Your thirst & your drinking problem

To be fully alive is to thirst...deeply. Thirsts come in many sizes, shapes and intensities. Deep thirsts require deep drinks. That's not the issue. Our drinking problem manifests in how we try to slake them.

Like the woman at the well, we take most of our thirsts to a 'Jacob's well.' A place where we've traditionally and habitually gone to fill them. And like her, we keep coming back thirsty: Something's broken and we're worn out in the process. God fingered it this way in Jeremiah: We make our own cisterns and forsake the Living Water.

Me? I don't forsake Him! What drinking problem? Last night at The Deck, we took a deep dive into the encounter between Jesus and the woman at the well in John 4. There are some 10 major points that arise from that conversation that apply to us. Here's a taste.

At one point Jesus says to her, "If you only knew Who I Am and the Gift that I offer..." That's key for us: In our familiarity, habit and hurry we miss the size, power and passion of The Lion before us. We confuse the appeal of His approach with the ascendancy of His authority. We do not comprehend the enormity of WHO IS speaking.

And then what of The Gift? Jesus says it's a pulsing, thriving, vibrant source of forever Life. Have we impoverished the Promise to a trickle? Maybe it is good that we can declare 'the glass is half full' rather than half empty.

But have we missed the point? When did He ever give us anything half? Half-way, half-baked, or half-hearted?

If we're willing to address our drinking problem, Jesus will do the same with us as He did with her. He will gently but firmly, drill down to where we're taking our deep thirsts (i.e. 'Go get your husband') so He can remove the veil and reveal Himself.

I would challenge you with this one thought: Is the pulsing fountain of forever Life thoroughly filling your life? Do you thirst? Perhaps this replay is worth your while. Be encouraged. Remember that His 'thirst' is for you.