By Marcel Rebiai

“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.’”
John 4:13-14

It can sometimes be extremely challenging to approach others and let them taste God’s love. As Jesus’ disciples we are all in a state of inner reconstruction, and we have many things inside that still require healing. It often takes time for Jesus’ image to slowly take shape within us. When we set off and open up to one another, we are often confronted with ingratitude, mistrust and arrogance. We may soon lose hope and faith for those around us; the temptation grows to turn around and give up. However, the love to which we have been called does not spring from our own strength but flows from the unshakeable and ultimately triumphant love of God that wants to pave a path through our heart to those of others.

This love can only pave a path if the reactions of those to whom we offer our openness can’t hurt or threaten us. We can only gain such steadfastness if we replenish ourselves daily from the Source of true life. Those who believe in God’s Word, and seek fulfilment, recognition and happiness in Him first, will discover that they are sheltered in His love and providence. Streams will flow from their hearts, bringing life to others. Imagine what a fruitful garden God’s church would be if all Christ’s followers were daily devoted to this attitude – streams of living water would pour from their hearts. The desert would flower and the glory and splendour of God would spread everywhere.

This devotional is taken from the book To See God by Marcel Rebiai. If you would like to order your own copy, please email us here, [email protected].

Marcel Rebiai is a board member of Revive Israel, and is inspiration for our community. Marcel was born in Algiers in 1953. He came to Switzerland as a war orphan and received faith in Jesus in his youth, which changed his life and made him a messenger of God’s love in Jesus. Since then, he has been faithfully working for the building of the community of Messiah. Marcel is the founder of the “Community of Reconciliation”, an organization that works for reconciliation between Jews and Arabs based on God’s forgiveness and love in Christ. Marcel teaches in various settings around the world about the love that God revealed to us in Jesus, a love that enables reconciliation. Marcel has been living in Jerusalem for the last 30 years, is married to Regula, and has four children and eleven grandchildren.