Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? — James 3:11
Followers of Jesus are transformed from the inside out, not the outside in.
Two people can look at the same picture and see something entirely different. One sees a young, elegant woman looking away. Another sees an old, weary figure bowed in discouragement. Same image—different heart posture.
That dynamic is everywhere in the Gospels. The religious leaders spent generations longing for their Messiah… and when He finally arrived, all they wanted was to silence Him. The irreligious dismissed Him outright. Even today, Christians often struggle to understand one another. Why? Because what we see is shaped not by our eyes but by our hearts.
Tim Keller often said religion and irreligion are two costumes worn by the same impulse: self-salvation. One tries to earn God’s approval through moral performance; the other tries to escape God’s authority through personal autonomy. Both keep us in the driver’s seat—tired, anxious, and empty.
But the gospel offers something far better—not performance, but overflow. When grace seeps all the way down into the basement of your soul, it frees you from proving yourself and fills you with a joy that can’t help but spill into obedience, compassion, and worship. Gospel grace changes your heart posture. It turns Scripture from a rulebook into a love story. The gospel doesn’t just change your status; it changes your source.
Jesus promised that whoever believes in Him will experience “rivers of living water” flowing from within (John 7). That promise rests on the new heart and new spirit God foretold in Ezekiel—what Jesus called the new birth. New life produces new overflow.
And then He invited us into apprenticeship. In fellowship with the Holy Spirit, we learn to think, act, and live the way Jesus would if He were living our life. Apprentices grow by training with the Master day by day—not by performing for His approval.
Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.
— Romans 12:2
The gospel is an invitation to participate in God’s new creation story—one that gives freedom, meaning, purpose, and hope both now and forever.
But here’s the key: the gospel also trains us to see. Two people can look at the same Jesus, the same Scripture, or the same circumstance—one sees burden, the other sees beauty. One sees duty; the other sees delight. Overflow begins not with behavior but with a new lens.
Fresh water and salt water don’t come from the same spring. Transformation flows from the inside out—from a heart that sees Christ clearly.
Run the play. Follow
the Invisible Jesus.
He is pleased with you. He’s not grading your performance.
Let the living water overflow—from a heart posture shaped by grace.
💬 Finding Our Place in the Story
- Where do you see performance shaping your heart posture more than overflow?
- What helps you slow down long enough to see Jesus clearly instead of through old assumptions?
- Corporate: How can our community cultivate a shared heart posture where grace—not performance—shapes how we see, speak to, and treat one another?
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