Thirsty People . . . Living Water
John 4:13-14
Jesus answered and said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but 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."
A sports reporter was invited to the estate of former heavyweight boxing champ, Mohammed Ali. During a tour of the grounds, Ali took the reporter into a refurnished barn which was located at the back of the property. It had been converted to showcase all of Ali's memorabilia, and was filled from floor to ceiling with pictures, articles, plaques, and trophies.
On one wall there were a number of magazine covers displaying his picture. The covers had been enlarged to life-size photographs and framed in glass. As the reporter stood gaping in amazement, Ali walked over to the frames and peered at them. He was perturbed by the traces of droppings from the birds who still made their home in the barn and had no reason to respect their legendary host.
After mumbling under his breath, Ali shuffled to the doorway of the barn and stood staring out into space. When the reporter asked him what he had mumbled earlier, the aged superstar responded, "I once had the world . . . and it was nothing."
What a portrait of our own generation! People are restless and unsatisfied, though laden with earthly treasures. The world searches for relevance and significance, but to no avail. Individuals go from one activity to the next, one fashion to the latest, one relationship to another. They are literally dying of thirst, but hoping that the "new drink" will satisfy them. It never does.
Like billionaire Howard Hughes, whose emaciated body was scarred by needle marks from his addictions, or the millionaire tennis star who was caught shoplifting a fifteen-dollar ring, the population of the world today is in desperate need of satisfying, living water.
Take a look around you at the office, the mall, the library, the grocery store, the park—you are surrounded by thirsty people who are drinking from wells that will never satisfy.
This is the quencher: Through His sacrifice, Christ carved out a well in the midst of the desert, to slake the thirst of our dying world.
Although you cannot force anyone to drink from His well of living water, you can take them to it and tell them how it satisfied your thirst . . . forever!
Prayer Point: Step out of your comfort zone for a moment and pray for someone like Mohammed Ali: a famous actor, musician, athlete, politician, or another person of prominence. Pray that God will bring salvation to that person, and through his or her conversion, many people will see the radical change of lifestyle and also come to Christ.
Extra Refreshment: Read Acts 9.
Many ministries today expound on life and illustrate with Scripture;
we’re committed to expounding on Scripture and illustrating with life!
