John 4:14 - Living Water.
John 4:14 (NIV) whoever drinks the
water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the
water I give them will become in them a spring of
water welling up to eternal life."
John 4:14 (NLT) those who drink the
water I give will never be thirsty again. It
becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving
them eternal life.
COMMENTARY PEARL
My wife, Cathe, likes Indian food. During
some of her childhood she lived in Malaysia,
where she ate all kinds of exotic Asian and Indian
food.
I, on the other hand, dont really like
Indian food. I grew up in Southern California,
where I ate hamburgers and French fries. I also
ate TV dinners. I dont know whether you could
actually call TV dinners from the 1950s and 1960s
food, but that is what I ate.
So when I go to an Indian restaurant with
Cathe every now and then, Ill order some rice,
bread, and something with chicken. And all I know
is that afterward Im still hungry and want
something to fill my stomach. It just doesnt leave
me satisfied.
In the same way, we can chase after all
the things the world says will satisfy us. But
in reality, it will leave us empty. And we can
learn this the hard way or the easier way.
Let me appeal for a moment to those who
are still young: Dont find this out the hard
way. I know people who have wasted decades of
their lives figuring this out the hard way. Figure
it out at an early age. You dont have to
waste years of your life.
Those of us who are older know a few
things because weve lived life. And I can tell
you this: you can miss a lot of misery. At the
ripe old age of seventeen, I started on a course
that Im still on today. And Ive never
regretted being on this path of following Christ. Not
once.
Chasing after other things wont
satisfy you, but Christ will. He is the Bread of
Life that will satisfy your spiritual hunger. He
is the Living Water that will satisfy your
spiritual thirst. [Greg Laurie from Harvest
Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
Jesus says, "The one who believes in
Mewill have streams of living water flow from deep
within him." (John 7:38) The Amplified Bible
translates this passage: "He who believes in Me
From his innermost being shall flow continuously
springs and rivers of living water. But He was
speaking here of the Spirit, whom those who believe
in Him were afterward to receive."
Are our lives truly like this? Do fresh
springs flow out of us day after day? If not, why
not? The answer is simple - there can be no
outflow unless there is an intake. This is the
rhythm of the Holy Spirit - intake and outflow. If
there is more intake than outflow, then the intake
stops; if there is more outflow than intake, then
the outflow stops. The doors open inward to
receive, only to open outward to give.
When we come to talk about life in the
Spirit, we are not to think in terms of a reservoir
which has only limited resources. Life is a
channel, attached to infinite resources. The more we
draw on these resources, the more we have. There
is no danger of exhausting one's resources. We
do not have to hold back - for the more we
give, the more we have.
Living on the overflow is what many of us
lack today. A sign could be put up over our
individual and collective lives saying, "Life Limited."
According to Jesus' promise, however, when the Spirit
comes, life is unlimited: "From his innermost being
shall flow rivers of living water." Not rivulets,
not trickles, not brooks, not streams - but
rivers. Rivers!
O God, help me to link my channel to Your
infinite resources. Flow through me until I become a
flowing river - no, an overflowing river. In Jesus'
name. Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with
Selwyn Hughes devotional]
One of the most fundamental things God wants
to do for us is to satisfy our hunger and
thirst - at the very deepest levels of need.
Virtually all of our addictions, compulsions and
codependent patterns stem from inner hungers, from holes
in our souls that long to be filled. We've
tried so hard to fill them from the outside with
our substances and habits, but Jesus is saying
that he can fill us from the inside, and that his
filling will truly satisfy our hunger and thirst -
forever. [Life Recovery Devotional SB]
We don't want to live this life thirsty.
If we don't let God satisfy our thirst, then
instead of loving people, we try to get them to
satisfy our thirst. We can end up demanding things
from them that they're not designed to fulfill.
For instance, if we're living thirsty, instead
of loving our kids and releasing them to be who
God created them to be, we try to shape them
into people who do what makes us proud. Or we
choose a job that will make us feel like we matter.
When our thirst is met in God and we know
he created us, loves us, enlisted us, and is
empowering us, then we will seek first his kingdom and
not our own. It is so much more fulfilling to be
a part of accomplishing God's purposes than
our own limited purposes that fall short of what
God designed for us. Our limited purposes can
never really satisfy our souls the way God can.
If we drink deeply of God's living water,
then we'll be free to love others and do God's
work in the world. [The Daniel Plan 365-Day
Devotional]
ILLUSTRATION
I live in California, and every decade or
so we experience drought. The rain stops. The
hills turn brown. Summer brush fires break out.
And cities clamp down on water usage. Everyone
is asked to let their front lawns suffer to
save water. Instead of having lush green patches
of grass lining the streets, everyone starts
cultivating rock gardens and succulents to keep up
appearances.
Water is precious. Water is life. And
Jesus is the Living Water. We need a constant flow
of His love and grace to nurture growth. We
need His refreshing truth and life-altering
forgiveness. The overflow of His goodness lets us
flourish in every way.
There have been long seasons in my life
when my faith has felt dry and dusty. Hope has
hardened into doubt. Grief, financial difficulties,
and the general stresses of life have drained me
of His presence. I have felt like my spirit is
one of those parched patches of California
earth. But Jesus never looks at my hard heart and
says, "Oh man, she will never grow again." Or,
"I'm done with her. She has failed me one too
many times." Instead, He says, "I am right here.
Come find me and never thirst again."
Jesus is all about new life, restoration,
and new growth. Dry seasons are a part of this
life. But He is always waiting to fill us up with
His refreshing presence. by Susanna Foth
Aughtmon
Faith Step: Find a dry patch of dirt in
your yard and water it. See how quickly it
absorbs the water. Ask Jesus to bring new life to
the hard places of your heart and fill you up.
[Mornings With Jesus 2019 Devotional by Guideposts and
Zondervan]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Johan, a young man from the Netherlands,
became a missionary to the Bedouins and nomads
living near Israel's stark and desolate Sinai
Desert - to a forgotten people in an overlooked
corner of the world. Johan learned many lessons
from the people of the desert, but one thing
impressed him deeply. The Bedouins consider it worse
than murder to know of a source for water in the
wilderness and yet neglect to tell fellow travelers.
Why? Because anyone going six hours in that harsh
environment during the summer would perish.
People in today's values - vacant,
anything-goes culture can't always hide a deep spiritual
thirst. As Christians, we know very well where the
water source is. In today's Scripture, Jesus says,
Whoever drinks the water I give them will never
thirst. And here is the hard truth: If your
neighbors, coworkers, and relatives don't know Christ,
they will die of spiritual thirst. Today, then -
somehow, some way - lead them to the Living Water.
Jesus, You are the artesian spring in my
life, the headwaters of everything pure, fresh,
and good. I have found refreshment in Your
presence and satisfaction for my deepest thirst. Show
me, by Your Holy Spirit, creative ways to shape
conversations, write notes, give gifts - whatever it takes
- to point people toward You. [A Spectacle of
Glory by Joni Eareckson Tada and Larry Libby]
PRACTICAL APPLICATION
I am creating something new in you: a
bubbling spring of Joy that spills over into others'
lives. Do not mistake this Joy for your own or try
to take credit for it in any way. Instead,
watch in delight as My Spirit flows through you to
bless others. Let yourself become a reservoir of
the Spirit's fruit.
Your part is to live close to Me, open to
all that I am doing in you. Don't try to control
the streaming of My Spirit through you. Just
keep focusing on Me as we walk through this day
together. Enjoy My Presence, which permeates you with
Love, Joy, and Peace. (John 3:8; Gal. 5:22) [Jesus
Calling by Sarah Young]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2010/20100507-1053.html
EXCELLENT VIDEO SERIES ON 28 REVELATIONS OF
JESUS
1st of 28: Divine Dining:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_7j1QIKqmY
2nd of 28: Pictures of the Divine:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3lNI-OQ7-eQ
3rd of 28: A Dirty Bible:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkPvBuuFd4
4th of 28: Cared For:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztXyJVdcCds
5th of 28: Saved:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HX45kGRe1HI
6th of 28: You Can Change:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xd0gkvK18fo
7th of 28: Reprogramming Our Brains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ov36f_RapXc
8th of 28 Our Holy Father:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XabXLEXsxbY
9th of 28 Gifts of Service:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HtuGZviodkA
10th of 28 The Holy Spirit:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in89XVs4cGo
Live ongoing series in progress.
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
