WHAT IF YOUR FAUCET POURED BEER?
A New Zealand man returned from a trip with his wife, opened the faucet for a cool drink of water, and discovered beer gushing from the tap. They repeated this process with every faucet in the house, and obtained identical results. Turns out that while they were away, his friends crawled under their house and connected kegs of New Zealand ale to every spigot. He stepped outside and found his friends waiting to surprise him. They shared the brew together.
For beer drinkers, this sounds like a dream come true. But imagine brushing your teeth in beer. Or taking a shower? Or washing your face? Beer might be fun in a glass, but not coming out of every faucet. We all need real water to sustain us.
Scripture uses the metaphor of "living water" to describe the abundant life we experience in Jesus. In John 7:38 Jesus promises his followers, “rivers of living water will flow from within them.” Much of this is a mystery, but we get the concept. Jesus offers us life—real life.
Jeremiah 2:13 presents the contrast. “My people... have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” While God offers us living water, the gods of this world, such as achievement, approval, possessions, entertainment, and control are "broken cisterns,” holding stale water, which leaves us empty.
This world can never satisfy our deepest longings. But the living water of Jesus continually sustains us. As much as the New Zealanders enjoyed it, when the beer ran out, they didn't dash to the store for more kegs. They hooked up their water again. Because whether physical or spiritual, what we long for, what we desperately need, is cool refreshing water. When everything else runs dry, Jesus is the source we were made for.
Ponder:
When do you most sense your need for the living water of Jesus?
What thoughts or actions do you need to surrender to Jesus and allow Him to saturate with living water?
Pursue: For a deeper dive, study John 7:37-39.
Jesus, I release every thought, word and deed to you. Saturate me with your water of life.
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