by Sharon Jaynes
visit her website at: www.sharonjaynes.com.
Today's Truth
"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 4:13 NIV).
Friend to Friend:
Most of us know the story of the Samaritan woman who met Jesus when she came to draw water from the well. He offered her more than water. He offered her living water. He offered her himself. (John 4)
I haven't met a person yet who hasn't experienced some degree of spiritual thirst. The thirst may manifest itself in a pursuit of material possessions, a string of relationships, an attempt to make a name for oneself, an impressive portfolio, high achieving children, over-pack schedules, just to name a few. The woman at the well had been married four times and the man she was currently living with was not her husband. But did she find satisfaction in men? No, she was still thirsty for something more. Jesus knew exactly what she needed, even if she did not.
I love the writings of C.S. Lewis, and in one of his books, The Silver Chair, he paints a beautiful picture of the source to quench our thirst. The book is in a series titled The Chronicles of Narnia. In this particular book, a young girl, Jill, finds herself in this wonderful magical land. Asland is a great Lion and represents the Jesus character throughout the series. Jill had heard about the Lion and was a bit afraid of coming across him. While looking for water to quench her parching thirst, she indeed did see him. Let's join her by the river.
The Lion spoke first..."If you are thirsty, you may drink... Are you thirsty?"
"I'm dying of thirst," said Jill.
"Then drink," said the Lion.
"May I-could I-would you mind going away while I do?" asked Jill.
The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl. And as Jill gazed at its motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.
The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her nearly frantic.
"Will you promise not to - do anything to me, if I do come?" asked Jill.
"I make no promise," said the Lion.
Jill was so thirsty now, that without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.
"Do you eat girls?" she said.
"I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms," said the Lion. It didn't say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry. It just said it.
"I daren't come and drink," said Jill.
"Then you will die of thirst," said the Lion.
"Oh dear!" said Jill, coming another step nearer. "I suppose I must go and look for another stream then."
"There is no other stream," said the Lion. (C.S. Lewis, The Silver Chair (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1953) 16-17.
Oh dear sister, there is no other river to quench the thirst in our soul. Only Jesus, the Living Water, can satisfy and as long as we look to anyone or anything other than Him, our thirst will go unmet.
YaYa Sister, come drink from the river today.
