The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit

“If any man is thirsty, let him come to me!  Let the man comes and drinks who believes in me!  As scripture says:  From his breast shall flow fountains of living water.’   He was speaking of the Spirit which those who believed in him were to receive.”  John 7: 38.

On the morning of June 19, 1996 when I read and commented on the above scripture, I woke up to find that thieves had broken into my living room and cleaned up everything.   My reflection on the scripture written in my journal that day was more of prayer for guidance and wisdom than on any other thing.  I recognized the promise of the Holy Spirit in John 7: 38 and I asked the Lord to minister to my bruised feelings through his Spirit.

Today, ten years after, I am amazed to note how “this also had passed away” as the saying goes.  What happened on that day of June that seemed so large and unforgettable has after ten years become a tiny foot print in my walk on the shifting sand of life.

When I read John 7: 38 today, February 2006, what occurs to me immediately are two scriptures from the Old Testament, both from Isaiah:

“All you who are thirsty come to the water!  You who have no money, come, receive grain and eat; come, without paying and without cost, drink wine and milk!”  (Isaiah 55: 1)

“With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation, and say on that day:  give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name.”  (Isaiah 12: 3).

In both scriptures from Isaiah, we see clear pointer to the Holy Spirit, “which those who believed in him were to receive.”  Thank you Jesus for the gift of the Holy Spirit.  From my experience I have found that Christians from every denomination and background who may disagree on everything are all agreed on the Holy Spirit, his gifts and his operations.