Jesus still welcomes those thirsty for a new way of life to come to him

“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.” – John 7:37-38

It was six months after the feeding of thousands, and the public debate that followed, that Jesus planned to attend the Feast of Booths (Festival of Tabernacles), when Israel remembered God’s miraculous intervention during their time in the wilderness.

Rather than going publicly, he chooses to arrive privately, after his family. While teaching and preaching there, Jesus once again comes into conflict with local religious leaders. The crowds take note of his profound words, history of miracles, and the inability of the religious leaders to silence him. This causes the people to openly question their spiritual leaders. This embarrassment is a milestone in the effort to permanently silence Jesus.

One of the features of the Feast of the Tabernacles was the daily carrying by the priests of a jug of water from the pool of Siloam to the Temple. As the water was poured into a bowl near the altar, the trumpet loudly sounded and the people shouted to the top of their voices. On the last day, known as that great day of the feast, Jesus stood up and said loudly, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth in me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”

There are many persons who openly defy that Jesus is the Christ. They want no part of things spiritual and conjure up nonsensical arguments that there is no such thing as the God of heaven and earth. They do not take heed that the earth or planet upon which they live belongs to the Lord – everything and everyone. They refuse to believe that they brought nothing into this world and ultimately at the time of death, they will leave all and carry nothing! They do not want to hear that “ole king time” is monarch over all, great or small.

Many times, major and catastrophic events happen, because of leadership that defy the very existence of God, his son, Jesus The Christ and the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit.

COVID-19 falls nothing short of the plague of biblical times. When nations forgot God and failed to serve Him, He had to divinely show His power and send diseases, pestilence, fire and floods to bring them to spiritual attention. This present pandemic has shut down the entire world – silenced organs in great cathedrals, closed not only the mouths of powerful proclaimers of the word, but the entrance doors where we gather together to ask the Lord’s blessings, and made the by-word for schools (colleges and universities) shut down of all nations.

But some good things have come out of coronavirus insomuch as many have redeemed time that was lost. Families are more knitted, dinner tables have been restored with active duty in the kitchen, the bedroom is no longer the “bored” room, prayer bells are being rung and idle hands are being gainfully employed. I visited my friend, Beverly Taylor, and she showed me her skill at coloring! Don’t tell me that necessity is not the mother of invention.

And so today, in the midst of global confusion as where goes the state of the economy, is there a cure void of racial overtones anywhere – a magic wand to dismiss the terrible enemy of death … a balm to protect us from the powerful rays of fear, the reset button to normalcy.

Jesus still welcomes those thirsty for a new way of life to come to him, believe in him as the scripture hath said, and out of his “belly” – his inner being, his soul and mind, shall be made new as the powerful flow of rapid waters.

• E-mail haystreet241@gmail.com or rubyanndarling@yahoo.com, or write to P.O. Box SS-19725 Nassau, Bahamas, with your prayer requests, concerns and comments. God’s Blessings!

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source https://thenassauguardian.com/2020/07/16/jesus-still-welcomes-those-thirsty-for-a-new-way-of-life-to-come-to-him/