DEVOTION:John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." 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.
THOUGHT:
There are moments when God teaches us in the most unexpected places. Recently, while sitting quietly in a hot tub, I found myself watching a handful of tiny bubbles drifting across the surface. They would separate, meet another bubble, join together, and slowly become larger clusters. It was strangely mesmerizing.
At first, it reminded me of what many people call the "ripple effect"—how one small action can influence another. But as I continued watching, I noticed something even more interesting. The bubbles weren't really controlling where they went. The current beneath the surface was. As I gently moved the water below, everything changed. I could keep the bubbles scattered, or I could guide them together into something larger. What was happening underneath determined what everyone could see above.
It made me wonder if our lives are much the same. We spend a great deal of time thinking about the visible things—our words, our actions, our accomplishments. Those are the ripples others notice. But Scripture reminds us that what truly matters is what lies beneath. "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23) Our hearts create a current. If that current is driven by pride, fear, resentment, or selfishness, those unseen forces eventually shape every relationship around us. But when Christ becomes the steady current beneath our lives, something beautiful begins to happen. His love gathers people rather than scattering them. His grace softens hard hearts. His peace steadies anxious souls. His truth quietly carries us in a direction we could never reach on our own.
Perhaps the greatest influence we will ever have isn't found in the ripples we leave behind, but in the current that continually flows through us. People may never remember every word we spoke. They may forget many of the things we accomplished. But they will remember how they felt in our presence. Were they encouraged? Were they accepted? Did they leave with more hope than when they arrived? That is the work of Christ within us.
May the current beneath our lives be so deeply rooted in Jesus that wherever we go, His love quietly draws others closer—not to us, but to Him.
John 7:37-39 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." 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.
THOUGHT:
There are moments when God teaches us in the most unexpected places. Recently, while sitting quietly in a hot tub, I found myself watching a handful of tiny bubbles drifting across the surface. They would separate, meet another bubble, join together, and slowly become larger clusters. It was strangely mesmerizing.
At first, it reminded me of what many people call the "ripple effect"—how one small action can influence another. But as I continued watching, I noticed something even more interesting. The bubbles weren't really controlling where they went. The current beneath the surface was. As I gently moved the water below, everything changed. I could keep the bubbles scattered, or I could guide them together into something larger. What was happening underneath determined what everyone could see above.
It made me wonder if our lives are much the same. We spend a great deal of time thinking about the visible things—our words, our actions, our accomplishments. Those are the ripples others notice. But Scripture reminds us that what truly matters is what lies beneath. "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it." (Proverbs 4:23) Our hearts create a current. If that current is driven by pride, fear, resentment, or selfishness, those unseen forces eventually shape every relationship around us. But when Christ becomes the steady current beneath our lives, something beautiful begins to happen. His love gathers people rather than scattering them. His grace softens hard hearts. His peace steadies anxious souls. His truth quietly carries us in a direction we could never reach on our own.
Perhaps the greatest influence we will ever have isn't found in the ripples we leave behind, but in the current that continually flows through us. People may never remember every word we spoke. They may forget many of the things we accomplished. But they will remember how they felt in our presence. Were they encouraged? Were they accepted? Did they leave with more hope than when they arrived? That is the work of Christ within us.
May the current beneath our lives be so deeply rooted in Jesus that wherever we go, His love quietly draws others closer—not to us, but to Him.