What Are We Doing Here? OVERFLOWING

NOTICING
How observant are you? Take this AWARENESS TEST. How did you do? I failed too. Just another reminder that it is easy for us to miss things that are right under our noses. I've got a suspicion that the same thing happens regularly with people who are sincerely trying to follow Jesus. We pay attention to some things, and miss others. For example, have you ever noticed the pattern of overflow?

OVERFLOW IS THE WAY OF LIFE
Start looking and you'll discover that one life overflows into the next. For example, what do you know that someone else didn't teach you- either directly or indirectly? All of our lives we've benefited from the knowledge and experiences of other people: coaches taught us to play sports, musicians taught us to play instruments, someone taught us to drive a car, and another employee showed us how to use the cash register, fax machine or deep fryer at our first job. And it never ends. As we learn, we teach. We take the knowledge that others gave us and let it overflow: teaching others how to play sports, make music, drive cars and do jobs we are proficient in.

OVERFLOW IS THE WAY OF GOD
The bible describes God as the Giver of every good gift. God seems to enjoy bringing good things into our lives- not just for us to savor, but so that others can benefit as well. Take Abraham for example. God promised to make Abraham the father of a nation and to give him a great reputation- and to use Him to bless every family on the planet. Later, God makes a covenant with the nation of Israel (Abraham's people) and gives them favored nation status. Bully for them, but how does that help the rest of us? The Israelites are called to be priests. What does a priest do? He/She serves others and helps them worship God. (By the way, this same title is later given to anyone who is following Jesus.) One more example. When Jesus becomes a public figure, He selects 12 people as His disciples. For 3 years these folks catch the overflow of Jesus' life. Why? Not just for their own good- but so that they could could use what they learned to bless others.

OVERFLOW COULD BE OUR WAY
What might happen if we took personal ownership of the idea of overflow? Not only would we make the lives of those around us richer, but just we might experience the life Jesus promised. Jesus said that God's presence in our lives would be like a stream of living water. In Jesus' culture, "living water" moved and went somewhere.

"Dead water" just collected, got stagnant and maybe eventually evaporated.

Why is it that so many people who are following Jesus experience times of "dryness" or feeling "stagnant" or "empty"? One reason might be that we've forgotten to overflow. Seeking God's blessings just for ourselves can leave us in an ongoing cycle of "needing to be filled up". Allowing God to take the good things in our lives and pour them out into the lives of others can keep things fresh and alive.

How do we overflow? Let's keep it simple and assume that we simply pass on to others the blessings that God has given to us. God has forgiven us, so we forgive others. God listens to us talk, so we listen to others. God clothes us, so we clothe others. And we do all of this with the strength and kindness of Jesus. (By the way, if we can't overflow with kindness, I'm not sure we're really blessing people.)

REFLECT:
Q: Name a couple of people who allowed their lives to overflow into yours. What kinds of blessings, experiences and knowledge did they share with you? When/how did this happen?

Q: Look at 1 Peter 2:9 again. Do you think of yourself as a priest? Why/Not? If you are a priest, who are your "congregants" right now? What would it look/sound like for you to "tell about the excellent qualities of God"?

Q: Look back at the pictures of the river and the retention pond above. Which best describes your spiritual life right now? Explain.

Q: Describe a time in your life with Jesus when you felt the "living water" thing happening for you.

Q: Let's assume that "overflowing" is as simple as sharing with others the blessings that God has given to you. (Ex: patience, forgiveness, acceptance, wisdom, etc.) What do you have to pass on today? Who is God putting in your life that needs those things? Spend some time praying for that God will use you to bless these folks.