He was a “most-likely-to-succeed” type of high school kid—handsome, popular, and a great student.
He was everything I wasn’t (at least according to me). He didn’t have to befriend me. But he did. And in so doing, he became a living example to me of Jesus—at a time when I knew next-to-nothing about Him.
My friend was a carrier of living water. Today I carry that same living water, since I now follow the same Jesus whom he served. I have the same joy, the same peace, and the same sense of purpose he had. Just thinking about it makes me want to pinch myself.
But that’s not all. As followers of the humble Nazarene, we not only carry His living water, but we also carry Him. We take Him with us wherever we go, and the more we’re in communion with Him, the more we splash Him onto the people around us.
I’ll never forget the encounter I had with a manager at work. A gruff but gregarious guy, I saw him limping one day and offered to pray for him. A few days later, he said to me, “Hey Flamberg. I don’t know who you’ve been talking to, but my leg is healed.”
A few months later, he passed away. I couldn’t help but wonder why since I had prayed for his healing. Then I thought of how my simple act of faith may have paved the way for him to receive Jesus just in the nick of time.
God’s promise to pour out His Spirit in the latter days was not meant only for the “religiously elite.” Rather, it was meant for everyone who surrenders to Him. Joel couldn’t be clearer. God will pour out His Spirit on young and old, male and female, and even all people.
And not only do we get the Spirit poured out onto us, but we also get Him poured into us. We become containers of the living water that is God’s Spirit. We are His anointed ones, sealed with His authority. We become His living tabernacle. That sure beats just being “most likely to succeed.” Even to this day, my friend would heartily agree.
Are you letting God’s Spirit flow through you to others?
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)
Gary David Flamberg is a thirty-year veteran of the finance industry with a degree in psychology from the University of Tennessee. Currently, he manages a daily devotional that is sent out to over 300 of his co-workers at the Ford Credit Nashville hub. He and his wife live in Nashville, TN.