Drinking in the Holy Spirit

 

Drinking In the Holy Spirit

Red-Letter Words of Jesus

Day 44

Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.” John 4:13-14 (NKJV)

In Jesus’ day, people in Samaria understood thirst. The terrain was barren and the climate hot and dry. Wells and cisterns were vital to the survival of humans and animals alike. Those who lived in the region could relate to “as the deer pants for the water brooks” mentioned in Psalm 42:1. They probably experienced the deep ache of parched mouths and swollen tongues.

Not even in her wildest dreams could the Samaritan woman imagine a fountain of fresh water springing up in her arid surroundings. No wonder the Samaritan woman desired this everlasting water to quench her craving once and for all.

Of course, Jesus didn’t refer to water which she could drink from and never thirst again. This was a metaphor with a deeper meaning. He wanted to her understand the second part of Psalm 42:1 which states, “So pants my soul for You, O God.”

Jesus wanted her to see her dry and thirsty spirit longing for God. He offered her the only means of true satisfaction for her deepest yearnings. Jesus offered her the living water of the Holy Spirit, a gift that could continually refresh her soul.

All those things she desperately longed for…unconditional love, acceptance, forgiveness, mercy, kindness…were hers if she received the Holy Spirit into her life and allowed Him to transform her. He was a fountain she could draw from on an ongoing basis.

Perhaps you’ve seen cartoons on television where a character is lost in the desert. With the sun burning hot, he crawls on his knees across the television screen with sweat pouring off his head and his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Spiritually, that’s what I look like when I don’t spend time drinking from the fountain of living water the Holy Spirit freely offers me.

Father, thank You for showing me (and the Samaritan woman) that the only way to quench my spiritual thirst is with an ongoing drink fest with the Holy Spirit. It’s through Your Spirit that my spirit can be satisfied. When I pant for you, please quench the longing in my soul. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

https://biblehub/commentaries/barnes/John/4.htm

https://biblehub/commentaries//gill/John/4.htm

https://biblehub/commentaries/ellicott/John/4.htm

https://biblehub.commentaries/pulpit/John/4.htm

Through the Eyes of the Flesh

 Through the Eyes of the Flesh

The “Red-Letter Words” of Jesus

Day 43

The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

The Samaritan woman tried to understand Jesus’ spiritual truths through the eyes the of her flesh and current situation. Sir, I’m all in. Give me this water so I won’t ever thirst and won’t have to perform this tedious task anymore. Bring it on.

Don’t be too harsh on the Samaritan woman because if you’re judging her worldly response, you’re judging me too. Even though I’m a Christian and Jesus’ Spirit lives within me, there are times I forget it’s not about the flesh. When I do forget, I’m off on one of my tangents seeking things that don’t satisfy.

Let me get real with you. While working on this devotion I became sidetracked by Facebook. I posted something on a denominational page and wondered if anyone had responded to it. Right in the middle of a sentence in the second paragraph, I logged onto Facebook to see folks’ reaction to what I posted. Sadly, I was looking for a feel-good moment to validate myself apart from Jesus. (Smack dab in the middle of me trying to be spiritual no less.)

Since I’m being vulnerable why not continue. (Gulp.) I’ve been stuffing my face more than I’ve been feeding my soul. There, I said it. A few years ago, I lost forty pounds but over the past couple of years I’ve packed quite a bit of it back on. Why? Because I want instant, endorphin-filled (think dark chocolates) gratification. It never lasts and I find myself back in the kitchen again. (I know the issue isn’t “what I’m eating but what’s eating me.” That’s an issue for another time.)

It’s easy to judge the Samaritan woman for her fleshly response, and yet, here I am as a Christian seeking carnal things knowing they won’t satisfy me.

In the next devotion, we’ll look at the fountain of water which can satisfy the dryest of souls; the Samaritan woman’s and mine.

Father, forgive me where I’ve looked elsewhere for satisfaction and validation. Forgive me for investing my time in stuff that will never quench my thirst. Please satisfy the hungering and thirsting in my soul with Your living water. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Give Me a Drink/Part Four

Give Me a Drink/Part Four

The "Red-Letter Words" of Jesus

Day 42

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. Then the woman of Samaria said to him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." The woman said to Him, "Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?" John 4:9-12 NKJV)

I like this woman's feistiness. She certainly didn’t have an issue telling it like she saw it. Jesus asked for a drink, and she confronted Him about the propriety of a Jewish man talking with a Samaritan woman. Wouldn’t He be soiled through His association with a lowly Samaritan? Jesus chose to ignore her barbs.

(Although the Jews and Samaritans didn't like each other, she did exaggerate about the two groups interacting together. Despite their animosity, the disciples did go into the Samaritan village of Sychar to purchase food.)

Jesus turned the tables on her. He started His conversation by asking for a drink of water. Then He told her that, if she really knew Him, she would ask Him for a drink. He didn't offer her stagnant well water either but "living water" - fresh water flowing from eternal springs. Of course, Jesus spoke metaphorically of spiritual things.

Since her spiritual senses hadn’t engaged yet, she challenged Jesus's claim. Who did He think He was anyway? A gift of God? Yeh, right. Was He better than Jacob who dug the well? After all, the Samaritans were distant, mixed descendants of Jacob's. Besides, He didn’t even have a bucket or ladle to draw water for Himself or her. She was no fool.

She sounds like me before I became a Christian. I didn’t know who Jesus was either. I do recall mocking Him and His followers. I’m so thankful He opened my spiritual eyes to see Him as the one true gift from God offering eternal life.

Father, thank You that I can drink of eternal life through the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ. Thank You for opening my understanding to spiritual things. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

 

https://biblehub/commentaries/barnes/John/4.htm

https://biblehub/commentaries//gill/John/4.htm

https://biblehub/commentaries/ellicott/John/4.htm

https://biblehub/commentaries/expsitors/John/4.htm

https://biblehub.commentaries/pulpit/John/4.htm

 

He Is My Portion

I'm going to change directions for a few days and focus on something else that is important to me. Living a healthy lifestyle. I posted three articles on my Facebook and now I want to share them here. This 2nd article was written on 7/25/23.

He Is My Portion

"The Lord is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I hope in Him!" Lamentations 3:24

Time for honesty. (Gulp.) I've been struggling with my addiction to unhealthy foods. My desire is to live a balanced and healthy lifestyle which I succeeded in doing for about two and half years. The past three months, yeh, not so much. Yesterday, the Lord reminded me that He is my portion. My hope isn't in the half gallon of cookie dough ice cream I want to consume or the dozen frosted sugar cookies calling my name. (Not to mention both have gluten in them and gluten makes me sick.) My hope is in Him. Only He can satisfy the thirsting and hungering in my soul.

Yesterday and today have been good days. Thank you, Jesus. I haven't been able to say that for three months. However, even if I blow it, my hope is still in Him. He reminded of the previous two verses in Lamentations...His mercies are new every morning. Great is His faithfulness.