It’s hard to imagine anything on earth more powerful than that. But there is power greater than a thousand hurricanes, a million hurricanes, greater than an infinite number of hurricanes … and that power is inside you.

Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water (John 7.38).’”

The phrase, “rivers of living water,” might cause one to envision a relaxed, pastoral scene with a healthy stream of water moving quietly through the countryside between flower-laced river banks. That’s certainly a nice thought bringing a sense of peace to a troubled soul. But the “rivers of living water” Jesus referred to is the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit moves, He most often does so very quietly, bringing little attention to Himself, but He moves in universe-transforming power.

Think of it! Jesus was saying, “He who believes in Me [who cleaves to and trusts in and relies on Me]” (Amplified Bible) - this person, you and me, will have the Holy Spirit moving out of his or her being as mighty, continuously flowing rivers of living, life-giving, life-changing power.

In a recent devotional about John 7.38, Oswald Chambers was quoted…

Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.”

As a Christian, we are to deliberately allow the incredibly powerful life and love of Jesus Christ to flow out of us to others. This is done through the Holy Spirit. A fruit tree or vine is defined by the fruit it bears. We are required to be fruit-bearers, i.e., fruit-givers. (John 15.4-6).

1 Corinthians 13, the Love Chapter of the Bible, clearly states that if we do not bear the fruit of love, we are only making noise, we accomplish nothing, and we receive nothing of value - no matter how hard we labor. But bearing the love-kind of fruit, must be alive and ongoing in and through us.

Our spiritual life cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all. (Chambers)

God the Father desires the Holy Spirit to move through us. He wants the Holy Spirit to pour through us to others in the form of patience, kindness, totally lacking in envy or boastfulness, pride or rudeness, selfishness or anger. He desires forgiveness and a seeking for good and truth to pour forth from us in all we say or do or think. “Love never fails (1 Corinthians 13.8).”

No matter how bleak your present or hopeless your future, love never fails.

Love never fails.

Painting the Resurrection

In John 15 Jesus said to his disciples, “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.” John 15.1-2

We know that the purpose of a fruit vine is to produce fruit. But think of this: the fruit that is produced, points back to the vine and declares what the vine is. For example, grapes declare to the world that it’s bearer is a grape vine. This fact is elementary in the field of horticulture, but it carries a far deeper meaning when applied to the spirit realm in which we live.

Jesus used the analogy of vine and fruit to describe Himself. He said, “I am the true vine.” Jesus is the One who supplies the fruit. The fruit borne by Jesus certainly includes Paul’s list in Galatians: ”But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law” (Galatians 5.22-23).

The fruit of the Spirit, produced by Jesus, the “true vine,” actually describes who Jesus is.

It gets better. Jesus involves you and me in His self-describing fruit production!

“I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned…My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.” (John 15.1-8)
A fruit vine bears fruit because that is what it is. A branch of that same vine is given the task of carrying the vine’s fruit. As Christians, you and I have been given the right to be branches connected to Jesus, the true vine. As branches we have the unspeakable honor of displaying to the world who Jesus is!

“Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” are not simply a list of spiritual delectables to be plucked and eaten or used at our leisure. Jesus, the vine, has given us the wonderful task to show forth His love, to display His joy, to manifest His peace, to reveal His goodness, etc. to the world!

When we refuse to love, when we refuse to be joyful, or seek peace or to be patient, or to be kind, etc., we reveal our fleshly, sinful nature. This gives God no honor. Our existence, our purpose in life is fulfilled as we allow the Holy Spirit to work in us and through us, being willing examples, willing bearers of the fruit of Jesus Christ.

Jesus said that when we do this, “My Father is glorified.”

Make that quality decision today to be a God lover and a fruit bearer for Him.

On several occasions I have visited the store but Iʼve never found anything I would care to buy. Many others, however, leave the store with bags of cheaper clothes, bragging rights, and the ability to put on the fame of a star … well, sort of. Fame is not really transferable - but itʼs fun to think about.

The Bible teaches us that many of the characteristics of God are transferable to those who have trusted in Jesus Christ. For example, “… put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4.24 ESV).

Actually, the Bible says quite a lot about wearing the righteousness of God.

For the Christian youth of his day Paul wrote, “Let no one look down on you because of your youth, but be an example of the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity” (1 Timothy 4.12).

Notice, Paul wrote that youth are an example to others of what a believer is supposed to be in what they say, in what they do, in how they relate to others, in how they relate to God and in their moral innocence. Is that not an awesome calling and responsibility?

Following 1 Timothy 4 is being dressed in the righteousness of Jesus Christ!

And Paul didn’t let adults off the hook. Dyed-in-the-wool, longtime-member, church-going, Christian adults are also to put on, to wear, the righteousness of Christ - to be an example of what a Christian is supposed to be in speech, conduct, love faith and purity, as well.

You are an example of a believer in Jesus Christ. Believe it or not, like it or not, you are an example. How are you doing in the example department? Are there changes that need to be made in your life? Repentance would be a good place to start.

“Robert Murray McCheyne wrote to Dan Edwards after the latter’s ordination as a missionary, ʻIn great measure, according to the purity and perfections of the instrument, will be the success. It is not great talents God blesses so much as great likeness to Jesus. A holy minister is an awful weapon in the hand of Godʼ”. (Paul Borthwick, Leading the Way)

As a believer you may not be a pastor, but you are a minister - one who ministers to others in the name of Jesus. As a minister, your talents are nice, but not really wonderful. Whatʼs most important is whose likeness you bear - the likeness of Jesus imprinted on your heart and soul.

In that last verse, Jesus literally said, “Be having courage; I Am; be not fearing.”

In these few words spoken to the disciples, the Lord Jesus speaks to us today. His faith-filled Word breathes new life into dying hope; imbues hearts with encouragement; and bolsters resolve even in the face of overwhelming odds.

Jesus Christ is saying to you today, “Live life having courage.” Live your life with an attitude of confidence. Walk, talk and live with your heart filled with cheer, joy, gladness, and rejoicing.

In the same sentence in which the Lord instructs to have courage, He also commands not to live in fear.

From a distance, Jesus tells His boat-dependent disciples - along with you and me, “Don’t live a life of hesitancy. Don’t cower in constant dread and apprehension. Don’t tremble in perpetual dismay, wringing your hands, watching the clock, fearing the worst, and wallowing in self-pity.”

You might ask, “Why should I walk in faith? When my world is crumbling around me, when I face overwhelming odds, when I see no way out, no light at the end of the tunnel, what plausible reason do I have to not be afraid? What possible reason do I have not to believe I will sink?”

Jesus gives the answer in two Greek words found in the middle of His brief sentence to the disciples in the boat. Jesus said, “I Am.”

In the push-and-pull battles of life; in the many struggles with the world, the flesh and the devil; in the difficult choices that must be made, there is one utter, absolute, unchanging, immutable constant: our God, the self-existent One!

Peter trusted Jesus enough to leave the “safety” of the boat and to go over the side. He trusted Jesus enough to begin walking on the water.

But Peter failed to keep his eyes affixed on the Lord. As he began to sink, Peter cried out to Jesus who immediately took him by the hand and asked, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”
Literally, “you scant-of-faith one. Why did you hesitate?” In other words, “Why have you scarcely applied your faith in Me, while you have increased your faith in the storm?”

Stop gazing at the circumstances that come your way. Shift the focus of your eyes, your mind, your heart off of life’s storms and look to Jesus who calms every storm, dries every tear, overcomes every fear, heals every heartache, forgives, redeems, loves and fills every life yielded to Him.

… a 90-second sermon

Thirty-seven years ago, today, my world changed.

I grew up in church and I was active in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, camp, worship – you name it. I was confirmed and baptized into the Methodist Church and, later, our family moved our membership to a local United Church of Christ.

I received a lot of exposure to the organized church and to the teachings of the Christian faith … but I didn’t know Jesus.

One day, my girlfriend and I found ourselves sitting in a high school gymnasium, on the top bleachers, listening to Billy Zeoli who was with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. I heard an invitation given to come forward and receive Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior. In fear I did not move and hung onto my bleacher. But my girlfriend asked me if I would go forward with her.

I did.

When I went forward, I found everything I had been looking for but didn’t know I needed. I found a Person: Jesus Christ. That day, April 8, 1973, my world changed, my life was transformed, and I had true peace for the first time in my life.

Thank You, Lord!

King Solomon had everything the world had to offer and which every worldly person seeks for today: wealth, power and fame. Solomon ruled Israel for forty years and each year he received twenty-five tons of gold plus other revenue from merchants and kings. He lived lavishly, drinking from vessels of pure gold - silver was apparently too cheap for his tastes. His harem included 700 wives and 300 concubines. He had 1,400 chariots and 12,000 horsemen. People the world over sought him out because of the wisdom God had placed in his heart. Even the Queen of Sheba paid Solomon a visit to test his famed wisdom.

With all of this Solomon was not a contented man. His wives led him into idolatry and his kingdom was stripped away after his death. Before he died, Solomon evaluated his life and he came to the conclusion that all he had sought after, all the wealth he had amassed, all the status he had attained was futile, pointless, and useless. (Ecclesiastes 1.2)

Paul wrote in 2 Timothy that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Timothy 3.16). The story of Solomon is an extreme example of the extremes we humans can be led to if the world is our heart’s goal.

But I’m praying for you that you would experience a holy discontentment. A holy discontentment would involve a general dissatisfaction with the world and a holy yearning for God.

Jesus promised blessings on those experiencing a holy discontentment: “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5.6).

There is a God-shaped void in each of us. It’s a yawning cavern in each of our hearts that only God can fill. Solomon couldn’t fill it with opulence and carnality. Neither can we.

Take stock of your life. Are you really satisfied? Do you recognize that something is terribly missing? Do you see that your present course will lead to another dead-end? That course has always led to a dead end, hasn’t it?
As Albert Einstein once said, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Isn’t it time to change … to take another course? It takes courage, a God-given boldness, to step out of your comfort zone into the unknown, untested, unpredictable hand of God. But that’s where you belong and you already know it! It may seem unknown, untested and unpredictable to you at first, but realize you’re taking the focus of your heart and life off of a sin-sick, self-absorbed world and, instead, giving your whole heart to your Heavenly Father.

I’m praying for your holy discontentment. I pray that you agree with the psalmist, “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so my soul pants for You, O God” (Psalm 42.1).

Jesus promises, “but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” (John 4.14).

That’s revival!

The leaders of St. Paul’s are now fasting and praying for 40 days, seeking God and asking Him to send revival upon us. The congregation will be asked to fast and pray for 21 days, beginning March 14, to seek God and ask for revival. But fasting and prayer will accomplish little unless we come to the place of brokenness in our lives, when we say, “Lord, I have not measured up to Your standard of love; I have not lived a holy life; but I am willing to change. Please, Lord, change me.”

Revival means “to live again.” Maybe you feel something is missing in your life, that your life is off-balance. Maybe you long for a closer walk with the Lord. If so, God has placed within you a hunger and thirst for Himself. You are poised for revival!

Jesus said, “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)
The word life (zoe) in the Greek means “the absolute fulness of life, both essential and ethical, which belongs to God … life real and genuine, a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed…” (Strong’s)

Jesus came to earth for this very purpose: to give us the absolute fullness of life, God’s life, a life devoted to Him, and Jesus came to give us this life in abundance, with wonderful intensity, not our common day-to-day existence, but a life superior to anything else we have ever experienced.

Do you want this God-life?

God loves with a great love the man whose heart is bursting with a passion for the IMPOSSIBLE.  - William Booth

What is the seeming “impossible” for us?

- That God would visit St. Paul’s mightily, powerfully, wonderfully.
- That the Holy Spirit would awaken our hearts, purify our lives, produce miracles and manifestations of His Presence.

God loves it when we believe Him to perform what is humanly impossible. God is honored and He honors that kind of faith.

I pray for that you would hunger for more of Him. I pray that you would receive an outpouring of His Spirit. I pray that you would know, experience, feel the God-life that He wants you to have. I pray for revival!