Drinking Christ’s living water quenches eternally
By Don Morris
What is it about water that is so enjoyable on a hot day? When the sun is beating down and the temperature nears 100 degrees, just thinking about dipping my feet in a cool pool or stream brings a sigh of contentment. When I was a kid, my friends and I went fishing at a small lake near our town. We’d often forget about the fishing and just jump in the water! I can remember it feeling so good, and all of us impromptu swimmers had huge smiles on our faces.
Recently I was watering our flowers on a super hot day, and I let the water run over my hands and shoeless feet. Instantly I felt the refreshing sensation of cool water on hot skin. I watched the water run over my hands and onto the flowers and I felt my body cooling down—ah!
And who hasn’t downed a large glass of ice water to quench an intense thirst—the kind when you can barely even swallow. Like hunger, thirst is one of those God-given things that triggers the need to ingest what we require in order to survive. I believe God also gives us these powerful urges so that when we fulfill them, we experience a deep satisfaction and relief.
Life-giving water. Isn’t it interesting how Jesus uses this common, essential substance to bring clarity to what happens when people trust in him? In John 7 Jesus says, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John clarifies that Jesus is comparing living water to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit for those who believe.
“Rivers of living water will flow from within them.” These are incredible words, yet very simple words that immediately draw us to reflect on what we know about water. Like the relief it brings on a hot day, or the fulfillment it brings when we’re “dying of thirst.” Yes, millions of people in America are “dying of thirst.” Millions are looking for life-giving water that can’t be found anywhere else but through Jesus. Oh, they are searching—for anything and everything that might quench their parched souls. But they will never find it until they meet Jesus.
If people who are lost and searching really knew what that living water meant for them, wouldn’t they run and jump into it? Wouldn’t they bask in the feeling it brings as it washes over their heated soul? Wouldn’t they drink and drink and drink to quench the thirst in their spirit? I believe they would if they could just find it and then experience the wonder of immense satisfaction and relief through Jesus.
Which is why we must do everything we can to bring that living water to as many thirsty people as possible. We plant churches in new places. We vociferously proclaim the gospel of living water. We pray, give and work together to make this a reality, so that more…come to know him!
We must do even more.
This article is part of the CL Archives. Articles published between August 2017 and July 2008 were posted on a previous website and are archived here for your convenience. We have also posted occasional articles published prior to 2008 as part of the archive. To report a problem with the archived article, please contact the CL editor at editor@usmb.org.
