If You Only Knew...

I just can't get enough icy cold water these days.  The heater is on in the house, and the air is so dry.  Lukewarm tap water doesn't seem to satisfy...all that I want is water that has been chilled to a pre-ice status in my cold refrigerator.  Because of the hot, dry air, I am running back and forth to the kitchen, passing the kids as I go because they, too, are thirsty.  Imagine my surprise today when we got to church and the pastor's message was on the same topic.  He talked about a deep and never-ending thirst and about the Samaritan woman at the well in Sychar.  Read John 4:4-42.  The story is intriguing, comical, precious, mystical, awe-inspiring....the story embodies the very reason that Jesus came. 

In a nutshell, Jesus was traveling and decided to take the road that went through Samaria.  Jews in that day usually chose to go around, but Jesus didn't worry about on-going spats.  He didn't even worry that interacting with a Samaritan woman and drinking from her bucket would make him ceremonially unclean.  He asked for a drink, and she challenged this desire with the fact that she was Samaritan and He, a Jew.  His response was powerful.  (John 4:10) "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." 

Our Pastor told this true story.  He and his wife went into Brookstone several years back.  It was Christmas shopping season, and they were playing around with all the fabulous massage chairs, telescopes, outdoor speakers... They were having fun in a store filled with gadgets.  His wife spotted a hairbrush that cost $29 and said it was what she wanted for Christmas.  He said, "Well...that's a lot for a hairbrush."  Instead, he picked up $11 worth of little stocking stuffers and went to pay for them.  The lady at the register asked if he had a scratch card.  When they were walking into the store, a sales associate had give them a card.  He handed it to the lady, and she scratched it off.  She looked at him oddly and walked away to confer with a manager.  The manager walked over and said, "I heard there was one of these in existence out there somewhere, but I never thought I'd see it."  The card was good for 100% off the purchase.  This really happened.  He asked if he could pick something else out, but the rules were that the person at the register scratched the card for the items rung up.  It was too late.  He got 100% off of $11.  Wow.

When Jesus looked at the Samaritan woman, He said in essence, "If you only knew who I am, you would ask me for so much more."  We are like the man with the scratch card at Brookstone!  If we only knew who God is and what is available to us, the possibilities are endless!  You see, we ask for a better parking spot at the mall...we ask for a good score on a test...we ask for relief from a headache.  But do we ask for the infilling of the Holy Spirit of God?  Do we receive the presence of the Almighty God to be in us, working through us, on a regular basis?  The Holy Spirit is the Living Water.  This is available to everyone.  It is an inexhaustible wellspring of the life of God.  This is for us the mind of Christ in every situation, the true riches, the Divine purpose, the oil of gladness, the all-sufficient Grace, all-consuming love of God.  We seek a thing in a moment, but God wants to give us the never-ending and abundant spring of Living Water to work in and through us. 

I have had a good, deep drink of water in my life, but the truth is that it did not satisfy for very long.  I still want a good, deep drink of water.  Chances are, I will never get that one singular drink that quenches all my natural thirst until the end of time.  Our spirits are like that, too.  We are forever in need of the refreshing infilling water of the Spirit of God, and we have all that we need readily available to us. Why wouldn't everyone want Living Water? 

My challenge for you is this:  Realize who God is. Know that His awesome presence is with you.  Ask Him to give to you from the inexhaustible wellspring of His Spirit.

Eco-friendly tip:  Invest in a reusable water bottle.  Don't keep buying bottled water.  Many of those companies fill the bottles with filtered tap water.  It's the same thing you can do at home.  Get a filtered pitcher and refill your own reusable bottle.  Don't just use a plastic bottle that came with water or soda because they aren't made for reuse and can release chemicals, etc, over time.  And keep on drinking water!