“‘The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit…” (John 7:38-39 CSB).
Fountains and springs. They are so similar, yet so different in their effect.
Both fountains and springs pour forth water that swishes and splashes as it streams out from its source. Fountains and springs can be stunningly beautiful spots where our thirst can be slaked and our souls refreshed as we repose alongside them, especially during the day’s heat.
A simple internet search revealed ten of the “coolest fountains in the world” (10best.usatoday.com/interests/explore/best-fountains-in-the-world-10-famous-locations). The sheer artistry it took to create these magnificent fountains is astounding. Take a gander at those famous beauties and imagine how many children (and impetuous adults) would go crazy wallowing about in those waters. That is if they were allowed to do so.
For a more natural, God-created water feature, there’s nothing like a spring. Here in Florida, natural springs are abundant, and swimming is not only allowed but also greatly encouraged. Feast your eyes on these Florida springs (springsinflorida.com/springs). For all you northerners, imagine yourself here, blissfully floating in cool, clear water under the sun’s warm caress in January.
It’s no wonder so many people are relocating to Florida.
One of my favorite places I’ve visited is the headwaters of the Jordan River in Israel in the Tel Dan Nature Reserve in northern Israel. When the snow on Mount Hermon melts, the waters of winter seep down through the mountain until it reaches the aquifer underneath the ground. The hydrostatic pressure creates an enormous flood of crystal clear, fresh, and frigid water that erupts from the ground in many springs. Check out these pictures (https://www.visionsoftravel.org/tel-dan-springs-nature-reserve-northern-israel/).
While fountains and springs have much in common regarding creature comforts and aesthetics, there is a unique difference between the two. The Lord pointed this out to me last Sunday as the worship service began.
A fountain’s water is stationary and limited because it remains in one place, constantly recirculating the same water. Furthermore, the fountain only affects those who come near it, and the benefit lasts only as long as the person remains in that spot. Sooner or later, the rejuvenated visitor must depart, leaving the fountain’s refreshing blessing behind.
Not so with a spring. The water’s power shapes its manifest beauty as it pours forth wildly from within the earth, winding its way wherever a path allows it to flow. Unlike a fountain, a spring’s water is unlimited because God’s natural process continually renews it at its source.
What a remarkable picture of the difference between a church service and a Christian.
A traditional church service is like a fountain, and a genuinely born-again, Spirit-filled Christian is like a spring.
To benefit from a traditional church service, we usually must go to a location and sit down to enjoy being washed by the water of corporate worship and the word. Oftentimes, it’s pretty refreshing. But then we stand up and go our merry way, leaving the service’s refreshing blessing behind. In a sense, it’s limited, too. An hour or so, and it’s over.
On the other hand, a spring-like Christian carries the source of God’s Living Water, the Holy Spirit, wherever they go. When we cooperate with the Lord, His love and power wells up from within us, from the Source residing in us. Have we not read, “‘The one who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.’ He said this about the Spirit…” (John 7:38-39 CSB).
Living Water is a well-known metaphor for the Holy Spirit, who brings restoration and cleansing to our souls and flows from us in word and deed as we live like Jesus wants us to. The Holy Spirit flowing out of us is His action of touching the world through a human being. You know, like Jesus modeled for us. Remember we were commissioned to carry on His work just like He did?
The greatest thing about being a spring of Living Water is that we and the Holy Spirit are not bound to one location. Rather than “bringing people to Jesus” (a fountain mentality), we bring Jesus to people (a spring mentality).
Somedays, the Holy Spirit seeps out of us to gently water a person who feels like they’re in a dry, parched desert, thirsty for just one word of encouragement or hope. Other times, the Holy Spirit erupts from us in a groundswell of good works and spiritual gifts, powerfully transforming the person who gets soaked in the Spirit’s current. Which direction will He move? That’s not up to us. The Spirit goes where He wills, touches who He will touch, and reaches out as far as He wants to. Our job is not to quench the flow.
Is the fountain better than the spring? No. They each have their purpose. But let’s not just drink at the fountain of Living Water and ignore the people around us who truly need every drop of the Holy Spirit we can release to them.
Sources:
These are some of the coolest fountains in the world, https://10best.usatoday.com/interests/explore/best-fountains-in-the-world-10-famous-locations/
Florida Springs Locations, https://springsinflorida.com/springs/
Tel Dan Springs & Nature Reserve : Northern Israel, https://www.visionsoftravel.org/tel-dan-springs-nature-reserve-northern-israel/
Shining the Light of God’s Truth on the Road Ahead
Pastor Jay Christianson
The Truth Barista, Frothy Thoughts