Living Water

John 4:13-14 – Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (NIV)

My mother has a number of African violets blooming and looking healthy. Recently, she went away for a month on vacation. When she got back, she was saddened to see that her violets were dry and very, very thirsty. They looked horrible, and they desperately needed water. She watered them all and loved them. In a week's time, they looked healthy again.

Our spiritual life is like that as well. We all seem to go on vacation from God. When things are humming along smoothly, somehow we don't need God as much. This summer, I experienced something profound. When I attend our regular church, I feel fed spiritually, and my battery is recharged again for the week. Generally, I struggle with doing daily devotions, and most often, I don't get them done unless I'm the leader of a care group. This summer, we went on vacation, literally, and went to a church that is temporarily without a pastor. There was no message, and no recharging of my battery. I realized with great clarity that we shouldn't count on our weekly recharging on Sundays, and that this is why we should be seeking God throughout the week, every day. That Sunday, I was thirsty, very thirsty for the living water. I felt like I had missed out on a wonderful treasure.

Just like my mother's violets, we cannot live without water. In our case, it's living water. Let's see if we can water ourselves daily, so that we can grow. Without it, we will die spiritually, and we will not grow.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank You for the reality of Your living water that You give to us so freely. Help us not to waste Your precious water, Lord, but to drink it all in, so that You can refresh us every day. In Your name we pray. Amen.