In John 4:14, our Lord doesn’t speak of a trickle of water but of a mighty spring, swelling its banks. Be filled with this water, and the sweetness of a vital relationship to Jesus will flow out of you as lavishly as it is imparted. If you find that your life isn’t flowing out as it should, search for the reason. It’s certain you are to blame, because you have not kept right with the source. Does Jesus say that when you keep right with him, you will be personally blessed? No. He says that out of you will flow rivers of living water—irrepressible life.

Jesus wants us to be channels through which he can flow. He wants to use us to bring his rivers of living water in blessing to everyone we meet. Some of us are like the Dead Sea—always taking in and never giving out. If we stay rightly related to our Lord, then as surely as we receive from him, he will pour out through us. When he is not pouring out, it means something is wrong in our relationship with him.

Has something come between you and Jesus Christ? Has something hindered your belief in him? If not, then Jesus says out of you will flow rivers of living water. These waters are neither an experience nor a blessing passed on; they are a continually flowing river. Guard well your belief in Jesus Christ and your relationship to him, and there will be no dryness and no deadness, only a steady flow for other lives.

Do you find it extravagant to say that mighty rivers will flow out of you—an individual believer of no particular significance? Have you looked for the rivers in your life and failed to see them? In the history of God’s work, it has nearly always started from those who, though they were obscure, unknown, and ignored, were steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.