Today’s Reading: John 4:1-15
Hearing God’s Voice for Today:
“Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water I will give him will become to him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
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When Jesus talked with the Samaritan woman at the well, he wanted her to know why he had left heaven and come to earth. He came to satisfy the deepest longings of the human heart. He came for her and you to drink his eternal water that satisfies the soul forever.
She misunderstood Jesus’ initial teaching. She thought he was speaking about drawing literal water from the town well. She was hoping Jesus would help make her daily manual labor easier.
Too many people think that way as well. They are longing for earthly realities to satisfy their eternal souls. They fail to understand the spiritual, eternal world of which Jesus speaks and teaches.
But Jesus came to earth to birth within people a new spiritual, eternal life. He came to place a well of living spiritual water within their souls so they would never thirst again. This living water is the Holy Spirit—the third person of the Godhead.
When the Holy Spirit is invited to indwell your heart, Jesus’ eternal presence of limitless love bubbles up and overwhelms you. His plan and purpose for your life is revealed. Life has new meaning.
There are two kingdoms surrounding you—an earthly one and a heavenly one. The Lord’s kingdom is not of this world. His kingdom is gloriously eternal. This earthly kingdom is temporary and transient. It is fading away, along with what people crave.
Jesus’ eternal kingdom will last forever. You enter it when your heart is born of the Spirit—his living water drenching your parched soul. It is an eternal well that rises up and overflows your soul. Only this living water can satisfy your deepest longings.
That’s what Jesus was trying to teach this woman. And that’s what he wants you to know today. As the deer pants for water, Jesus wants your soul to long for his living water.
Are you a citizen of his eternal kingdom? Do you know the reality of his living water within you? Are you allowing your deepest longings to be met solely by his spiritual life inside you? Or are you still seeking meaning in the tawdry, temporary realities of this world?
From the time Jesus entered you, his eternal grace, mercy, and kindness grows. He removes your stony, stubborn heart and gives you a tender, responsive heart. You rest in his strength. Your dry soul is renewed by his presence. You belong to him. You are his prized possession. He is yours. You are his.
Let Jesus’ living water flow in and through your life today. He will satisfy your heart’s every longing. He will overwhelm you with his love.
That’s his promise to you.
[from “Hearing the Voice of God” by Pastor David Chadwick, Moments of Hope Church, Charlotte, NC]