Without Measure!

As I have been studying through John to see the Father's heart in Jesus I was struck by a simple but life changing verse.  John the Baptist is speaking about Jesus and says, "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure." (John 3:34)  The last part of this verse leaped off the page as if the word were dancing all around me!  See I had a previous day where I had as one former co-worker used to say, "slogging through the sand" day.  The Holy Spirit would come upon a prophet or man of God throughout the Old Testament but would most of the time be withdrawn.  Then there was even 400 years between the time God spoke and the coming of the Son of God.  So we see a measure of the Spirit manifested in the Old Testament, we see miracles, prophets, miraculous provision, signs, and God communicating with His people but there was always a limit.  John the Baptist is to prepare the Way for Jesus and speak of what is to come through Christ, so when the Prophet of God declares that through Jesus Christ the Spirit will be given without measure this means it is time to do the Happy Dance.  As I talked about in my last blog entry of when the Spirit flows we see that Father has chosen to pour His Spirit out through Jesus Christ (who is both grace and truth) in a specific way.  My question is :  Why don't we see the Spirit more active among the Body of Christ?  The Holy Spirit seems to be a no-show to some services, a trickle at others, and gone all together at other places of worship.  Here the Word of God says that Jesus Christ gives the Spirit without measure, so where is the dam because even in John 4 Jesus is telling the Samaritan woman that He can give her living water that "...will become a well of water springing up to eternal life."  The phrase that He will give His Spirit without measure has made me so thirsty to experience more of His life-giving Spirit.  The very life of God (the Holy Spirit) is pushing at the dams of our hearts, our churches, our families, and our churches.  The dam is not on God's side because He has already stated this and the fullness of the grace of God through the New Covenant backs this up, so the dam must be on my side.  God sure gets a bad rap about how much He is withholding from us, so this is why the earth is such a mess and people are hurting.  The Word of God paints another whole picture of the story and challenges my own heart to a new level of faith, trust, and expectation.  I admit I don't look at my future as one life-giving God encounter to the next but this is because of my faulty thinking not God withholding.  All I can say to the Lord is let this verse be done in me and I repent for my unbelief, I believe this is one of my new anchors in my soul to lead me deeper into my God-given destiny. 

Walking with Abba,
Bret