Our church has began a new study called OUTFLOW. The premise of the study is for each of us to look for ways the love of God can flow out of our life and into the life of others. In John 10, Jesus promised us a life that overflows or splashes over into the lives of the people around us. I think we all want a life that is overflowing; I think we all want to experience a life where the love of God flows out of our life and into the life of others. However, there are times when we do not even make a ripple in the lives of others, much less a splash. Why is that? What blocks us from flowing into the life of others?
I think I have the answer - but I have to explain it with an example of what happened to me recently. A couple of weeks ago I was watering the lawn when an interesting thing happened. I attached the hose to the faucet and attached the sprinkler to the other end of the hose. Turned the hose on and out shot a few drops of water and then the water stopped, so I figured it just needed more power, so I turned the water on harder, this time no water came out of the sprinkler. Checking the hose for any kinks I turned the water on again and still nothing. So I turned off the water, disconnected the hose from the sprinkler and then I saw the problem. A lizard had climbed into the hose and could not escape when I attached the hose to the sprinkler and the faucet, so with no place to go, the lizard was forced into the sprinkler by the force of the water coming from the faucet and died a noble death. Now before I get a phone call from PETA let me say, this happened by accident and I did not purposely try to kill the lizard.
What is the moral of the story? Sometimes there are things that block our flow. For me it was a lizard who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. For many of us it may be a habitual sin, a pattern of destructive behavior or a habit that keeps us from receiving God's blessings. The Hebrew writer reminds us to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. Hebrews 12:1-3
If we are going to flow into the life of others, God must first flow into our life, therefore let us make sure there is nothing blocking His flow into our lives.
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