Devotion on John 7:37-39

Please read the passage first. Short, but powerful.

As a young pastor, I decided to cut the cost of eating out by ordering water to drink. It was mostly an economic decision, but I was also aware it was healthier to drink than soft drinks. We are fortunate in this country that water is so easily available. The importance of water to biological life is good reason to make it a metaphor for the Spirit of God, who is just as necessary for our spiritual life.
Fresh water, running water, what John 7:37-39 calls “living water,” sounds refreshing, does it not? It suggests that people are thirsting for what Jesus has to offer. In matters of the human spirit, I think of the things that can oppress, ensnare, and confuse. We can wander off the way to living water. We can go to wells that look like they should have water, but they do not. We need to be mindful of our spiritual thirst, and mindful of that for which others may thirst. People need a connection to the energy that gives life in this universe. When connected to the life-giving water of the Spirit, it can flow out from us to others.
This spiritual water is not just for private enjoyment. It flows out from the believer because it cannot do anything else. It has to keep running, moving, and quenching the thirst of others.