Parched for Jesus

 

Scripture

John 4:14

 ¹⁴ but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (NRSV)

Devotion

 Water: it is essential to life.  And yet, if you live in a place with reliable access to clean water, it is easy to take for granted.  Or at least it is until you find yourself cut off from your supply.  That's when you remember just how precious and necessary water really is.  Without water, grass turns scorched, brown, and brittle.  The plants that are supposed to feed us shrivel and become stunted.  The average person will die after about 3 days without anything to drink.  Turning on a spigot and having nothing come out (even if the problem only lasts for an hour) is enough to ramp up my anxiety.

Our relationship with God is like our relationship with water.  The more God's blessings flow into our lives, the more likely we are to take them for granted.   When life is good and abundant, it's easy to slack off on keeping spiritually hydrated.  We say we'll get around to reading scripture, praying, going to church, or acting in God's name later.  Then, when life gets hard and we find ourselves in need of comfort, wisdom, or direction, we realize that it's been a long time since we've taken a sip of the water God offers us. We are parched for spiritual help, but we've forgotten where or how to get a drink.  It doesn't take long for us to feel shriveled, stunted, or even near death.

We may have trouble remembering where and how to find it, but God's life-giving water is always close at at hand.  All we have to do is come to Christ and ask for some.  Our thirst can be quenched through scripture reading, prayer, or spending time with another person of faith who we trust.  It can be found in works of service on behalf of Christ's kin-dom and in moments of stillness with our Christ.  It is found anywhere that two or more gather in Christ's name.  And the more often we drink from them, the easier it will be to quench our thirst in our times of need.

Rather than waiting the moments when we are dying of spiritual thirst, let's try to do better about drinking from Jesus's water every day.  And when we find someone else in need of help, let us offer them a drink from that same fountain.  For those who come to Christ and partake of the blessings God has to offer us, then will find what they need to make it through life's dry and barren moments.

 

Prayer

 Jesus, I come to you because I am thirsty...because I know I need your spring of water in order to survive.  Fill me with your goodness, so that I may gain new life and share your blessings others.  Amen.