- Acts 17:28

 

      If there was anything that became evident in the life of Christ it was his innate ability to stay connected to the stream of heaven where God was able to work in him and through him.  Our number one responsibility as believers is to follow his example.  The Bible clearly tells us that we are to walk even as he walked (1 John 2:6). 

      When God first created man his full intention was to make him so he could function in that same flow.  His conditioning was for the purpose of staying connected to the flow. You could say his entire constitution was formed so that the very stream that flowed from the throne of God was to run through him like a river.  The Psalmist David even said: "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God...God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved..." (Psalm 46:4, 5).   That river was to pour through man.  Unfortunately, when sin entered into the world man was cut off from this river.

      I find it very interesting that when it came time for Jesus to step into his ministry he came to the river to be baptized by John.  The moment he was baptized the heavens opened up and the Spirit of God descended upon him like a dove.  Although the Jordan was a natural river in many ways it carried supernatural implications.  The Jordan was where the waters parted and Israel crossed over into the Promised Land.  It was also the place where Elijah used his mantle to part the waters before he was taken up in a whirlwind.  This river symbolized individuals entering into an experience that was beyond their natural ability.  When Jesus was about to go up to Jerusalem for the Feast, he told his disciples: "He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).  He went on to say, "This spake he of the Spirit..."  

      When we came into this world we entered into a world of disruption and disorder.  There was no flow to experience.  Everything was dammed up.  None of us were born into the flow.  Only Jesus had the liberty to move and operate in the flow of heaven, and on many occasions the Bible even tells us that he was moved with compassion.  That movement was the river erupting in him.  It was God's Love in action.  That is what we have to understand.  The love of God carries the stream of heaven.  And when we allow the Holy Spirit his rightful place in us, then a door is opened where the river of God can begin to flow like it did in the life of Jesus.             

      Love is not something we capture and retain for ourselves.  As much as each of us loves to be loved the maturity of love is never about us.  If you want to experience more of the river, then allow yourself to be conditioned in life where love holds absolute sway.  Let it begin to erupt in you. Think of love as the porter that opens up the way for the Holy Spirit to flow.  If you will dare to let love erupt in you as it erupted in Jesus, then you will begin to experience a flow of life just as he did. In other words, to the measure you allow love to flow in you and through you is really the level of maturity you have reached.  God cannot take you any further than you are willing to let love take you.  It is what determines your walk with God.  

      For anyone to say they have a deep relationship with God and yet, they do not flow in this river, they are simply fooling themselves.  You will never grow spiritually anymore than you are willing to grow in love and to the measure you love through his life equals the measure you are able to live his life! The tide to this life rises and falls on your ability to be conditioning to let love's way of living flow though us. This is truly the making of any true servant of God.*