Sprout: 21 Days for the Fruit of the Spirit to Bloom in Your LifeSample

Rivers of Living Faithfulness

By Elizabeth Settle

Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, “Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.” (When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him.) —John 7:38­–39 NLT

Our family of four uses a “chore cube” we created with one of our names written in bold Sharpie on each side: ELIZABETH, JASON, EMILY, ETHAN. When it’s my turn to do the dishes, ELIZABETH stares at me from the cube on the counter. Once I empty the sink, I flip the cube, and now JASON takes his turn. It’s a race in our house to turn your name as quickly as possible. Emptying a sink of one cereal bowl and spoon is much better than having to wash Seuss-style stacks of dirties piled to the brim.

My husband, Jason, and I have very different tolerance levels for a sink full of dirty dishes. I don’t lose sleep waiting to wash them until morning, but my husband cannot understand this. If the cube displays ELIZABETH and Jason’s anxiety wants the dishes done, he is free (and prone!) to wash them. But we have an agreement—he must wash them AS ME, not “for me.” In other words, he does the deed, flips the cube, and the next name beams brilliant-as-the-sparkling-sink.

What’s the difference between someone doing the dishes for me and someone doing the dishes as me? When the dishes are done for me, I wake up the next morning with the responsibility still screaming at me from the counter: ELIZABETH. When they are done as me, the work is finished. It’s a full expression of generosity on Jason’s part, as he has borne the responsibility entirely on my behalf.

In 2 Corinthians 5:21, the apostle Paul tells us, “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (NLT). Jesus has borne the responsibility of sin entirely on our behalf. That truth displays God’s faithfulness, which is a fruit of the Spirit. The strength of faithfulness is that its origin is in God. It’s His faithfulness—not my own—that sustains me. It’s not that I am faithful to Jesus but that Jesus is entirely faithful to me. And He is entirely faithful to you. This is evidenced by His Spirit in us, pouring forth “rivers of living water” (John 7:38) that refresh our souls.

What an invitation! To relax upon the “rivers of living water” is to rest from our work and yet still be moving. We are progressing by the river’s power. Faithfulness, then, is the substance upon which we rest (see Hebrews 11:1). Jesus’ faithful work on the cross made us alive together with Him (see Colossians 2:13). His faithfulness freed us from sin and made us children of God! It’s in being who we are—God’s children—that we reflect our Father’s faithful nature.

What about the responsibilities of life that rush all around? Chores for ELIZABETH still reverberate from the kitchen counter. I relate to Martha, who had her own sink full of dirty dishes to clean. Jesus said, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things” (Luke 10:41 NKJV). On the other hand, her sister Mary was praised for choosing the good part—the sitting-at-Jesus’-feet part. The good news is the Spirit’s indwelling empowers us to be Mary and Martha at the same time.

Jesus said, “It is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate (the Spirit) won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send Him to you” (John 16:7 NLT). Jesus baptizes us with His Spirit, gracing us with the ability to sit at His feet while we wash the dishes! Both are possible because “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me” (Galatians 2:20). Our union with Jesus enables us to work faithfully while also resting in His faithful work! This is the power of relaxing in the river of living faithfulness that is His Spirit in and through us.

Prayer

Thank You for Your faithfulness, Jesus. You are the strong and dependable One in this relationship! Holy Spirit, please remind me of God’s faithful love. I choose to relax in receiving the Spirit that You pour into me and through me. Thank You that I am empowered to progress in life by the current of Your living water. In relaxing, I worship You. I trust You! I sit at Your feet and behold You, even as I meet the demands of life. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

For Further Reflection

1. Spend some time purposely relaxing. Get comfortable. Set your head back on the couch. Turn the eyes of your heart to God. Ask Jesus to pour His Spirit into and through you like living water. As you breathe, rest in the reality of His power carrying you. What does the Holy Spirit want to say to you about this?
2. What responsibilities worry and trouble you? Decide to approach those demands with a heart turned toward Jesus. Choose to worship God by “sitting at His feet” as you do your work. In what way does this inner awareness change the burden of the job?