Thirsty World

John 4:14: “ …whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

Funny the impact a completely random event can have…like the time I was on safari in a hot, dry, uninhabited region of Tanzania and our party came upon a native pushing a dugout canoe riding atop his dilapidated bike. He was returning from a trek to gather a store of dried fish for his family. When we found him, he was lost, disoriented and literally dying of thirst. He begged for water. We had a good but limited supply of water with us. The man was a perfect stranger. So what did we do? We gave him water of course!

Even as he gulped down the water, Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman at the well came to me, …“ whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water…will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” In that far off place, I was reminded that the world is full of “thirsty” people who desperately need the “Living Water” Jesus offers, the Holy Spirit of Salvation. As someone who has drank that Living Water, I had to ask myself how could I NOT offer the hope of Living Water, available in unlimited supply, to the thirsty and dying in my life, many of whom are, rather than strangers, people I know and care about. And the only cost to me is the fear of rejection, but to those who receive that Living Water, the reward is immeasurable – salvation and eternal life!

Posted by David Morris