A few thoughts for those who keep the appointed time. John the Baptist came baptizing in the river Jordan. Mark 1:7 – And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 – I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. Our Savior after His resurrection promised his followers; Acts 1:5 – For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. And that day was Pentecost.
The Jordan River comes from the melted snow of Mount Hermon. It is living water that flows, yet it ends up in the Dead Sea, where it moves nowhere. The river starts out with life–and ends up in death. Unless the water is used along the way, it is of no value–later on we will look at the Spiritual application of the physical example.
The Eternal is the primary source of the Holy Spirit. He is full of love–His love flows out from Him to us. God continues to give and to love in order to uphold His name. Notice Jesus’ words in John 7:37 – In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
1st, one must thirst
2nd we are to come
3rd then we must drink
4th and go on to believe (includes repenting & obedience).
Jesus Christ has promised the Holy Spirit to those who will do these things. Notice verse 38 – He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Whenever rivers go, they give life. After tapping into the Eternals life giving water, then we become the primary source of these spiritual rivers. We are the secondary sources.
What are these rivers of living water? Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 – Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. There are two main sources of water. One is a well where you must dig to find it. The other is a spring or river where water is bubbling out and flowing–the water comes to you.
If you are a river, no one will have to pump or work hard to get something out for you. You will respond and share the life-giving waters. Words and actions of life-giving qualities will flow outward to others.
Some people decide to be wells. They withdraw into their own shells, and you have to pump out the water instead if it is flowing out. It does not come up by itself. A well is an unconcerned person who prefers to remain hidden. This person may have goodness, but it is buried deep inside. Proverbs 18:1 KJV – Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeks own desire.
The Eternal has given us the capacity to be like Him, even in this life; John 5:26 – For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Isaiah 55: 1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Joel 2:28 – And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: John 6:33 – For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, for the transgressors given life unto the world. Isaiah 53:12 – Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
It is a law of nature that if you stop using your hands or legs, then they become useless. The same thing holds true for spiritual qualities as well. If we do not allow the qualities of love and giving to flow from you to others, then you will cease to have those qualities, for they will die within us. We have to continue to give of our gifts and substance to others or else, the quality of giving will stagnate and die, just like the “Dead Sea.”
Even when you feel someone does not deserve it, do it for your sake, not someone else’s sake. God does not give to us depending on if we deserve it or not. Humans do things on merit–whether one deserves it or not. Outgoing love has nothing to do with feeling. You may not feel like giving to someone, but the law of love commands you to do it. Matthew 5:14 – Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.15 – Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
A light bulb that is not switched on does no good. The Eternal did not with-hold His only Son from us John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Neither are we to withhold ourselves from others. God gives us so much to give. People get bored because they are not giving enough. When you have the capacity to give, do it. If one does not deserve it, then it is his/her problem, not yours.
We have the ability to give life to others through the Holy Spirit. Are we doing it? We can use the Holy Spirit and God’s goodness for the benefit of others. We can use our voices to comfort and give support to others. We can use our faces to smile to give life giving qualities to others.
How do we determine if we are a river or a well? The degree to which we yearn and ache to give to others will tell us. Giving to others should be a pleasure. When you find yourself stingy, you are lacking love. Let us not quench the Holy Spirit–allow it to flow to others. Stay connected to the source of the spiritual rivers and continue to give them out to others by sharing and helping. Be one who flows like a river.
Your brother in Christ,
Ron
Pentecost (Shavuot) – Ron Volk
May 30, 2025 by Shirley Gohner • Uncategorized • 0 Comments
A few thoughts for those who keep the appointed time. John the Baptist came baptizing in the river Jordan. Mark 1:7 – And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. 8 – I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. Our Savior after His resurrection promised his followers; Acts 1:5 – For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. And that day was Pentecost.
The Jordan River comes from the melted snow of Mount Hermon. It is living water that flows, yet it ends up in the Dead Sea, where it moves nowhere. The river starts out with life–and ends up in death. Unless the water is used along the way, it is of no value–later on we will look at the Spiritual application of the physical example.
The Eternal is the primary source of the Holy Spirit. He is full of love–His love flows out from Him to us. God continues to give and to love in order to uphold His name. Notice Jesus’ words in John 7:37 – In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
1st, one must thirst
2nd we are to come
3rd then we must drink
4th and go on to believe (includes repenting & obedience).
Jesus Christ has promised the Holy Spirit to those who will do these things. Notice verse 38 – He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. Whenever rivers go, they give life. After tapping into the Eternals life giving water, then we become the primary source of these spiritual rivers. We are the secondary sources.
What are these rivers of living water? Galatians 5:22 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 – Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. There are two main sources of water. One is a well where you must dig to find it. The other is a spring or river where water is bubbling out and flowing–the water comes to you.
If you are a river, no one will have to pump or work hard to get something out for you. You will respond and share the life-giving waters. Words and actions of life-giving qualities will flow outward to others.
Some people decide to be wells. They withdraw into their own shells, and you have to pump out the water instead if it is flowing out. It does not come up by itself. A well is an unconcerned person who prefers to remain hidden. This person may have goodness, but it is buried deep inside. Proverbs 18:1 KJV – Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeks own desire.
The Eternal has given us the capacity to be like Him, even in this life; John 5:26 – For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself. Isaiah 55: 1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Joel 2:28 – And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: John 6:33 – For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, for the transgressors given life unto the world. Isaiah 53:12 – Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
It is a law of nature that if you stop using your hands or legs, then they become useless. The same thing holds true for spiritual qualities as well. If we do not allow the qualities of love and giving to flow from you to others, then you will cease to have those qualities, for they will die within us. We have to continue to give of our gifts and substance to others or else, the quality of giving will stagnate and die, just like the “Dead Sea.”
Even when you feel someone does not deserve it, do it for your sake, not someone else’s sake. God does not give to us depending on if we deserve it or not. Humans do things on merit–whether one deserves it or not. Outgoing love has nothing to do with feeling. You may not feel like giving to someone, but the law of love commands you to do it. Matthew 5:14 – Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.15 – Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. 16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
A light bulb that is not switched on does no good. The Eternal did not with-hold His only Son from us John 3:16 – For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Neither are we to withhold ourselves from others. God gives us so much to give. People get bored because they are not giving enough. When you have the capacity to give, do it. If one does not deserve it, then it is his/her problem, not yours.
We have the ability to give life to others through the Holy Spirit. Are we doing it? We can use the Holy Spirit and God’s goodness for the benefit of others. We can use our voices to comfort and give support to others. We can use our faces to smile to give life giving qualities to others.
How do we determine if we are a river or a well? The degree to which we yearn and ache to give to others will tell us. Giving to others should be a pleasure. When you find yourself stingy, you are lacking love. Let us not quench the Holy Spirit–allow it to flow to others. Stay connected to the source of the spiritual rivers and continue to give them out to others by sharing and helping. Be one who flows like a river.
Your brother in Christ,
Ron