“If Anyone is Thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.”

In our daily meditations on groupbiblestudy.com, we have been focusing on how a believer in Christ is to walk in a close relationship with the Holy Spirit. Jesus said that there are four conditions for drinking deeply of the Spirit of God. Before we explore what Christ taught about the Spirit, it will help to describe the scene where Jesus spoke about this. The Lord was in the temple courts at the Feast of Tabernacles (John 7:2), the third major feast of the year, which occurs between September and October in our calendar. The eighth day of the feast was the most significant (John 7:37). On that day, with thousands watching, the High Priest went down to the Pool of Siloam, filled a two-pint golden pitcher, and carried it back into the crowd to pour it out before the Altar of God. A prophecy in Ezekiel describes a time when, emerging from under the threshold of the temple, a river of life would flow eastward, starting ankle-deep, then becoming knee-deep, and finally so deep it would lift people off their feet and carry them along. Wherever this river flows, it will bring life, fruitfulness, and healing (Ezekiel 47:1-5). Here’s what Jesus said:

³⁷On the last and greatest day of the Feast, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him." ³⁹By 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 (John 7:37-39, Emphasis added).

For the High Priest and the thousands gathered, singing hymns to God, the most solemn moment was when the High Priest poured out the pitcher of water before the temple. The act of pouring the water symbolized their hope that, perhaps in their lifetime, the river of life would begin to flow as the pitcher was poured out. To the Jewish people, the center of the world was Israel; the heart of Israel was Jerusalem; and the core of Jerusalem was the Temple. When the pitcher of water was poured out, Jesus made Himself higher than everyone else, probably by standing on something, and He shouted for all to hear the words we just read. He was declaring that out of the temple of His life would flow the refreshing, life-giving, healing power of the Spirit. Likewise, out of the center of our lives will flow the Spirit's ministry from our innermost being. When Christ is enthroned in the throne room of our hearts, His Spirit will flow out to those around us.

When Jesus spoke these words, the Holy Spirit had not yet taken His place in the hearts of people; He had only come upon certain individuals for specific purposes. God promised He would send the Holy Spirit into the lives of all who responded to the call to come to Christ.

What are the conditions for us to be filled with the Spirit?

1. “If anyone is thirsty...” You have to have a thirst for more of God. Are you satisfied with life as it is? Our Lord loves to be pursued by hungry and thirsty people. He wants our thirst to be quenched. Do whatever you must, but do not let anything stop you from receiving all God has for you.

2. You have to come to the person of Christ. Jesus said, “Let him come to me” (v.37). This coming to Christ is not about church or devotion to religious acts but about Christ Himself. Do you have a love for the person of Christ? When Jesus restored Peter after he said three times that he didn't know Him, the Lord asked Peter three times if he loved Him (John 21:15-17), a question that each of us should answer. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to you again all Christ has done for you so you may fall head over heels in love with Christ Himself.

“...and drink.” You will need to drink. This act of drinking speaks of receiving the Spirit with an open, transparent heart. Vulnerability and honesty are hallmarks of a heart ready to be filled with the Spirit. There is a conscious decision to go God's way instead of our own.

4.“Whoever believes in me...” Whoever believes in Christ (v. 38) will receive. This act of receiving is not an intellectual acknowledgment of Christ’s substitutionary work on the cross. It is a deep, trusting belief in Christ that welcomes a different set of moral values that affect one's character.

This list by Jesus was not comprehensive, but these four are the most critical conditions for living a life of faith, guided and empowered by the Spirit. To be filled with God's Spirit, we must enthrone Christ at the center of our being and relinquish the seat of authority in our lives. May this desire for more come to you! Keith Thomas

This meditation is a shortened version of the more in-depth study, Revival Comes to the Thirsty.