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Encountering Jesus

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John 7:37–39 (NIV)

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

CONSIDER THIS

“The Spirit of Jesus in me greets the Spirit of Jesus in you and brings us together in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, amen.”

We are still here, friends. Standing in the temple courts, on Solomon’s Porch no less. Many of us are kneeling. Some of us are prostrated, noses to the ground. All of us are in jaw-dropping awe.

We are looking at two human beings, just like us—Peter and John. The echo of their simple words reverberate amid the columns all around us.

“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk” (Acts 3:6).

We see a man certifiably, physically handicapped from birth now certifiably walking and jumping and praising God. And there is no explanation, other than the name of a Nazarene peasant who recently met an untimely death on a Roman cross outside the city gates. And the word on the street is he was raised from the dead. Fifty days later an extraordinary phenomenon occurred whereby the presence and power of this man from Nazareth was conferred on his followers. Now they are speaking and acting and moving in his name and it is real. And we are witnesses. 

As we are standing, or kneeling, or laying flat on our faces here, everything this man Jesus Messiah said and did comes roaring like a river through our minds and hearts and it is as though he were standing before us in these very courts, right here and right now. No, we are not hearing an echo. It is the living breathing Word of God coming from his very mouth:

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

It is as though the very ark of the covenant has come out of the holy of holies and now walks among us in the courts. It is as though the very Lamb of God—who takes away the sins of the world—slain and risen from the dead, stands before us—showing us his hands and his feet and his side. It is as though the one who said, “Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days” (John 2:19), stands before us and says again, “I tell you that something greater than the temple is here” (Matt. 12:6). And again he says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58).

Now he points to Peter and John and says, “My witnesses.” 

Now he lifts his hands over us and says, “My church.” 

And then this:

“Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades” (Rev. 1:17b–18).

Is anyone thirsty? 

. . . Come to me and drink.

. . . Rivers. 

Still day one. 

THE PRAYER

God our Father, who with your son Jesus Messiah, fills us with the Holy Spirit, thank you for the miracle and the mystery of the day of Pentecost. And thank you for today, and that it is only the day after. Jesus, my Lord and my God. I am undone by you and then put back together by you. Thank you for the Holy Spirit who closes the gap of time and eternity and brings us face to face, heart to heart, with you. Rivers, Jesus. That is my simple prayer today. Rivers. Praying in your name, amen. 

THE QUESTION

Are you encountering Jesus today? Is the gap of time and eternity closing for you and a new horizon opening? Describe this experience. 

For the Awakening,
J.D. Walt
Sower-in-Chief
seedbed.com

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WHAT IS THIS? Wake-Up Call is a daily encouragement to shake off the slumber of our busy lives and turn our eyes toward Jesus. Each morning our community gathers around a Scripture, a reflection, a prayer, and a few short questions, inviting us to reorient our lives around the love of Jesus that transforms our hearts, homes, churches, and cities.

Comments and Discussion

2 Responses

  1. I woke up this morning thinking about how God wants His people to be like an inner eagle and soar within with the Holy Spirit. I wrote this poem and posted it on Facebook and then came to The Daily Text. We’re on the same page as we soar on God’s inner updrafts.

    –Be an inner eagle–
    There are uplifting currents
    Hidden in your mind
    And undetected in your heart,
    Thoughts of hope
    And rising streams
    Of inner warmth,
    That can lift your spirit
    And keep it high
    Like an eagle
    Sailing on the invisible
    Updrafts of the sky.
    Extend your inner wings wide
    And begin to ride
    Christ’s healing flow
    That will lift you
    From the inside,
    As you glide
    Above your turmoil
    And soar to peace
    Within.

  2. For some unknown reason I am no longer receiving the Daily Text to my inbox, (If you can remedy this, I would appreciate it very much. I have resubscribed several times to no avail.) so I only read this post last night as I was grieving the loss of my husband of almost 60 years, 4 years ago. My heart was tender & ripe for the statement in the prayer , repeated in the question , about “encountering the Holy Spirit who closes the gap of time and eternity and brings us face to face, heart to heart, with Jesus” and also with the loved ones we have lost. It helped change my perspective, and I felt a narrowing of the gap between the two as my mourning turned to joy. I am so thankful to be nearer than I’ve ever been .
    The blessing was brought full circle when I read the beautiful poem by Steve Simms. Thank you both so very much for the gift of grace through your words……words that have lifted my heart on eagle’s wings! ❤️🙌🙏🏻

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