Overflow

Someone once said,

“When your bucket gets bumped, what’s in you will spill out of you.”

That’s a good reminder for those of us who like to react before we think but it’s actually more of a litmus test than anything else. The point isn’t to try harder to do better if, when your bucket (your life) gets bumped you recognize that what consistently spills out of you (out of your mouth and from your heart) in those moments is harmful, hurtful and or negative; the point is to realize that based on those consistent reactions your heart might not contain the right thing.

The Lord Jesus declares to us from His word that “from the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45) and it is with that understanding that I say that the bumping of our bucket is a test and of we find it to contain the wrong thing when what’s in it comes splashing out in those moments – the Lord stands by ready to fill us with something better – and to fill us beyond our capacity to contain it all.

In John 7:37-39 Jesus said,

“ “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.”

With those words, Jesus declared that “living water” would flow from those who believe in Him. His plan however, isn’t simply and solely to allow challenging people and situations into your life so that this living water might spill over into those moments; no, what He really desires is that what He has placed into your life will constantly and consistently overflow from your heart, mouth and life and to that end, He NEVER stops filling your heart with His precious “living water.”

Of course that water serves a duel purpose, while it is meant to sustain you in your spiritual life it is also meant to flow from you to cause spiritual life to (in a sense) be birthed, nourished and encouraged in the lives of others.

If you’ll allow the illustration, the Lord’s plan in all of this kind of looks like a champagne fountain (only instead of glasses will continue to use buckets for containers):

One bucket is filled by the source and as it spills over, it’s contents spill into others, filling them to overflowing until all the buckets around the first are filled but the source and supply of the “living water” does not stop when every available container is filled – it keeps on coming.

Of course, the “living water” that the Lord Jesus was referring to in the temple that day was the Holy Spirit – He is the endless supply from God who gives and sustains life in all who trust in Jesus Christ. He is the one who gifts us to teach, encourage, uplift and comfort others and in that sense He spills over from us to them.

“Now,” as the Apostle Paul has said, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound (overflow) in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” (Romans 15:13, NKJV)

Others are desperate for relief, let His “living water” flow…