“Everything that touches the water of this river will live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. Wherever this water flows, everything will live.” - Ezekiel 47:9
The prophet Ezekiel pictures the nation of Israel not only receiving the spiritual blessings God would bring them in the future but also passing on those blessings to the whole world. God is the source of this plenteous river of blessing. The stream of life flows out from the heavenly sanctuary, and God promises that “everything that touches the water of this river will live” (Ezekiel 47:9). John recorded the same vision in Revelation 22:1-2: “The angel showed me a pure river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
Jesus also spoke of rivers of living water that flow out of our heart when he, the source of that “water,” lives in us (John 7:37-39). Jesus is the source of our life! When I realize that the river of God flows in and through me, and that “wherever this water flows, everything will live” (Ezekiel 47:9), I want to make sure no sin dams up the flow, no worldliness pollutes the life-giving water, and no selfishness diverts the water for my own personal use! I could divert that water by worrying instead of trusting, losing my temper instead of being more patient, or straying in-stead of praying. Instead, I desire to be a channel of God’s refreshment wherever I go.
God’s power transforms us, and through us, he can bless others. Are you a life-giving stream, bringing joy to all who know you? Once you’ve been refreshed by God, let him refresh others through you!
For Further Study: Ezekiel 47:1-12
Excerpted from The One Year Devotions for Women, Copyright ©2000 by Jill Briscoe. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers. All rights reserved.
For more from Jill Briscoe, please visit TellingtheTruth.org.
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