why are the streams described as being life giving
Answers
Answer:
Streams of life giving or “living” water refers to a statement by Jesus about the life transforming work of the spirit that flows out of those who are themselves transformed by believing in Him.
37On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, “Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! 38Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”e 39(When he said “living water,” he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given,f because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory. )John 7:37–39 NLT
After Jesus was resurrected and ascended to heaven, those who he had told to wait for the Holy Spirit (the ”living water”) were in a place we refer to as the “upper room.” There the Spirit descended upon their heads like tongues of fire. In that moment, on the Day of Pentecost, they received power to speak in the language of those around them and were powerful witnesses to the saving grace of Jesus. Common folk like you and I became streams of “living water” that resulted in the spread of Christianity around the world.
What does that mean for us today? The scripture that Jesus referred to was from Isaiah where God was describing how empty the religion of the time was. He told them to not bother with empty offerings and sacrifices and somber fasts. He said the fast that He wanted to see was:
“Remove the heavy yoke of oppression.Stop pointing your finger and spreading vicious rumors! 10Feed the hungry,and help those in trouble. Then your light will shine out from the darkness,and the darkness around you will be as bright as noon. 11The LORD will guide you continually,giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden,like an ever-flowing spring. Isaiah 58:9–11 NLT
Have you ever met someone who said they were religious, but you couldn’t tell by the way they lived. Jesus bridged all boundaries to show His Father’s love to everyone He met. When He was waiting by a well in Samaria, a Samaritan woman came and Jesus asked her for some water. She was amazed that He spoke to her and even more amazed that He would drink water given to Him by one the Jews traditionally considered unclean.
10 Jesus replied, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” John 4:10
She asked Him where He would get this living water since He didn’t even have a bucket.
13Jesus replied, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. 14But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.” John 4:13–14
When we receive the gift of eternal life and we hide it from others, we become dried up vessels and shut off the streams of life we can be sharing with others.
God spoke to the prophet Jeremiah in criticism of the religious leaders of the day:
13“For my people have done two evil things: They have abandoned me—the fountain of living water. And they have dug for themselves cracked cisterns that can hold no water at all! Jeremiah 2:13 NLT
John answered her question about where this living water comes from in the book of Revelation:
1Then the angel showed me a river with the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb. 2It flowed down the center of the main street. On each side of the river grew a tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit,a with a fresh crop each month. The leaves were used for medicine to heal the nations. Revelation 22:1
Living water has God and the Lamb (Jesus) as its source and when we believe in Him and follow His example, we become the springs that God uses to heal the nations.
I for one, would like to see that happen.
Explanation: