Jan 10 2010
Are You Thirsty?
John 7:38 He that believes in Me as the scriptures have said, out of their belly shall flow rivers of living water.
When I’m really thirsty the one thing I desire most is a tall glass of ice cold water because nothing else satisfies like water. Likewise, when our spirit and soul become dried out and thirsty, we need to drink from the well of Living Water that God offers us.
How exactly do we drink from God’s well of living water? Well the first thing we must do is recognize that we need it! Just like there are lots of things to drink to satisfy our natural thirst, there are many things that we can turn to in hopes of quenching our spiritual thirsts. Some turn to dangerous things like alcohol, drugs, cigarettes, or even cutting themselves; some become shop-aholics; some overeat; some become obsessed with perfection in everything they do; and some become depressed and just give up. All of these are symptoms of the thirst that is deep within us.
When Jesus met the woman at the well in Samaria in John 4, He knew that she needed more than just a pail of water. The life she was living was not a happy one. She was an outcast, living in sin, and hopelessly wondering from one dead end relationship to the next. She thought that if she could stay away from the mainstream of life, her misery would go unnoticed. But Jesus saw her in her misery and made a special trip just to meet her.
The truth is that Jesus saw every single one of us in our misery too. That’s why He humbled Himself and came to earth. He lived a sinless life, empowered by the Holy Spirit, to show us that in all things we could trust Him to deliver us from evil. He gave His life as a living sacrifice and shed His blood so that we could receive forgiveness from all of our sins and become joint heirs with Him (Romans 8:17). His death opened the way for all of mankind to receive Living Water from the throne of God’s grace so that we would never be thirsty for the ways for the world.
Unfortunately, the devil and the world have deceived us by making the water from their wells seem more desirable and accessible. We have turned away from our Creator and drank from the empty wells of lust, greed, and pride. Just like the woman at the well, we’ve had many affairs with other “gods” that haven’t delivered what we had hoped they would. The graven images of the world are collapsing all around us and we are discovering that we are still thirsting for the truth that will set us free.
Jesus said that when we become weak, weary and heavy laden to come to Him and He will give us rest (Matthew 11:28). He said that He would freely give living water to all who would come and drink from His well (Rev. 21:6 & 17). You see the best that the world can offer us is ways to cope with our thirst, but these ways will never quench our parched lives. But the water that Jesus offers us not only satisfies our present thirsts, it actually becomes a well of living water inside of us that multiplies and grows within us so that we have a continual supply of Living Water!
Are you tired of drinking from the wells of man? Are you ready to turn from your old ways and allow the Holy Spirit to lead you in paths of righteousness? The blood of Jesus has opened the way for you to come boldly into the throne room of God and ask Him to forgive you and receive help in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16). When you confess your sin, He is faithful to forgive you and restore you to right fellowship with Him (1 John 1:9). Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. He desires to give you Living Water that will refresh, restore and renew your soul. He has good plans for you and He wants to empower you to fulfill them. Apart from Him, you will continue to struggle and be thirsty. But when you align yourself with Him and live according to His way, God Himself will make all your paths straight (Proverbs 3:5-8).
So I want to encourage you to examine your life. Are you really satisfied with where you are and what you’re doing? Is your life producing good things? Are you experiencing an overflow of joy and peace? If not, then perhaps it’s because deep down you are thirsty for the Living Water that only Jesus can give you. Turn and come back to Him and allow Him to fill you to overflowing with the fresh Living water of God’s love for you!
Prayer: Dear Lord, forgive me for drinking from the wells of the world. I am tired, worn out and extremely thirsty for You. Fill my cup with Your Living Water and cause it to multiply and overflow in my life. I want to experience Your River of Living water in my life so I will never be tempted to draw from any other well again. In Jesus Name, Amen.
