Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: John 7-8 Click HERE to give! Get Free App Here! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on 'The Daily Radio Bible' for a daily 20-minute spiritual journey. Engage with scripture readings, heartfelt devotionals, and collective prayers that draw you into the heart of God's love. Embark on this year-long voyage through the Bible, and let each day's passage uplift and inspire you.
TODAY'S EPISODE:
Welcome, dear listeners, to the Daily Radio Bible podcast. I'm your host, Hunter, and today is December 20th, 2024, day 355 of our year-long journey through the scriptures. We’re nearing the end of the year but our mission remains just as powerful: to experience the transformative love of God through His Word.
In today's episode, we delve into the Gospel of John, chapters 7 and 8. We witness Jesus as He moves amidst skepticism and hostility, secretly attending the Festival of Shelters, and delivering profound teachings about His divine origin and purpose. From confronting His critics to offering living water to the spiritually thirsty, Jesus' messages and actions stir both faith and controversy among those around Him.
Join us as we explore these rich passages and reflect on the living water Jesus offers, culminating in His poignant declaration, "I am the light of the world." As always, we pray to deepen our understanding and experience the fullness of God's presence in our lives. Stay tuned for a compelling reading and heartfelt prayers that follow.
TODAY'S DEVOTION:
Amen. It's the climax of the festival of shelters, and Jesus commandeers the whole thing. The priest would descend the steps in this ceremony from the temple down to the pool of Siloam. There he would retrieve water and walk it all the way back up the steps and pour it out on the altar. And there he would recite from Isaiah chapter 12, which reads, With joy you will drink deeply from the fountain of salvation. This was a messianic promise that was reenacted every year. It was a promise that there would come a day when the Messiah would come and offer salvation to his people, and all the faithful would drink deeply from that fountain of life. The priest would descend those steps for 7 days, bringing up that water every day.
And on the 7th day, the priest would do that for the final time. It was the climax of the celebration. People were standing all around with palm fronds and lit lanterns. It was a glorious moment that Jesus upstages. He steps forward at that particular moment, and he begins to shout out to the crowds, and the people were amazed at his words. He said this in verse 38, anyone who believes in me may come and drink, for the scriptures declare that rivers of living waters will flow from his heart. Amazing. The salvation the world is dying for has come.
Those salvific waters are proceeding not from some religious temple, in some religious altar. It emerges from the very heart of God. The deadly drought caused by our rebellion has come to an end. The wait for life giving water is over. The source of our life is now standing before us. It is a person. It's Jesus who comes with his father in the anointing of the spirit. The 3 in 1 are present right here, right now, and he's telling us to drink deep and never stop drinking.
That water is going to flow for all. He is the salvation the world has been waiting for and he is here. Jesus took center stage at that moment because he didn't want any of us to miss this sign. He's the one we're looking for. He's the one Isaiah spoke about. So let's drink deep of that fountain today and every day. The triune God, the creator of all things, is beckoning you to come to bring your thirsty soul to him and receive all that you want. That's the prayer that I have for my own souls that I will see it, my friends, that I will receive it, and that I will drink deep.
That water is going to flow for all. He is the salvation the world has been waiting for and he is here. Jesus took center stage at that moment because he didn't want any of us to miss this sign. He's the one we're looking for. He's the one Isaiah spoke about. So let's drink deep of that fountain today and every day. The triune God, the creator of all things, is beckoning you to come to bring your thirsty soul to him and receive all that you want.
That's the prayer that I have for my own souls that I will see it, my friends, that I will receive it, and that I will drink deep.
TODAY'S PRAYERS:
Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.
Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near....
