The River of Life!

"Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them." John 7:38

When I see the picture to the left or any picture like it, I am amazed at how beautiful this creation of nature is and it refreshes and renews my spirit to one that is calm, positive, and relaxing. I can just sit and bask on the shore in the presence of God, However a river is much more than just a relaxing place. There are several aspects of a river and they are all symbolic in our relationship with Christ.

Every river must have a source. That source must be higher than itself. Although it originates in the mountaintops, a river does not stay there; it flows freely downstream, to reach the valleys, it empties into oceans, other rivers and extends to the dry lands to reach the lost. The source in the river of life of course is God and He extends His grace, love and mercy to everyone.

Rivers alter their landscape: eroding rough edges off rocks, carrying downhill boulders, they make impressions everywhere they go. The same should be said for the river of life as is should transform our lives and those with whom we come in contact with should see the change in us.

A river is a source of power. The strength of it’s current carries vessels without effort, by just "being there." Any of you who have tubed down a river or went on the water park attraction, “the lazy river” know what I am talking about here. You just lay there and it moves you along. Similarly, for God to have His way in us, all we need "do" is obey, yield to the flow and it will carry us.

The river is cleansing. People wash and bathe on the riverbanks, especially in countries where there is no running water. The river of life is described in Revelations 22:1 as "clear as crystal" because its waters are not muddied by sin. When we wash in this river, we are purified.

And lastly, the river is a source of life. It distributes the waters of life everywhere it goes, whether in plants, soil, animals or humans. It says in Ezekiel 47:9, “Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live.” The river of God gives us eternal life and all of us who come and drink from it and wash in it will live.

I pray that each and every one of us will go to the river of God so that we may be cleansed, be guided and led by it’s current, renewed and transformed. But most of all I pray we go to the river so that we may find life.