He who believes in Me…out of his heart
will flow… —John 7:38
Jesus did not say, “He who believes in Me will
realize all the blessings of the fullness of God,” but, in essence, “He who
believes in Me will have everything he receives escape out of him.” Our Lord’s
teaching was always anti-self-realization. His purpose is not the
development of a person— His purpose is to make a person exactly like Himself,
and the Son of God is characterized by self-expenditure. If we believe in
Jesus, it is not what we gain but what He pours through us that really counts.
God’s purpose is not simply to make us beautiful, plump grapes, but to make us
grapes so that He may squeeze the sweetness out of us. Our spiritual life
cannot be measured by success as the world measures it, but only by what God
pours through us— and we cannot measure that at all.
When Mary of Bethany “broke the flask…of very
costly oil…and poured it on [Jesus’] head,” it was an act for which no one else
saw any special occasion; in fact, “…there were some who…said, ‘Why was this
fragrant oil wasted?’ ” (Mark 14:3-4). But Jesus commended Mary for her
extravagant act of devotion, and said, “…wherever this gospel is preached…what
this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her” (Mark 14:9). Our
Lord is filled with overflowing joy whenever He sees any of us doing what Mary
did— not being bound by a particular set of rules, but being totally surrendered
to Him. God poured out the life of His Son “that the world through Him might be
saved” (John 3:17). Are we prepared to pour out our lives for Him?
“He who believes in Me…out of his heart will
flow rivers of living water”— and hundreds of other lives will be continually
refreshed. Now is the time for us to break “the flask” of our lives, to stop
seeking our own satisfaction, and to pour out our lives before Him. Our Lord is
asking who of us will do it for Him?
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