37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” 39 By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified. (John 7:37-39)
What stands out about Christianity is that it is not just a set of religious doctrines, teaching people how to be a righteous person and worship God, but it is about rebirth, not just so that you can be taught to follow these doctrines, but you are given a new "heart" - the Holy Spirit!
The fact is, teachings in the Bible are many and difficult to follow, such as love your enemies, love God more than your parents, and so on. These teachings are difficult to accept to the average person, and make many unbelievers reject Christianity as they claim that these “rules” are too hard to follow. As for believers, inability to abide by these teachings often leave them frustrated. However, we should make note that this is because they are not allowing the Holy Spirit to work within them.
God loves us, and He does not just give us a set of rules to follow without providing us with the means to do so. He promised: “I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.” (Ezekiel 11:19-20) Jesus also promised: “Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” (John 7:38) What a precious promise! It is this spirit of Christ indwelling in our hearts that helps us submit and obey to God’s commands, to become a "newly created man".
Through the Holy Spirit, we can communicate with God directly. As the Holy Spirit prays to God with acclamation, we experience that God is no longer a distant god, but a God who guides us every minute of the day. He is in charge. When we feel perplexed, the Holy Spirit guides protects us from falling into temptations, and leads us on the path of righteousness into the kingdom of God.
Jesus said, "Whoever believes in me… rivers of living water will flow from within them." It turns out that this raging river of living water – the Holy Spirit – is in us! To drink this living water, Jesus said, "You must believe"! Believe in the promise of the Lord Christ and live on His strength, so that this living water can flow freely within us. And when you can do this, you are walking with the Holy Spirit! Amen.