The gift of God—living water

John 4:10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” We see Jesus’ reason for demanding a drink from the Samaritan woman. His command to give Him a drink revealed the intensity of His need. I don’t want us to miss what I think is an important insight. This is the second time Jesus used the imperative verb form. Jesus didn’t ask. He commanded her to give Him a drink. He didn’t say, “Would you please give me a drink?” or “I’m thirsty, would you please help me?” Jesus wanted this woman to become aware of her deep and intense need for living water, so He understood the desperate need He had for a drink as the Father’s way of informing Him of her need. He came to the well, weary and aware of His desperate need for what she could give Him. She came to the well, weary and unaware of her desperate need for what He could give her. If she were in touch with the spiritual thirst, she would have engaged Him and asked for what He could give her. We will see that He leans into this later in the conversation by revealing that her spiritual need, her thirst, had led her to drink from the wrong source—men. Jesus revealed three things she didn’t know. She didn’t know what He could give her. She didn’t know who He was, and she didn’t recognize her spiritual thirst. We can take great encouragement from this verse in several ways. One, we know the gift of God—eternal life—and we have it! We have experienced the love of God in Christ, so we should be motivated to tell others of His great gift. And lets’ not miss this. It is a gift! One doesn’t have to earn it or pay for it. It is given freely by the Father. Two, we know who Jesus is. He is Almighty God appearing in flesh. Jesus is the Son of God, the exact representation of the Father, the out flashing of His glory. He is the way, the truth, and the life, and the only way to the Father. We are blessed beyond words. Three, if we have realized our own desperate need of living water, then we have asked Him to give us that living water. We live out of the satisfaction of a never-ending flow of life in Christ. So, when we are weary, we know who to go to, and we know what to ask for—living water. Jesus, dwelling in us, is a source of constant fullness, a well that never runs dry. May we live out of His fullness and invite others to drink from Him. I invite you to become a partner in our ministry. Would you pray about becoming a regular supporter of Elijah Ministries and the Live to Love with Jesus ministry? I hope you will receive the joy and benefit of “giving it forward,” so others may receive encouragement to turn their hearts to God and to live to love with Jesus. You may give online or send a check to the address listed at www.spiritofelijah.com/donate.