The Upper Room Daily Devotional July 4, 2023
The Upper Room July 4, 2023 Daily Devotional, Tuesday Message by Hank DeGraaff (Michigan, USA)
TOPIC: Beautiful Vessels
TODAY’S READING
John 4:7-14
KEY VERSE: Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit. – John 7:37-39 (NIV)
MESSAGE: When my children were young, I showed them an interesting experiment I had heard about. I cut a few wildflowers called Queen Anne’s lace and placed several of them in three different glasses of water. I left one glass with clear water, added a few drops of red food coloring to the second glass, and a few drops of blue food coloring to the third. The next morning the flowers in the clear water were still their original white color, but the ones in the red water had turned red and the ones in the blue water had turned blue.
Just as the water is drawn into the flowers, we need to draw Christ’s living water into our lives. As the Holy Spirit flows into us, we are changed and empowered to be more Christlike, to do the will of God just as Jesus did. The Spirit can change us to be beautiful vessels of honor for God. As we continue to draw that living water of the Holy Spirit into our hearts through Bible study and prayer, we continue to grow in Christlike beauty.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Dear Jesus, we pray for your living water to make us more like you each day. Amen.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
The Holy Spirit helps me grow in Christlike beauty.
PRAYER FOCUS
New Christians
The Upper Room July 4, 2023 Devotional Message, is a daily devotional magazine published in more than 30 languages and 100 countries around the world. The daily meditations are written by readers of the magazine and others interested in sharing their faith experiences through writing—both laity and clergy, published authors and new writers. Read More.
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