Wednesday 23 January 2013

Come to the well . . . and drink . . .



One of my favourite stories in the Bible has to be the one about the Woman at the well. Just in case you are not familiar with it, there is a woman who goes to the village Well to draw water, just like she does on every day . . . only on this one particular day something different happens. She encounters a man sitting near the Well . . . and suddenly,  a chore she has done a thousand times in her life and will do a thousand more becomes a life changing event.

The man quite simply asks her for a drink.  Nothing too amazing about that you say . . . and perhaps not.   People get thirsty all the time and it was in the middle east, which is known to be dry and arid . . . and sometimes very hot.  What was life changing though . . .was not his request for a drink for his parched throat, but in his next statement.

"Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water."
 ~John 4:10


He then told her that God could give her living water, and that she would NEVER thirst again.  Now, aside from the fact that she was a Samaritan, enemy to the Jews, and he was a Jew . . . this is a statement that would bring everyone up short and get our attention.   NEVER thirst again?  Who would not want that kind of water??  In a country where water is a very precious commodity . . . living water must have sounded like a money tree.   Not to mention changing the daily drudgery of her having to draw heavy buckets of water from the well every day and carry her burden back to her home, as well as having her thirst relieved.

"Whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
~John 4:14

The woman then requests this water and in reply he tells her to go and call her husband.   He knows she does not have a husband and sure enough, she replies that she does not.  He then proceeds to make a statement on the fact that she has had five husbands and is now living with a man who is not her husband.


This is a woman . . .  who was clearly searching for something . . . who was filled with longing and loneliness, bereft of a life of meaning and love.  No small wonder the Savior's offer  of living water captured her attention . . . and fills the empty cistern of her heart.

You can read the full account in the Book of John, Chapter 14 . . .

I recently had someone say to me that they don't understand the profit in reading the scriptures, how they didn't understand what possible use these ancient words could be in a modern world . . . if you read them as if they are mere words on a page, dusty and dry . . . you probably would not profit from that exercise, but if you read them seeking a way in which you can apply the words to your life . . . now . . .  well, there is the living water for the parched throat.


Jesus offer of the gift of living water is as clear and meaningful now in these modern times as it was that day at Jacob's well.  It is not an offer which is withheld because we are empty, broken or contaminated . . . filthy or dirty . . . He understands our condition and our plight.  There is nothing that we have done, or seen, or been . . . that He does not have first knowledge of.  He has been there, and He comes with the cleansing water of forgiveness, bidding us drink and be forever refreshed . . . are you thirsty?   Won't you come to the well and drink?

Just my thoughts this morning.



Oh boy, did we ever enjoy Les Miserables yesterday.  I would have to say hands down that it is the best film I have ever seen.  We had seen Les Miserables in the West End a few years ago and loved it then.   We loved this film even more.  It brought it all so much more to life for us.   I cried no less than five times.  If you only go to see one film this year, let it be Les Miserables.   It deserves to be watched on the big screen, truly.  It was worth every penny, and I shall be first in line to buy it when it comes out on DVD!  It was just wonderful.   What a message of hope amidst despair.  If this doesn't walk away with tons of awards this year, I will be amazed!

I'll be calling my mom later today to see how she made out yesterday.  Praying for a miracle.

A thought to carry with you through today:

"It is not possible for the human mind to hold both a positive thought and a negative thought at the same time."
~Lily Tomlin

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Cooking in The English Kitchen today . . . Pork Chops with an Apple, Red Onion and Walnut Sauce.

Can it be Wednesday already?  The week's half over.   Enjoy your day!


 

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