NEVER THIRST

NEVER THIRST
March 2, 2018

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank You for giving us all that we need and even many wonderful fun things. Amen.

Scripture: When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “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.”  “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?  Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”  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.” John 4: 7- 14 NIV

I love coffee! (You may need to pause for a few “Amen’s” from your group) As a matter of fact, when I try to describe God’s love and affection for us, I tell people, “He loves us so much He gave us chocolate, cheese, ice cream and coffee!” He could have created us to sustain life in many ways, but He chose to let us eat, gave us taste buds, and then created millions of tasty treats for our palate including coffee. Now I do not like just plain old black coffee.  I like it sweetened with milk and on occasion with some special flavoring and whipped cream on top. Those are the days I think, “It is good to be an adult and be able to get away with dessert for breakfast.”

I have a sweet friend, Sherry, who took one of my Bible study classes that loved coffee more than me. She picked up one of those special coffees on her way to class every week. Imagine my joy when she began bringing me a special coffee before class each week – forget the apple for the teacher routine; she was the best teacher’s pet ever. (I hope you are all awake enough to enjoy this fun story with a smile. I realize as I write this, some of you do not drink coffee and are wondering where in the world is the lesson in this – hang in there.)

One week she brought me a cup with what I though was two straws sticking out of the top. I began to try to drink out of the straws, but nothing came out. I pulled harder, but still nothing. The cup was warm and heavy in my hand so I knew it was full but nothing would come through my straws. When I pulled on the straws too make sure they were not stopped up, the straw (singular) quickly popped out of the hole where it had just been bent in half and shoved into the opening. As it turned out, the straw was just put in there to distinguish my drink from hers. I sat down and laughed, “There is a devotional here.”

You see, the straw was not submerged in the source of what was sweet and satisfying. With both ends of the straw in my mouth, I was pulling from myself and it was leaving me very disappointed. Like the Samaritan woman in our Scripture verses, our lives can be like this, if we draw from worldly things such as our bank accounts, other people, careers, or hobbies to satisfy our needs and define our self-worth.  We will come up empty time and time again. No matter how many trips we make to the “world’s well” we’ll remain thirsty as if drinking from a bent straw. If we turn to Jesus, and drink deep from our Designer, Definer, and Deliverer, our cup will always overflow.

Copyright Kathy Branzell.  Email [email protected]