Needing water, finding life

What makes you feel alive?
What is your greatest accomplishment?

Those questions have plagued every man, woman, and child for all of human history.  We go to great lengths to “feel alive”, don’t we?  On one end of the spectrum, some of us become adrenaline junkies – whether that means climbing actual mountains, defeating obstacles, or pushing our bodies to the limit.  However, on the other end of the spectrum, some of us take the escapist route from these questions.  We dislike failure so much that we flat-out avoid challenges or potentially difficult situations.  We may even try to hide in things like our job, our homes, or even drugs and alcohol.  Due to life’s circumstances, whether we’ve been responsible for them or if they just happened to us, we can shut down our desire for life-fulfilling, great-accomplishments. 

Of course, we can still recognize passion, drive, and accomplishment in others.  We just don’t believe it’s in the cards for us…but deep down, I think we still desire it.  If only just a little…

During His travels, Jesus met a woman who had resigned herself to the life of an outcast.  Too many things had gone wrong for her.  I think it’s safe to say that her younger self would not have predicted that this is how her life was going to go…but that didn’t stop Jesus from speaking with her:

John 4:7-10
A woman of Samaria came to draw water.
“Give Me a drink,” Jesus said to her, because His disciples had gone into town to buy food.
”How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked Him.  For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.
Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God, and Who is saying to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would ask Him and He would give you living water.”

Water was crucial to surviving in the arid climate of Bible times.  There were no city water lines or taps of running water.  They needed water for cooking, cleaning, and drinking, so having a good source of water was critical to good health and basic survival.  But due to its scarcity in some areas, you had to get water from wherever you could – a nearby pond, stream, spring, or draw it up from a well.  The Samaritan woman was coming to Jacob’s well in order to get the water she needed to sustain her life.

Jesus’ analogy is brilliant.  On a literal level, “living water” is a relatable expression that refers to the much sought-after fresh spring water.  While a stagnant pond would do, it was not preferable.  The best option would be water that is fresh and moving.  It tastes better and is better for you.  That kind of water is alive and gives life.

Although Jesus is steering the conversation into spiritual matters, she’s still focused on the literal drink:

John 4:11-12
“Sir,” said the woman, “you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep.  So where do you get this ‘living water’?  You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you?  He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.”

Did you notice how she offers a slight taunt/challenge?  You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you?  He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock.  Her statement seems to imply that Jacob’s well is still working to this day, btw…so…is your ‘living water’ great enough to top that? 

She is still thinking of Jesus’ living water as something physical.  He has no bucket and the well is deep, so she chides Him with a question about His greatness.  Oh, how often we mock what we don’t understand.  We define greatness by physical accomplishments and how long something lasts on earth after we die.  However, Jesus’ great offer goes further than just this temporal world:

John 4:13-14
Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks from this water will get thirsty again.  But whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never get thirsty again.  In fact, the water I will give him will become a well of water springing up in him for eternal life.”

Jesus’ living water is great enough to quench our deep-seeded thirst and produce eternal life in us, after just one drink.  Complete fullness, no longer unfulfilled.  Living an absolutely real and genuine life…for now and throughout all eternity.  This is what Jesus was offering her.  This is what Jesus offers to all of us.

Could there be anything greater?

Keep Pressing,
Ken

This is THE OFFER of a lifetime

This could be my favorite verse out of everything we’ve looked at in Revelation…and quite possibly my favorite in the entire Bible. 

Revelation 22:17
Both the Spirit and the bride say “Come!”  Let anyone who hears, say, “Come!”  Let the one who is thirsty come.  Let the one who desires take the water of life freely.

A three-fold invitation is being offered here:

The Spirit – He is the third person of the Trinity.  He is the Counselor Jesus promised would come.  His mission since Pentecost has been to convict the world about sin and righteousness and judgment to come (John 16:7-11).  The Holy Spirit is also within each believer as a promise, a seal of their coming redemption and position in the family of God (Ephesians 1:13-14).

The bride – This is church. It is comprised of those who, since Jesus death on the cross, believe in Jesus for eternal life.

Anyone who hears – This goes back to one of Jesus’ favorite sayings in both Revelation and the gospel accounts – “Let anyone who has ears to hear, listen”.  This phrase always implies that the one who hears Jesus’ command will also be the one to do His command; thus being one who “properly hears” what Jesus desires.

Notice that all three have the same welcoming invitation…to come, to join.  But do you see who the invitation is toward?

the one who is thirsty…the one who desires…

The invitation to join God in eternity future is open to whoever, to anyone…and the invitation is given

by God Himself
by the church as a whole
by individuals in the church who hear and do what Jesus commands

let the one who desires take the water of life freely

In Revelation 22:1, we saw that the river of life originates and flows from the throne of God.  That is why it is a free gift…it comes from God, we can do nothing to earn it, nor do we have to maintain it.

Do you, Christian, hear Jesus?  Make the invitation.  If they recognize their thirst for life and accept God’s free gift…they will be eternally grateful – just as we are eternally grateful to that someone who took the time to offer the gift to us.

Keep Pressing,
Ken

A tree and a curse

Because of how broken everything in this world is, I sometimes feel as if it will never end…that the downward spiral will just keep spinning until everything collapses.  But then I remember that Jesus promised He would come back and set everything right…so in the meantime, I really look forward to the day when the weight of this broken world is finally lifted.  Thankfully, we get a preview of what that future life will look like as John continues his description of what he sees inside New Jerusalem:

Revelation 22:1-2
Then he [the angel] showed me the river of the water of life, clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the city’s main street.

I love this scene.

God previously stated: I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. (Revelation 21:6), and in a few verses, we’ll see the offer repeated: Let the one who is thirsty come.  Let the one who desires take the water of life freely. (Revelation 22:17). 

What the angel shows John at the beginning of Chapter 22 confirms God’s offer…that the river of the water of life flows from God.  The free gift isn’t something that we can earn, borrow, or purchase.  We cannot make ourselves worthy of the gift; we don’t add anything to it.  We aren’t responsible to maintain the river of the water of life.  This is a no-strings-attached offer from God to anyone who wants to take Him up on it.

Revelation 22:2-3
The tree of life was on each side of the river; bearing twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit every month.  The leaves of the tree are for healing the nations, and there will no longer be any curse.

“The end” of the curse sounds like a great thing…but what, exactly, is “the curse”?  To answer that question, we’ll have to back to the beginning…

When God confronted Adam and Eve with their selfish, sinful choice to eat from the only forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden, the consequences looked like this:

Genesis 3:16-19
He [God] said to the woman:
              I will intensify your labor pains;
              you will bear children with painful effort.
              Your desire will be for your husband,
              yet he will rule over you.

And He said to the man, …
              The ground is cursed because of you.
              You will eat from it by means of painful labor
              all the days of your life.
              It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
              and you will eat the plants of the field.
              You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow
              until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it.
              For you are dust, and you will return to dust.

No wonder this is called “the curse”!  A woman’s relationships – both to her children and her husband – became significantly more difficult.  A man’s work also became significantly more difficult.  And at the end of all this difficulty was the inevitable return to useless dust. 

We saw before that the creation eagerly waits for the removal of the curse, and we’ve felt the same longing within ourselves (Romans 8:19-23).  In New Jerusalem, the quality of life we’ve longed for has finally arrived.

What will humanity be able to accomplish when sin no longer interferes with relationships – when you can fully trust everything you’re told, when there’s no agenda in the media, when you know you won’t be cheated, or taken advantage of, or abandoned?

What will humanity be able to accomplish when sin no longer interferes with work – when we can freely partner with God in the things He will do in eternity future…and not have to deal with the influences of selfishness, or ego, or greed?

This is where my heart beats faster in anticipation, and I begin to see how great our God is and how magnificent His amazing plan of history is…

There will no longer be any curse.

Keep Pressing,
Ken