Sept 7 The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life —John 4:14

The picture our Lord described here is not that of a simple stream of water, but an overflowing fountain.
Chambers is certainly into the "flowing water" metaphor this week!  But that's not to complain . . . I think it's important to grasp the concept that we do nothing on our own.  If we are to be effective Christians, we do what we do through God's strength, not our own.  Just as we can't save ourselves, nor can we do enough to pay the price of our sin debt, neither can we be a light unto the world (John 8:12) by our own strength.  Our culture values strength, independence and do-it-yourself-ness.  And as I was saying yesterday that God's ways of doing things always seem to be the exact opposite of how we go about them, so too in today's reading: we cannot make nor force the light of Christ to shine through us, nor rivers of living water flow from us.  This, like so much else, is accomplished by surrendering all to God, emptying ourselves of ourself and allowing God to use us as an empty vessel to transmit His blessings out into the world.   

As surely as we receive blessings from Him, He will pour out blessings through us.
More allusions to us simply being the conduit for God's blessings for others.  This is such a foreign concept to so many people.  Especially in this country with our "Puritan work ethic," we work an honest job and live an honest life so we can get ahead in the world and provide for our families.  What so many miss is that blessings aren't given to be hoarded, they are given to be given away; they should flow through us, not build up in us like debris on the backside of a dam.  While it's true that blessings can be seen as having been bestowed upon us by the Lord for the good work we do for Him, He expects us to be good stewards of those blessings, i.e. pass them on.  It's funny how so many grasp the concept of trickle-down economics, but not trickle-down blessings. 

But whenever the blessings are not being poured out in the same measure they are received, there is a defect in our relationship with Him.
I can't hear the word "measure" without thinking of Matthew 7:1-2.  This is currently my favorite verse, my watchword that I carry with me everywhere I go.  Like hypocrites, we want to drop the hammer on others for their sins but expect our own to be overlooked and left unpunished.  Whether it's trickle-down economics, pay it forward, the golden rule or some other such analogy for being a good Samaritan (yet another analogy), we are always quick to receive our measure for our self-perceived entitlement while limiting the measure which others receive due to the transgressions we perceive in them.  If we were simply mindful of making sure the outflow matched the inflow, we would be enabling God's work through us, not hindering it. 

Through the history of God’s work you will usually find that He has started with the obscure, the unknown, the ignored, but those who have been steadfastly true to Jesus Christ.
Praise God, there is hope for all of us yet!  Rock stars for God don't ascend to the pulpit, they're made in the pulpit.