“Anyone who is thirsty may come to me! Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’” (John 7:37b-38, NLT)
It’s the dog days of summer, and these hot summer days remind me of tournaments I used to play as a junior golfer in the deep South in oppressive heat. The hottest I can ever remember being also happens to be the only tournament I was paired with Bubba Watson (he could hit it a mile then too!). We were in the panhandle of Florida, and I remember sweating so much I had to turn my cap around over every putt because the stream of sweat dripping off my bill was distracting my concentration. No matter how much Gatorade and water I drank, I could not quench my thirst.
Jesus came to give us living water, so that we could grow in his character and give him away.As I think about unquenchable thirst, I cannot help but think about Jesus who offers us a living water. In the fourth chapter of John, we read a story often referred to as “The Woman at the Well.” In this account, we find Jesus encountering an outcast Samaritan woman alone in the middle of a hot Middle Eastern day. He asked her for a drink of the cold water she had just pulled up from the well.
Surprised that a Jewish man would even speak to her, because Jews refused to have anything to do with Samaritans, she replied, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”
Jesus responded with words that were meant for all of us: “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” He then said, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.”
Do you know this living water? Do you feel like a wellspring of it? God wants us to have rivers of living water flowing out of our hearts. His desire for all of us is to be filled with the love and character of Christ so that we can give him away to the world. The way he fills us with this bubbling spring is through the Holy Spirit, and as we walk with him we learn how to minister as Jesus to the world. The worst thing that can happen to us is that we bottle this in and not share it with others. When we don’t allow it to flow, it becomes stagnant and spiritually so do we.
This is the reason John later wrote to the church of Laodicea these oft misunderstood words, “I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other! But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!” (Revelation 3:15-16). Laodicea was extremely wealthy and successful as a city, but they had become complacent in their faith. They had become spiritually stale, just like the putrid water their town was known for, and were not blessing those around them like the nearby churches of Colossae (which happened to have fresh mountain water) and Hierapolis (which possessed natural hot springs that many people traveled to for rest and relaxation).
Jesus came to give us living water, so that we could grow in his character and give him away. Nobody wants lukewarm water when they need refreshment. It’s just like the Starbucks menu—they have many cold and hot choices, but you’ll never find a lukewarm drink option.
Ask God what spiritual gifts of refreshment he’s given you to share with others, and make sure you don’t become complacent with them in your comfort in this world. He gave you the Holy Spirit not just for your own edification, but also for you to bless the world around you.
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Josh Nelson
August 23, 2017
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The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.