When I was a child we sang an old hymn called, "Make Me a Channel of Blessing". Part of the song goes like this,
Is your life a channel of blessing?
Is the love of God flowing through you?
Are you telling the lost of the Savior?
Are you ready His service to do?
Chorus:
Make me a channel of blessing today,
Make me a channel of blessing, I pray;
My life possessing, my service blessing,
Make me a channel of blessing today.
Instead of a prayer that asks God to bless us, perhaps we should pray more that God will make us a blessing to others. Dear Father, make us a channel for living waters.
Rivers Of Living Water
In John 7:38 Jesus says,
"He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
What are these living waters that the Lord is referring to? He is talking about the gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a gift given so we can keep it to ourselves. The Holy Spirit is a gift given so that we can be a channel, a mechanism or a route, to share God's love with others.
Blessed So We Can Bless Others
From the very beginning in Genesis 12:2 when God speaks to Abram to leave Haran, God tells Abram that, "I will bless you and make your name great; And you shall be a blessing." God doesn't bless Abram and then that's it. No, he blesses Abram so that Abram will be a blessing to others. Through Abram's line (Abraham) comes our greatest blessing, Jesus.
We don't become Christians to "hide our light under a basket" (Matthew 5:15). We become Christians to love and serve others, to tell others about Christ, to show His love to others and we do this because we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the strength and the power to serve others when we think we can't. He gives us abilities that we don't have in ourselves alone. He pushes us to do more, be more and give more.
As Christians we shouldn't be concerned about how much "me time" we have. We shouldn't be worried about "burn out". We shouldn't be worried that "people are using us". We should should give and continue to give, because that is our purpose on this Earth. We are blessed so that we can be a blessing.
The Holy Spirit Is The Living Waters
The living waters that Christ is talking about, the Holy Spirit, springs up into everlasting life (John 4:13). These living waters will give us comfort (John 14:26), the Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us remember God's word (John 14:26), He gives us power (Acts 1:8), He is our Helper (John 14:16), He is the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13), and He convicts us (John 16:8). Truly we are blessed. Acts 5:32 says that the Spirit is given to those who obey Him. We should be diligent in our obedience.
Fruits Of The Spirit
These blessings don't just stop with us. Paul tells us to walk in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16). Galatians 5:22-23 tells us that when we do this we produce fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. These fruits are for us to use when we interact with others. We show people love; we show joy; we seem peaceful; we display patience; we aren't cruel, but kind; we are good to others; we are faithful, not just to God, but to those around us; and lastly, we display control over our actions and emotions when we deal with others. This is how we serve. This is how we show Christ to the world.
The Holy Spirit Draws Man
Water brings life, just like the Holy Spirit brings life. The Holy Spirit shows the world a different way of living, one lived for others, in humility and service to others. The Holy Spirit draws people to Christ. If our lives don't show the Holy Spirit, then how can we expect to draw anyone to Christ. The will of God, according to our Lord, is "that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life."(John 6:40). When we live our lives according to God's will, living waters will flow out of our hearts. In this way, other people may behold the Son and believe.
We Are God's People
The Holy Spirit provides us with what we need to fulfill the will of God on earth. But we have to be willing to do it. We have to be obedient to our calling. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that the Holy Spirit lives in us and because of this we are not our own. A price has been paid for us (1 Corinthians 7:23). 1 Peter 2:10 reminds us that "once you were not a people but now you are God's people." Let that sink in. We are God's people! We are sent to serve those still in darkness who don't know Him.
The Holy Spirit Gives Us Power
Maybe this seems impossible to you. Is it impossible to live a life with these fruits of the Spirit: to serve when we are tired and worn, to love when we are hated and despised, and to forgive when we receive no apologies? Truly, it would be impossible if not for the gift of living waters—the Holy Spirit. The Lord turned the meager offering of a few fish and loaves of bread into a feast for thousands. This same power lives in us. Through the working of the Holy Spirit He can also turn our meager offerings into blessings for those around us, we just have to believe and let Him work through us.
In Romans 8:26, Paul says that the Holy Spirit helps us when we are weak. He continues to say that we don't know how to pray as we ought to, but the Holy Spirit actually intercedes for us on our behalf. The Holy Spirit even helps us to speak to God in the way we ought to!
1 Corinthians 1:27 reminds us that the foolish are used to shame the wise and the weak are used to shame the strong. As Paul says, "we glory in the Lord, not ourselves." We pray that the Holy Spirit will truly make us a channel of blessing to others. Praise to God for the gift of His Spirit, a gift given to us, whose gifts are shared by us, so the world may believe.
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