When The Thirst is REAL!

[13] “Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, [14] 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.”

- John 4:13-14

It’s funny that Jesus used the term thirsty because in our urban usage of the word, 'thirsty' means to be way too eager to get something to the point of desperation. When someone says “girl you’re thirsty” that is not necessarily a good thing because that’s just another way of saying you’re desperate usually referring to lusting over a person. The meaning is quite the same when we look at the point Jesus was trying to make to the Samaritan woman.

Ask yourself this question: Am I thirsty? 

Whatever your answer is and whatever your thirst may be, you need to understand that Jesus said your thirst will NEVER be quenched unless you drink from HIM! I can prove to you just how ineffective it is to try and quench a thirst when you don’t go to Christ to quench it FOR YOU! 

When you are thirsty for worldly things, just as Jesus was explaining to the Samaritan woman, you will keep craving those things. Even once you fulfill what you desired, that thirst will never actually be quenched. For example, how many times have we wished to have a boyfriend/girlfriend? Let’s be honest, as young people, we often times think about how lonely we are and start thinking that the solution to fix this problem is hopping into a relationship. Now for those of us who have taken that route in the past, did you finally feel fulfilled? Were you truly happier? Less lonely? More at peace with yourself? Was your thirst ever quenched?......... The answer probably is no! You may have been happier and less lonely at first, but a couple months down the road or even a year after, did you still feel happy EVERY SINGLE DAY when you were with this person? Were there not days that you still felt lonely maybe even lonelier than ever? Could you truly tell me your desire for more had gone away?

This is how it goes… when you’re in a relationship for the sole purpose of being fulfilled, when that fire or that spark dies, you will try to reignite it sometimes in ways that aren't exactly godly... you will think that the reason you are STILL thirsty is because you probably haven't tried 'new' things with your partner... But even after trying that, you will still feel as if it's someone's fault that you still feel empty, either yours or the other persons so it will be a constant blame game. Notice that this is not only true for romantic relationships but also friendships!!! We sometimes start looking at our friends for that sense of completeness and this is dangerous since it's very easy to start having unrealistic expectations for them. Particularly in terms of them having to make you feel happy all the time, make you feel secure, make you feel wanted and make you feel appreciated… that is normal but wrong! Simply because they will never ever be able to measure up to your expectations because there will always be more, more, more that they could be doing. Do you get where I'm going with this? There will ALWAYS BE THAT THIRST!!

Understand that we all have a well or a cup that only Jesus is willing and able to fill to the point of OVERFLOW! He promised the Samaritan woman that if she just drank from Jesus, she would never thirst again. This is what Jesus is trying to make us understand… If only you read His word and hear what He has to say about you, if only you listen quietly to hear how He loves you, if only you obey and walk in His ways, you will see just how satisfying He is. If only you look to Him to fill that void, you will never ever feel the need to bend backwards and go up and down again in search of what and who will make you feel complete or fulfilled.

So ANY, stop looking at your accomplishments for satisfaction. It doesn't matter if you have 3 degrees, a perfect A+ average, or if you're at the top of your class, you will still never ever ever feel fulfilled without Christ. You may even be a sport champion or the MVP of your sports league but never feel fulfilled without Christ… You may even work 3 jobs, drive the nicest car and have all the money, the silver, the gold and diamonds you could ever possibly want and need but still NEVER FEEL FULFILLED. Why do you think so many seemingly happy and rich people are still miserable and some still commit suicide? It's pretty obvious at this point... No one and nothing in this world will give you the true satisfaction and feeling of completeness if not for Christ. These are not my words... JESUS SAID THAT!

The rewards of drinking from Jesus' cup

Do you want to know why it's so great to drink from Jesus’ cup and chasing after Him? Because He will give you what you want either way (if it’s according to His will). 

- You want good grades? Don’t forsake God… don’t rely on your own strength, don’t skip out on church... seek him! Run after him! Look up to him! And He will give you whatever you want… He will add on! 

- You want to be married? There’s no point in trying to look fly everyday yet have a struggled prayer life… seek God! Fall in love with God! Make him your everything!!! And He will add the rest on top! 

- You want to feel financially secure? There is no point in working 3 jobs and a half and be greedy by not giving your tithe… look up to God! Look in His word… Look at what He says about your situation. Trust Him!! And He will be just and faithful enough to give you your hearts desires.

We need to stop wasting our time and energy chasing after anything or anyone that is not Christ… that is what the bible calls “chasing the wind” Ecclesiastes 1-3 and what I call overproduction. In fact, if you’re working SO hard in trying to earn someone’s affection and to attract their attention, or studying SO hard to graduate top of your class for the sole purpose of feeling fulfilled, trying to attain these things without actually looking to be filled by Christ first will just mean you’re working in vain… its meaningless! Considering you will still feel that same void, emptiness and hollowness.

What can we do to avoid being thirsty?

1. ASK GOD TO FILL YOU UP

It’s as simple as telling God that you cannot make it in life on your own… you need humility for this! You need to stop what you’re doing, you need to stop chasing what you’re chasing and stop drinking from the well you’re drinking from and GO to Christ and tell him that you realize that what you’re doing is pointless if you don’t have Him. If you want to stop going to that well you’ve been going to, you need to ask He who asks you for a drink and he will give you living water (John 4:10)

2. STOP GOING BACK TO THE OLD WELL

Once you've had living water, you will not thirst anymore, that’s a fact. But temptation will come! And you need to remember that there is NOTHING SPECIAL at that other well. You have tasted the best water in the world. Water that never runs dry, water so pure and so perfect… why would you want to go back to that nasty old road side puddle? You might see 10-20 people all huddled up around this dirty old road side puddle of water all fighting and struggling to get a single drip of water… It’s ridiculous! Why do you want dirty water in the first place, second, why would you want to fight just to get one drop when Jesus is offering you an ENTIRE WELL! A replenishing WELL!! Unless that puddle of water gives you super powers, which it does not, you should stick to the living water.

Hope, peace, joy, love, laughter, healing and so much more is only found in Christ. Only he can fill up your cup without it ever running out! During your devotion, always self-reflect, and ask yourself daily “Am I thirsty”. If the answer is yes, RUN TO HIM!

By: Vessel Speaker

Matt 6:33 (NKJV)

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteous and all these things shall be added unto you

Ecclesiastes 2:11 (NKJV)

But as I looked at everything I had worked so hard to accomplish, it was all so meaningless—like chasing the wind. There was nothing really worthwhile anywhere.