Mohala Maui (Petals Unfold on Maui)Sample

Mohala Maui 6 (John 7:38)

Have you ever seen the Mona Lisa?

Not on a postcard or T-shirt, but the real thing? Today, if you make it to the Louvre in Paris to see her, you will have to endure an ocean of heads and smartphones blocking your view. The painting is as fascinating as its intriguing history. When it was stolen in 1911, one of the suspects was Picasso himself. And it’s hard to believe that such a great work once hung on the wall in King Francis I- toilet!

The Mona Lisa is considered one of the greatest masterpieces of all time, and Leonardo da Vinci worked on it for 15 years--and upon his death in 1519, he still didn’t consider it finished.

Now, you may not realize it, but you are also a masterpiece. God Himself, the Great Master, is painting your life. His work is not finished. For sure, there is much to look forward to as God continues His work in you!

But the real question is, do you believe? This is the central question in Scripture and the theme of Jesus' time with His disciples. When we believe, all things are possible. When we believe, mountains move. When we believe, Heaven invades our world. One day, Jesus stood up in the temple and shouted in a loud voice what happens when you believe…

Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them. (John 7:38)

What an odd statement! Just what is “living water”? If you are like me, then you enjoy walking along a river. Now that I live in Tokyo, that usually means the Sumida River, but that water is not beautiful, nor does it seem “living.” My wife is from Gifu, and the waters of the Nagara River are teeming with trout and cormorants, carp, and turtles, so it seems more “living,” but this is not at all what Jesus is talking about. The “living water” here is the Holy Spirit. The beautiful image is that when you believe in Christ, the flow of the Holy Spirit begins from within! You don’t need to get a ”fix” from without; you already have everything springing up from within!

Think of it! The whole world, all of humankind, whether they admit it or not, are trying to find stuff to fill their inner emptiness. They go from one thing to the next, never really satisfied. But when we open our lives to Christ, we become something very unique in this world—a spring!

But this spring is not just a trickle; although it may start that way, it is a gush, no, a massive outpour! Not just enough for a stream or a creek, but an actual river! And then Jesus doesn’t say “river,” He says “rivers”!

Rivers! Your thirst has been quenched, and you are overflowing, so much so that rivers are coming out of you in all directions, bringing life and healing and blessing to others all around!

Does it sound like too much? Does it seem more than you can handle? Exactly! Because your life is not your life. When you are in Christ, it’s His life. It is not about you; it is about Him in you.

You are His masterpiece. He has chosen to do this in you, to reveal Himself through you! To flow from you…everywhere.

Because of this, from today forward, if you really get it, you have every reason to be the happiest person in the world! Are you getting it?

This is your new beginning…He Himself, smile, and let the flow begin!

Aloha oe. Thank you for existing.

Dr. Andy