~ A Long, Cool Drink ~

[Lani]

John 4:5-15

5 Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.



“[Jesus] cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’” John 7:37-38 (NRSV)




Each spring, I love seeing my patio planters overflowing with colorful flowers; coral petunias, blue lobelia, dusty miller. The planters never look better than when I first set the nursery-bred plants in the pots. I water them well each day for a week or two, happy for rainy days when God does the job for me. But I am soon distracted and forget to keep the flowers watered. After just a few warm days, every flower stem bends and the foliage droops down the sides of the pots. I fear the worst. But I’m thankful that if the soil is not completely dried up, I can water the plants and see them revive.

This makes me realized that I need to water of God’s word as desperately as my patio flowers need water. If I forget reading the Bible and praying, I will soon droop. The stresses of life can overwhelm me, just as my flowers wither in the heat.

Yet those who believe in Christ tap into an endless supply of water. Jesus promised that if we come to him and believe in him, streams of living water will flow from within us. When I take time to read my Bible each morning, I feel stronger – more able to survive the day. When I see my patio flowers drooping for lack of water, I run for the hose. But I also stop and think, Have I turned to Christ lately for a cool drink of the water of life?



Prayer:Dear Lord, refresh us daily by the water of your word that we may grow and mature in you. Amen.

Prayer Focus of Day: Gardeners


Story shared by: S. Funk (PA)
Source: Upper Room Daily Devotional: 3/7/12