It's been six months since I have posted on this blog, which has been my devotional blog for years and one of my favorites. During this time I have been very busy moving to a new community, serving as the Intentional Interim Senior Pastor for a church of nearly 700 people, and teaching. I hope to return to this weekly beginning this month. In the mean time I over this re-posting of a blog I discovered for the first time today called "Working for Christ--Inspiration in the Workplace!" - Steve
COME TO THE WELL!
“Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in
Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his
son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the
journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.” (
John 4:4-6, NIV)
Everyone in town knew her. She had grown up right before their eyes.
Five husbands had come and gone. Now she was alone, minding her own
business. But one day, as she was drawing water from the well, she met
another man. He was different from the rest. He looked worn – as if from
a long journey. But he seemed friendly. There was no official
introduction. He simply asked her for a drink.
“Why are you asking me for a drink?” she said, surprised he would even bother to talk to her. After all, he was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. But he replied,
“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am. You would ask me, and I would give you living water.”
This wasn’t the answer she expected. What was He up to? If she had
known who He was, her response might have been entirely different. This
was no ordinary man. He was the One whose coming had been prophesied for
centuries. The One whom angels proclaimed. The One whose hands healed
the sick. The One whose voice raised the dead. The One whose life
brought hope to the hopeless.
This was the Messiah. Yet she did not recognize Him. And she asked,
“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket, and this is a very deep well. Where would you get this living water?”
Jesus replied,
“People soon become thirsty again after drinking
this water. But the water I give them takes away their thirst
altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them
eternal life.”
“Please, sir,” the woman said,
“give me some of that water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t ever have to come back here again.”
The woman’s excitement was understandable. She thought the stranger
before her offered some sort of magical water to prevent her from ever
thirsting again. In fact, what He offered was something far greater. He
was offering the gift of eternal life – a gift she could receive by
drinking living water.
What is living water? It’s not actually a beverage, but a being.
Living water is a symbol for the Messiah. To drink of the living water
is to enter into a refreshing relationship with God that can heal hurts,
mend hearts, and satisfy souls. In answer to the woman’s deepest needs
the Messiah offered Himself. And the woman accepted. She accepted the
gift no other man had given her before – a real relationship founded on
unending love. No more broken promises or abandoned commitments. Here,
at last, was the love for which she longed.
Turning from the well, she ran straight into town and started shouting to everyone in earshot,
“Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?”
So people came. They talked to Him. They listened to Him. They believed in Him. And they, too, accepted the Living Water.
Everywhere you look today there are disenchanted people looking for
something more than this world offers. They’ve tried it all. They’ve
tried drinking from the well of wealth, the spring of success, the pond
of power, the fountain of fame, the pool of possessions, and the ocean
of pleasure. But none of these offer lasting satisfaction. They offer
only temporary relief to a permanent problem.
The Messiah is the solution. He is the Living Water. Only He can
satisfy the soul. His forgiveness is cleansing. His grace is refreshing.
His presence is purifying. And His love is invigorating.
What about you? Have you tried the waters of this world and found
them disappointing? Has your soul been longing for a sip of something
more satisfying? If you try to quench the thirsting of your soul at the
wells of this world, you will be thirsty again. But if you seek
satisfaction in the living water of Christ and His love, then you will
find fulfillment.
To each and every heart the Messiah makes the same offer.
“If you will but ask, I will give you living water.” And
when you have living water, you have life. So today, if you are
thirsty for something more, why not accept the offer of the stranger by
the well?
Come to Christ. Drink deeply. And be satisfied.
Enjoy your day, “Working for Christ”!
