting in Jesus can do that. Only the comfort of the Spirit dwelling within us can bring us the peace we crave.
Notice something else in this passage in John 7:37. “Jesus stood and shouted.” He shouted? Usually, when we read of Jesus teaching the people, He is calm, quiet, even humble. He is tender with His flock. But here, He stands up and shouts. Why? I wonder why He feels it necessary to shout.
Perhaps it’s because the people were so consumed with the noisy messages of the world that He felt He had to shout to get their attention. Perhaps the weight of their misery burdened Him so heavily that He cried out in desperation, willing them to listen, beseeching them to see that their is a better way to live. “All who are thirsty should come to me!” (John 7:37).
I think He is still shouting His message of hope. “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10).
He has what we need. He offers more than enough. There is no reason to fear. We can rest in His goodness. We can receive His living water and never be thirsty again.
Still, the question remains. Will we continue to search in vain, or will we drink from the overflowing cup He offers?
+++
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
John 10:10 – NKJV
PRAYER
O Lord Jesus, You are more than enough. In You, we have our breath, our life, our hope. You offer the living water from which abundant life springs forth. O Lord, let us drink and be thirsty no more.
Faith Beyond Sight 