When I was a kid, during the years we lived at the parsonage of Whitefish Assembly on the corner of Fifth & Baker, I would often walk through Riverside Park on the way to a friend’s house. The trail wound between two very different bodies of water. On the left side was the river—fresh, flowing, alive. On hot days, it sparkled in the sun, and even when it was low, it never stopped moving. On the right side was a holding pond. It didn’t have a name because it didn’t deserve one. It was surrounded by cattails and the kind of place you would never want to swim in. I would imagine what kinds of mutated fish or reptiles could be lurking below the surface. Stagnant, covered in algae and scum, and often, smelling like something had died inside it. I remember thinking, “How can water look so different when it’s only separated by a trail?”
That trail has become a metaphor in my life. On one side is the kind of person I want to be—growing, moving, seeking, surrendering. On the other side is who I become when I get stuck in comfort or complacency.
The crazy thing is that the difference is not necessarily what I put into it, it’s what is flowing out of it. Many of us have heard about the Dead Sea and how it has no outlet. Though fresh, clean water flows into it, it’s lack of an outlet causes it to become an inhospitable, uninhabitable place. Any body of water without an outlet will soon stagnate and become the kind of place where nothing can live within it.
As Christians, we can spend our time coming to church, listening to sermons, even reading the Word. But if there is no outflow, no pouring out of ourselves into others, no investment in the lives of others, no sharing of the good news; we too can become stagnant and putrid. The kind of person others interact with and instead of experiencing the cool, refreshing waters of Jesus’ love; they catch a smell that’s off-putting, wonder what could be lurking below the surface, and decide they would never want to set foot in that kind of water.
Jesus said in John 7:38: “Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
Notice He didn’t say, “a reservoir of knowledge” or “a pond of good intentions.” He said rivers. Something that moves. Something that blesses others as it flows through. Something alive.
So here’s the question to wrestle with today: Are you living like a river, or a pond? Are you letting God pour into you and through you? Or have you unknowingly blocked the outlet and settled for spiritual stagnancy?
Read John 7:37-39 and reflect on this image of living water. Ask God to reveal any areas of your life that have grown stagnant. Then ask Him to help you become someone who pours out what He has poured in.
SOAP Scripture: John 7:37-39
S: (scripture)
Read the above passage and underline, highlight, or write down passages that stand out to you. Maybe re-read it a few times if that’s helpful.
O: (observation)
Write down things you observe about the passage. Maybe it’s a word that stood out to you, something the passage made you think about, or a question that you have.
A: (application)
Write down some ways that the passage applies to your life. Make it personal.
P: (prayer)
Take a moment and pray. Ask God to make the passage practical to your everyday life.
“God, help me to be more than a hearer of Your Word. Let Your Spirit flow through me like a river of living water. Show me where I’ve grown stagnant and stir up something fresh in my heart. Give me the courage to pour out what You’ve poured into me.”
