Are You ‘Thirsty’? [v229]

MARCH 2018

On March 22nd, the United Nations’ “World Water Day” celebrated 25 years, and this year’s theme explores how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century. In the next decade, our THIRSTY ‘planet’ is forecasted to need twice as much water as it has access to!

Our growing, modernizing world is commanding more water than ever before—and in many places, it is becoming really hard for city planners to supply it reliably. Today, 2.1 billion people live without safe drinking water at home—affecting their health and livelihoods.

Of course, we all should try to conserve, as much as we can, and not waste the water we have access to. However, more than 95% of the water use occurs outside the home. A significant amount is used to supply energy needs. It is used to irrigate the fields to grow food. It extracts the oil from the ground that then is turned into fuel that transports the food to market. It is also used in the manufacturing process to prepare and produce a multitude of products.

So, do you want to help keep the water flowing? Well, energy production is the top user of water. So, conserving electricity is a ‘twofer’—it also conserves water.

As goods move around the globe, so does the water needed to make them, in a sense. So, for example, buying one less shirt/blouse can save up to 700 gallons of water on another continent—so local changes can have global effects.

You can also go ‘meatless’ (vegetarian) once in a while. A burger requires over 600 gallons of water to make—and that’s 15 times more than a soy ‘burger’.

Daily, everyone in your family can turn off the faucet while brushing their teeth. Doing that saves up to four gallons per person, which adds up to over 1,500 gallons per person per year!

[ #EveryDropCounts is a new brushing campaign by Colgate to turn off the water while you brush ].

 

Sometimes we can’t understand a global crises if it doesn’t affect us—especially here in the United States, where we go over to the faucet, turn it on, and water comes out. However, there are many places throughout the world where they have to walk many miles daily just to get enough water to quench their thirst.

When was the last time you were thirsty? On a hot summer day hiking in the woods and your canteen was empty? On a beach sizzling under the sun, but you left the cooler in the car? Maybe you’ll feel thirsty after a big Easter ham dinner, parched by the salty meat. But, even in those times, it probably didn’t require too much effort to satisfy your thirst.

So, can you remember a time you were ‘dying’ of thirst? Do you know what it means to be REALLY thirsty? Really?

 

( “The Three Amigos”)

 

I’ve got to believe that most of you who are reading this have never even been in a desert, let along in one without any water and were to the point of serious life-threatening dehydration—experiencing the REAL PAIN of the thirst for water.

 

When I think of a desert, my first thought is the Arabian Desert in the Middle East—having read a lot of stories about it in the Bible. With Easter just a few days from now, I am reminded of one of the ‘sayings’ of Jesus while He was on the Cross: “I thirst”—and like all of those final words Jesus spoke on the cross, this simple statement carries far more meaning than we might imagine at first.

The word “thirst” is loaded with a lot of figurative meaning. In the Bible, “thirst” is a translation of the Hebrew word “sama,” and the Greek words “dipsáo” or “dipsos.” (We have an English word that is derived from dipsos, the word “dipsomania.” It is used for extreme thirstiness, but usually referring to the insatiable craving for alcoholic beverages.)

The word “thirst” usually refers to the sensation of dryness in the mouth and throat caused by the lack of fluids, which results in a desire to drink. But, it can also be used as a synonym for a strong desire or craving of an object, like a thirst for knowledge, or a thirst for wealth. So, what was Jesus referring to? What was He ‘thirsting’ for?

 

Certainly Jesus was wanting something to simply to wet His parched lips, His gritty mouth, and His dry throat. That’s obvious. There is no doubt that Jesus was experiencing the absolute worst physical pain imaginable. Thirty-nine severe lashes across His back, ripping His skin right off. The excruciating crown of thorns mashed into His head. The iron spikes driven through His wrists and His feet, and the sheer torture of hanging there for three hours, gasping for each breath. Jesus suffered extreme dehydration and a searing thirst. So, He asks for something to soothe His dry mouth and loosen His tongue from sticking to His jaws. All this was purely ‘physical’.

 

But, was Jesus ‘thirsting’ for something else? Well, during His days before the Cross, a ‘chance’ meeting with a women at a water well might give us some insight.

Jesus asked the woman to give Him a drink. The woman responded, “How is it, that you, a Jew, asks for a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew Who that is saying to you ‘give Me a drink’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water…Everyone who drinks of this water [ from the well ] will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again” [ John 4:7-14a ].

Their conversation continued, but Jesus, through this illustration, demonstrated to the woman her own need—her own ‘thirst’, if you will—was for something more than physical water. What she needed was ‘spiritual’ water—to wash away her sins—and Jesus used a physical ‘sign’ to help this woman recognize her own spiritual need. (It’s interesting to me that when Jesus asked the Samaritan woman to give Him a drink, He used the same word for thirst, in the Greek, as He spoke from the cross: “I thirst.”) Jesus was not offering physical water of better quality than what was available at the well. He was offering the ‘water’ of eternal life—the abundant, never-ending sustenance from God Himself that ensures we will live forever (John 4:14b).

The woman then said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.” She still did not understand the spiritual nature of the water Jesus was offering—she needed to see her desperate need of soul renewal. It takes Jesus telling her about some of her blatant sins for her to finally realize He was Someone special—maybe the “Messiah.” Jesus then confirmed that by saying to her, “I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:16-26).

 

This is unsolicited mercy, using physical thirst and water as the ‘contact’ point with this “outcast.” However, Jesus reverses the situation. He starts out being thirsty Himself, and asks her to give Him a drink. Then He turns the ‘table’ and identifies her as the ‘thirsty’ one—and that He is THE source of “LIVING WATER.”

“Living water”? This is not the ‘kind’ of water that they started talking about. She might have assumed that this “living water” Jesus was talking about was what was in the well. Why? Well, because that well was spring-fed, a hundred feet deep, and had been a constant supply of water from the time of the venerated patriarch Jacob until then.

Then what is this “living water” Jesus is referring to? Well, clearly it’s one’s “salvation”—the forgiveness of one’s sins by God—and everything associated with it: mercy, grace, pardon, forgiveness, and justification. Becoming “born again.”

 

[ If you would like to know more about becoming “born again,” read this previous “Life Deep Thoughts” post:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/saved-from-death-v219/ ].

 

What this story is saying is that God is ultimately the source and giver of life. One example of this is in the Book of Numbers. The Israelites are wandering in the desert complaining of thirst, God provides them with water miraculously—gushing forth from a rock (Numbers 20:9-11). [ Also Psalm 105:41 ].

The people of Palestine, at that time, were particularly aware of their need for water and the blessing it represented. The prophet Jeremiah warned a disobedient Israel about being guilty of foolishly forsaking God, “the fountain of living waters,” to hew out cisterns for themselves “that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).

 

Cisterns (or “holding tanks”) were really impressive back then. It so happens that the cistern at King Herod’s winter palace of Masada was one such cistern—it held a million gallons of water! Theoretically, that was enough water for everyone in the ‘compound’ to drink, cook with, and bath with for many, many years (if they were attacked). However, even though cisterns give the appearance of a secure and reliable source of water, they can have hidden cracks—and become empty if not replenished by rainfall. Also, since cisterns don’t have a constant flow of water through them and are sometimes not used for months, and the water can become stale.

On the other hand, streams or aquifers (“fountains”) are moving all the time—and given enough time, even a tiny spring will produce many times the volume of water that a musty cistern can store. In addition to that, along the banks of a stream lush vegetation thrives year round, and it provides for the animals. King David said it like this: “As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God” [ Psalm 42:1-2 ]. Steams produce ‘life’!

 

God is likened to a “fountain,” and not to even the most impressive of cisterns. Are you ‘drinking’ the “living water” from the ‘fountain’? Are you THIRSTING FOR GOD?

 

Sometimes we get so distracted and exhausted by life that we don’t even realize how ‘physically’ thirsty we are—and spiritually, we often do something similar. We become so involved in the minutia of daily living that we don’t realize how parched our soul really is—until the Holy Spirit ‘grabs’ hold of us in some surprising way and offers us the cleansing, cooling, and renewing ‘living water’ from God.

 

Elsewhere in the Bible, it tells us more specifically, that we will be blessed and satisfied if we “thirst for righteousness” (Matthew 5:6). We should have an intense ‘hunger’, and a consuming passion for this.

Jesus ‘modeled’ this for us when He was in the temple and ‘kicked out’ all the merchants—since they were desecrating the place of prayer. He said, “Get these things out of here! Don’t you dare make my Father’s house into a center for merchandise!” [ John 2:16b ]. His disciples noted that this harkened back to what King David had said 14 generations before: “Zeal for Your house will consume me” [ Psalm 69:9 ]. This graphic language means that Jesus’ passion for the affairs of His heavenly Father ‘galvanized’ His actions—and it should do the same for us today!

 

God promises to take care of His ‘children’. ‘Speaking’ through the prophet Isaiah He said: “When the poor and needy seek water, and there is none, and their tongue is parched with thirst, I the Lord will answer them; I the God of Israel will not forsake them. I will open rivers on the bare heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys. I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water” [ Isaiah 41:17–18 ].

This promise that God made, in a dry and parched desert land, was that He would ‘fill’ those who are hungry and thirsty for Him. He underscored this again by saying, “Ho! Every one that thirsts, come and drink water” [ Isaiah 55:1 ]. Our souls are nourished by this ‘water’.

 

We were made by God for Himself, and He put a “God-shaped hole” in us that can only be filled by Him. Theologian Blaise Pascal said, “What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”

King Solomon said the same thing a bit differently: “He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity in their heart, yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning even to the end.” [ Ecclesiastes 3:11 ]

 

I read something the other day that sort of illustrates what I’ve been trying to say:

Mexico City, one of the largest cities in the world—20 million people—is sinking. I mean, literally sinking—about a foot a year in recent times. In total, over the past 60 years, it has sunk about 22 feet! It’s sinking because the people in Mexico City are ‘thirsty’.

You say, “Wait, I don’t get it.” Well, 70% of the water that people rely on to live has to be extracted from the aquifers directly below the city. So, to quench their thirst, billions of gallons of water have to be pumped from underground every year. As they drain the water from the aquifers under the city—and it’s not being replenished by enough rainfall—guess what happens? The city sinks.

But it’s even worse. Much of the water has organic and chemical contamination, which causes disease or even death!

 

This sort of illustrates that the more of the world’s ‘water’ you drink, the deeper you sink into despair, discouragement, and disillusionment. The deeper you sink into despair, discouragement, and disillusionment, the ‘thirstier’ you get. Then, the thirstier you get, the more you drink. Finally, the more that you drink, the more that you ‘sink’ (into despair, discouragement, and disillusionment). A vicious ‘cycle’.

Yet, Jesus tells us, “Whoever drinks the water I give them, will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life” [ John 4:14 ].

 

Guess what? You just might be a “whoever.” This just might be a good time to repent of your sins, beg God to forgive you, and plead to Him to make you one of His ‘children’. [ A “Prayer of Repentance” is below ].

 

By nature, we all have forsaken God, “the fountain of living waters,” and have hewn ourselves “broken cisterns that can hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13). We are the ‘thirsty’ ones. We are God’s wayward people who are “parched with thirst” (Isaiah 5:13). We are spiritually dehydrated—a very deadly condition. But, on the Cross, Jesus “redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us” (Galatians 3:13). Jesus announced His thirst knowing that “all was now finished (to fulfill the Scripture)” [ John 19:28 ], and relating to our salvation, He said, “It is finished” [ John 19:30 ].

On the Cross, the “Living Water” became ‘thirsty’, securing the salvation that His spiritually thirsty people desperately needed. So, we should echo the women at the well by saying: “I thirst! Please give me the living water of eternal life gained for me at the Cross so that I will thirst no more!”

 

The Apostle John caught a ‘glimpse’ of how this promise will be in ally fulfilled in his vision of the “Great Multitude” in the Book of Revelation: “They shall neither hunger anymore nor thirst anymore” [ Revelation 7:16 ]. He then was shown the New Heaven and the New Earth, and God promises that, “To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children” [ Revelation 21:6b-7 ].

 

The thing is, Jesus goes beyond just satisfying us right now, He ‘fills’ us to OVERFLOWING! It gushes out like a ‘hydrant’, flowing rivers of living water that we can used to REFRESH OTHERS—their parched, dehydrated lives. Now that you have been filled to overflowing, you now can help the spiritually arid around you to find THE ‘LIVING WATER’.

Just a the women at the well did, our belief in Jesus is a powerful tool in leading others to believe in Him: “Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His word. They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world” [ John 4:39–42 ]. Jesus blesses all who believe in Him with rivers of living water so that we will be satisfied in Him, and so that we can become a source of living water to others!

The world is a barren ‘desert’, and its people are dying of thirst. Christians are to be the rivers of living water that these thirsty, dying people need. As they see Christ in us (the fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22-23) and want what we have, we can tell them how they can come to Jesus and ‘drink’. Lost people desperately need what only we who have believed can give them.

If you only go to church to get something for yourself, you’ll be like the Dead Sea. It’s so salty that nothing can live in it because it has rivers flowing into it, but nothing flows out of it. When you go to church, go with the prayer, “Lord, fill me with your Spirit and flow out of me toward those who may be thirsty.” As you allow the rivers to flow out of you to others, you’ll discover that you’re actually more filled than before you gave out! That’s the key to a ‘blessed’ life: Be satisfied in Christ and let His fullness flow through you to others.

 

If you find yourself restless and thirsting for something more in life, respond to Jesus’ invitation to come to Him and ‘drink’. You can go to Him and ‘drink’ freely of His grace and forgiveness, and experience true joy and the personal significance that only He can provide!

 

We all need to constantly examine our relationship with God. The question is, “Do we practice “binge drinking”—turning to God once in a while (like a ‘cistern’) in the hope that a short but intense time with Him will be sufficient for spiritual health— OR, do we practice living by the ‘stream’ (the ‘living water’ of God) every day of our lives? Healthy hydration for our physical bodies comes by drinking water frequently, just as ‘drinking’ “living water” frequently hydrates our soul!

 

Like water, Jesus won’t ‘work’ for you unless He is ‘swallowed’—that is, you must be willing to ‘surrender’ to His Lordship. Just like you can stand waist deep in the Mississippi River and still die of thirst, until you take a ‘gulp’ of Jesus, the same thing will happen—however, not ‘drinking’ of Jesus will have eternal ‘consequences’!

 

Though I am not condoning what the “Most Interesting Man in the World” is ‘thirsty’ for, it does make my point about how ‘passionate’ we should be with pursuing God:

 

It’s too bad that there’s not a “World Living Water Day.” Oh, but come to think of it, there is—Christians call it “Easter.” It’s a special day to celebrate what Jesus did for us on the Cross. Since He ‘thirsted’, we don’t ever have to!

 

[ Excerpts from: United Nations; James Merritt; John MacArthur; Katie Peek; John Piper; Max Lucado ]

 

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FYI: Other Related “Life’s Deep Thoughts” Posts:

“The ‘Blessed’ Life”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/the-blessed-life-v203/

“Being ‘Remodeled’”:
https://markbesh.wordpress.com/being-remodeled-v163/

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[ P.S.: If you would like to investigate further about what it really means to “thirst” for God, visit the following link:
http://4vis.com/sfm/sfm_pres/sp_q12_d4_1of10.html ].

 

‘PRAYER’ OF REPENTANCE
In the Bible, there is a parable that Jesus told about a Pharisee and a tax collector praying the the Temple. He notes that the tax collector didn’t even dare to lift his eyes toward Heaven as he prayed. Instead he “beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner’”—and Jesus said that the tax collector “went home justified,” he had been “born again” and ‘reconciled’ by God. (Luke 18:9-14).

If you are ‘sensing’ something like that right now, let me strongly encourage you to HUMBLE YOURSELF, CRY OUT to God, and PLEAD for Him to mercifully ‘SAVE’ YOU! None of us have a ‘claim’ on our salvation, nor do we have any ‘works’ that would cause us to deserve it or earn it—it is purely a gift of Divine grace—and all any of us can do is ask. So, CONFESS YOUR SINS and acknowledge to God that you have no hope for Heaven apart from what He provides through Jesus.

There is no ‘formula’ or certain words for this. So just talk to God, in your own words—He knows your ‘heart’. If you are genuinely sincere, and God does respond to your plea, one will usually have a sense of joy and peace.

Jesus said, “He that comes to Me, I will not cast out” [ John 6:37 ].

[ NOTE: If you have ‘tasted the kindness of the Lord’, please e-mail me—I would love to CELEBRATE with you, and help you get started on your ‘journey’ with Jesus! ].

 

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RESOURCES:

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“Water for LIFE”

Since the Water for LIFE outreach began in 2000, your support has helped provide more than 5800 water wells for people in desperate need of clean water. However, the global need for clean water is still enormous. Nearly 700 million people still lack access to safe drinking water, and waterborne diseases are one of the leading causes of death for children under the age of 5.

This year’s Water for LIFE goal begins with an immediate need for 160 wells in more than 15 nations. The total goal for 2018 will include an additional 240 wells for a total of 400 new and refurbished wells!

Clean water is a blessing for life for people living in areas of need around the world. Thank you for your help and support as we work together to provide clean water in the areas that need it most.

Like cold water to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country (Proverbs 25:25 ESV).

[ Life Outreach International ]

https://lifetoday.org/outreaches/water-for-life/

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“Samaritans Purse – Giving – Clean Water”

Your gift for clean water can provide tanks, filters, latrines, hygiene training, and other essential measures to protect water sources and prevent the spread of disease as we seek to meet physical and spiritual needs in the Name of Jesus.

https://www.samaritanspurse.org/donation-items/clean-water/

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“Living Water for Those Who Thirst”
By: Tyndale

An expanded book version of the Living Water for Those Who Thirst audio devotional. This topical devotional contains 150 refreshing encounters with God’s Word. Passages are introduced with a lead-in reflection, and each segment concludes with a short devotional that brings it all together. References for numerous related passages are also included for those who wish to expand their devotional time or study the topic further.

https://www.amazon.com/Living-Water-Those-Who-Thirst/dp/0842342370/

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“The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst For the Divine”
By: A. W. Tozer

A call to raise God to His rightful place

Sometimes the voice that speaks so clearly in the present is one that echoes from the past. So it is in this Christian classic by the late pastor and evangelist A. W. Tozer. He brings the mystics to bear on modern spirituality, grieving the hustle and bustle and calling for a slow, steady gaze upon God. With prophetic vigor and flowing prose, he urges us to replace low thoughts of God with lofty ones, to quiet our lives so we can know God’s presence. He reminds us that life apart from God is really no life at all.

Tozer writes from his knees, a posture fit for presenting the character of God in all its demanding grandeur. “Arise, O sleeper!” is his word to us, and yet if we heed the call, we will see that to arise is not to stand but to kneel before the God of heaven in humble contemplation. To pursue God is to know Him, and in our knowing, be drawn in.

Whether you are thirsting for more of God or do not yet know of the “mighty longing after God” that so consumed A.W. Tozer’s life and ministry, The Pursuit of God will draw you into a deep, abiding relationship with the One who “nourishes the soul.” This spiritual masterpiece exposes the roadblocks that keep us from fully knowing God, reveals our responsibility of the pursuit, and ultimately leads us into the very presence of God Himself.

https://www.amazon.com/Pursuit-God-Human-Thirst-Divine/dp/1600660150

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“Come Thirsty”
By: Max Lucado

What image best describes your heart?

A water-drenched kid in front of an open fire hydrant?

Or a bristled, desert tumbleweed?

You’re acquainted with physical thirst. Stop drinking and see what happens. Coherent thoughts vanish, skin grows clammy, and vital organs shut down. Deprive your body of necessary fluid, and it will tell you.

Deprive your sould of spiritual water, and it will tell you. Dehydrated hearts send desperate messages. Snarling tempers. Waves of worry. Growing guilt and fear. Hopelessness. Resentment. Loneliness. Insecurity.

But you don’t have to live with a dehydrated heart. God invites you to tread your thirsty soul as you would treat your physical thirst. Just visit the WELL and drink deeply:

Recieve Christ’s work on the cross, the energy of his Spirit, His lordship over your life, and his unending, unfailing love.

Come thirsty and drink the water of life.

https://www.amazon.com/COME-THIRSTY-Max-Lucado/dp/0849914043

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“The Well: Why Are So Many Still Thirsty?”
By: Mark Hall

Why are so many so close to the Well and still so thirsty? Mark Hall takes the powerful story of the Woman at the Well and her encounter with Jesus to help readers understand that the “wells” we go to for life and sustenance, the “wells” of success, talent, control, favor, religion, etc., are keeping us from relying on Jesus and his abundant life, and we will never be truly satisfied until we realize that and go to Him for our needs.

https://www.amazon.com/Well-Why-Many-Still-Thirsty/dp/0310340381

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“Thirsty for the Water of Life?” (Pamphlet)
By: Billy Graham

Family hardships. Relationship tensions. Indecision and restlessness… emptiness. Are you overwhelmed with life—drinking in self-help and worldly counsel to satisfy your craving for peace and fullness in life? The living water of Jesus Christ is what you are really thirsty for.

One day Jesus was walking through Samaria. He was weary, so he rested at Jacob’s well. In the heat of the day, a woman came to draw some water. The Bible says: “Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink.’ … The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?’ … Jesus answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, “Give me a drink,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:7-14).

Jesus is the Living Water. This is what all people need, whether they are in Africa or India or China or the United States. We all need the spiritual water that Jesus gives. The Bible says that we are prisoners of “the waterless pit” (Zechariah 9:11). Think of that—prisoners in a pit with no water.

How long do you think a person can live without drinking water? Not very long. You can live a long time without food, but not without water. Have you ever been really thirsty? So thirsty that you thought you were going to die? I’m told there is no feeling quite like it.

The Apostle Peter talked about wells without water (2 Peter 2:17). Think of traveling across the desert and coming to a well where you believe there is water. You are thirsty. Your tongue is swollen. Your cheeks and lips are parched. But when you arrive at the well, there is no water.

“Waterless Pits”
Are you in a “waterless pit” right now? In your family? In your business? Maybe you are a young person not knowing what vocation to follow, not knowing what to do about marriage, not knowing what to do about the problems you’ve gotten yourself into—you are finding yourself in a pit without any water.

Maybe you have tried everything to satisfy, to bring peace and joy to your life, to have a sense of forgiveness and a sense of belonging. And you haven’t found it. Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again” (John 4:13).

Drink of the water of drugs, and you will thirst again.Drink of the water of fame, and you will thirst again.Drink of the water of popularity, and you will thirst again. Drink of all other waters being offered today, and you will thirst again.

But drink of the living water that Jesus will give you, and you will never thirst. Jesus said, “The water that I will give [you] will become in [you] a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (John 4:14).

What You Thirst For
The Bible says, “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat” (Isaiah 55:1). And “let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price” (Revelation 22:16-17). Yes, come and buy; it’s without price. Some of you are thirsting for this—a personal relationship with Christ.

Come to the water! Drink of the living water! Become excited about Christ! “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). The wells of salvation are being offered to you. Come and draw the water with joy!

The Living Fountain
When you come to the water, there’s a satisfaction beyond anything words can describe. Jesus said, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water’” (John 7:37-38).

The Samaritan woman had come to that well. She had come by divine appointment. Jesus was passing by, and he stopped to rest. This woman came at that moment.

This woman had an empty life. Her expectations in life had faded. No longer expecting, no longer hoping for anything different, she was on the same old treadmill. She had been married five times, and when Jesus spoke to her she was living with a man who was not her husband. Having tried nearly everything, she was miserable, unhappy—thirsty.

“Come to the waters; drink of the living fountain,” Jesus told her.

The woman said, “Sir, give me this water” (John 4:15). Will you say that? He offers the same living water to you. Will you accept his offer today?

Lord Jesus, give me that living water. I want forgiveness of my sins. I want to know that I’m going to heaven. I want a new life. I’m tired of the old life I’ve been living. I want something else in life. I believe that you are the Living Water. I believe that you died for my sins, and conquered death, so that I can drink of the living water and have eternal life and a personal relationship with you. Amen.

https://www.amazon.com/Thirsty-Water-Life-Graham-Billy/dp/B000TD4XPQ/

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“Taking Water to the Thirsty”
By: Al Hagy Sr. and Rev. Matthew Ricks

From the beginning, our instincts and reflexes are tuned to survival. Over a lifetime, we learn and hone those skills, but there comes a point when we, of necessity, surrender to the search of the ultimate goal: spiritual peace. This search is best done with family support and friends, as they bring the message of grace and the mercy of God. But all too often, loneliness blocks this message, and spiritual emptiness and suffering remain as companions.

Mother Teresa wrote, “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.” The authors of this short book believe this to be true. We wish to relieve this distress and need your help. Loneliness does occur in many places, even the crowded streets of the cities of the world. In this book, we are focused on spiritual poverty in long-term care facilities, where we believe the problem exists in significant numbers, despite the best efforts of those charged with recreation and socialization. In addition, we believe loneliness travels with a paucity of spiritual attention, which must mean unrest. The combination of being alone and spiritually weak or disconnected, when peace is the goal for those in their last days, is the challenge. Part of the problem is our lack of awareness of these people and their situation, which brings us to our mission: to prod, beg, and stimulate people of faith to become involved in passing their faith and peace to those in need.

https://www.amazon.com/Taking-Water-Thirsty-Matthew-Ricks/dp/1512723096

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“Thirsty: Meeting Jesus at Your Deepest Need”
By: Amy Nappa

What does it look like when a woman encounters God? Does He have a to-do list for her? Or does He encourage her with kindness and offer a gift of restoration?

Meet the Woman at the Well—a woman thirsty for living water. Meet Jesus at the same well and find out what He did to satisfy the woman’s thirst.

This book looks at issues close to a woman’s heart, such as a growing relationship with God, balance, and identity.

https://www.amazon.com/Thirsty-Meeting-Jesus-Your-Deepest/dp/1600060935/

—————-
“Thirsty Heart: Nourishment for a Dehydrated Soul”
By: Regina Forest

Do you feel there is something lacking in your life? Are you looking for more? Are you struggling to know who you are in Christ and live in the fullness of what the cross really provides? You may feel you are not good enough and have no idea what God’s grace is all about. Perhaps you’re lacking intimacy in your relationship with Jesus. You may even hold a grudge against God, or be outright angry with Him, wondering where He is in the midst of your life or pain. Even though you attend church, your heart may still feel empty and parched. What’s missing? Author Regina Forest recognized the need to share her story of how God has healed and transformed her life from issues such as the absence of her father, sexual abuse, abortion, miscarriages, a destructive marriage, financial ruin, and the loss of a child. Walk with her as she reveals her journey to quench her heart’s thirst, and feel hope arise as your faith begins to build.

https://www.amazon.com/Thirsty-Heart-Nourishment-Dehydrated-Soul/dp/0997949805

—————-
“How to Find God: New Testament Living Water for Those Who Thirst”
By: Greg Laurie

God promises that all who seek him will find him.

https://www.amazon.com/How-Find-God-Testament-Translation/dp/1414313063/

 

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“FRUITS OF THE BEATITUDES” WEB SITE
(The ATTITUDES of Jesus that produce the CHARACTER of Jesus)

CLICK ON THE LINK to view:
http://fruitsofthebeatitudes.org/

FACEBOOK PAGE:
https://www.facebook.com/FruitsOfTheBeatitudes/

[ Mark Besh ]

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ARTICLES:

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“World Water Day”
(March 22, 2018 – 25th Annual)

Water is an essential building block of life. It is more than just essential to quench thirst or protect health; water is vital for creating jobs and supporting economic, social, and human development.

Today, there are over 663 million people living without a safe water supply close to home, spending countless hours queuing or trekking to distant sources, and coping with the health impacts of using contaminated water.

2018 Theme: Nature for Water
This year’s theme explores how we can use nature to overcome the water challenges of the 21st century.

Environmental damage, together with climate change, is driving the water-related crises we see around the world. Floods, drought and water pollution are all made worse by degraded vegetation, soil, rivers and lakes.

When we neglect our ecosystems, we make it harder to provide everyone with the water we need to survive and thrive.

Nature-based solutions have the potential to solve many of our water challenges. We need to do so much more with ‘green’ infrastructure and harmonize it with ‘grey’ infrastructure wherever possible. Planting new forests, reconnecting rivers to floodplains, and restoring wetlands will rebalance the water cycle and improve human health and livelihoods.

Sustainable Development Goal 6 – ensuring availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all by 2030 – includes a target to halve the proportion of untreated wastewater and increase water recycling and safe reuse.

World Water Day is coordinated by UN-Water – the UN’s inter-agency collaboration mechanism for all freshwater related issues – in collaboration with governments and partners.

Facts & Figures
– Globally, over 80% of the wastewater generated by society flows back into the ecosystem without being treated or reused. (Sato et al, 2013)

– 1.8 billion people use a source of drinking water contaminated with faeces, putting them at risk of contracting cholera, dysentery, typhoid and polio. Unsafe water, poor sanitation and hygiene cause around 842,000 deaths each year. (WHO/UNICEF 2014/WHO 2014)

– The opportunities from exploiting wastewater as a resource are enormous. Safely managed wastewater is an affordable and sustainable source of water, energy, nutrients and other recoverable materials.

[ United Nations ]

http://www.un.org/en/events/waterday/

—–

“Reflections on a Thirsty Planet for World Water Day”

[ Sandra Postel ]

https://blog.nationalgeographic.org/2012/03/22/reflections-on-a-thirsty-planet-for-world-water-day/

—–

“Every Drop Counts”:
https://smiles.colgate.com/page/content/everydropcounts

—–

“Our Thirsty Planet”

[ Eartheos ]

http://eartheos.com/savewater

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“The Role of Desalination in Addressing Water Scarcity”

The water supply and demand balance in most of ESCWA member countries is in serious deficit. The average share of renewable freshwater in 8 out of 14 member countries is 500 cubic meters per capita per year, or less than half of the internationally accepted water poverty threshold of 1,000 cubic meters per capita per year. Desalination, which has been practiced for more than 50 years in the ESCWA region, has emerged as the primary response to water scarcity in several countries. The region accounts for 44 per cent of the global desalination capacity, with four countries ranking among the top ten desalinating countries in the world. This report presents an overview of the water supply and demand situation in the region and demonstrates the growing importance of desalination as a core component of an integrated water resources management (IWRM) framework in water scarce countries. It provides an in-depth analysis of the direct and indirect costs associated with producing desalinated water for growing cities and populations. The report also evaluates existing desalination capacities in each country and highlights the most common desalination technologies. It concludes with recommendations on cost considerations for desalination, water management options and areas for further research.

https://www.unescwa.org/node/15048

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“This Graphene Filter Makes Dirty Saltwater Drinkable”

One simple filter might be able to deliver clean water for a fraction of the cost and energy of our current purification and desalinization methods.

https://www.fastcompany.com/40533456/this-graphene-filter-makes-dirty-saltwater-drinkable

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“Why Do We Get Thirsty?”

Thirst can be satisfied instantly, but hunger cannot. Why? What exactly happens to our brain when responding to hunger and thirst?

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“What If You Stopped Drinking Water?”

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“Can You Drink Too Much Water?”

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“How Much Water Do We Really Need to Drink?”

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“What Would Happen if You Didn’t Drink Water?”

Water is essentially everywhere in our world, and the average human is composed of between 55 and 60% water. So what role does water play in our bodies, and how much do we actually need to drink to stay healthy? Mia Nacamulli details the health benefits of hydration.

[ Mia Nacamulli ]

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“Water: Think Again”

WATER. It’s the most essential and pervasive element of life. Yet, nearly half of humanity will face water scarcity by 2030 due to climate change and population growth. What can be done about the looming crisis of a global drought? Could water scarcity spark war as world leaders have already predicted? In this bold and hopeful TEDx talk, Kaveh Madani shares a different approach to the water crisis, one that promotes thinking and possibilities as fresh as clean water.

[ Kaveh Madani – Presentation at TEDxKish ]

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“Water Scarcity – Explained in a Nutshell”

The water scarcity on the blue planet. Most of us don’t even think about water. In order to get it – we just turn on the tap. But for nearly 1 billion people in developing countries, getting access to safe drinking water is not an easy task. This simpleshow explains, why our blue planet lacks water.

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“Thirsty Dog”

Even our pets get really thirsty…

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“The Thirsty Sidewalk”

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“Thirsty Crow”

The story of the crow in search of water to drink. And how the crows find a solution in the face of obstacles.

[ Aesop – Fable ]

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“Our Thirsty Planet”

Did you know that only 1% of Earth’s water is fresh and available for consumption? Fresh water is the world’s most essential natural resource, but it’s also one of the most threatened. National Geographic magazine’s April issue celebrates and explores this important resource.

[ National Geographic ]

“Freshwater”
Freshwater ecosystems–lakes, rivers, and the smaller ponds and streams–make up only two percent of Earth’s water resources, and only one percent remains drinkable. Learn more about the planet’s freshwater and how you can protect what’s left.

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/earths-freshwater/

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“Fresh Water Scarcity: An Introduction to the Problem”

Fresh water is essential for life — and there’s not nearly enough of it for the world right now. Why is that, and what could we do? Christiana Z. Peppard lays out the big questions of our global water problem. And no, shorter showers are not the answer.

[ Christiana Z. Peppard ]

Full Lesson:
https://ed.ted.com/lessons/fresh-water-scarcity-an-introduction-to-the-problem-christiana-z-peppard

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“The World Needs Water”

Gathering water is a struggle that consumes much of every day in communities around the world. It is often women and children who must walk hours to collect the day’s supply—a ritual that’s a matter of life and death for too many.

About 800 million people around the world wrestle every morning with the question of where they’ll find clean water to drink. Samaritan’s Purse is helping provide better answers for more than three dozen communities in 12 countries around the world. From the war-torn terrain of South Sudan’s bush to the rugged highlands of northern Vietnam, we are helping to meet this physical need in Jesus’ Name.

http://photo.samaritanspurse.org/the-world-needs-water

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“Water Facts! Learn Fun Facts About the Thing You Drink Every Day!”

Water is essential to everyday life for drinking cooking bathing cleaning and landscaping in a day Europeans use about 50 gallons of water Americans use 100 gallons 400 billion gallons are used in the u.s. those living in sub-saharan Africa use two to five gallons 36 million gallons are leaked in the New York City water supply system 200 gallons can be wasted by a running toilet a bath uses up to 70 gallons a shower uses 10 to 25 gallons one drip per second can become 30,000 gallons per year more than 25 percent of bottled water comes from the same place as tap water a municipal water supply drinking eight glasses of water a day from water bottles will cost up to $1400 over a year tricky from the tap will cost about 50 cents per year 55 to 78 percent of a human’s body weight is made up of water 97% of water is salt water 3% is fresh water point three percent of which is found at the Earth’s surface sixty-eight point seven percent of Earth’s fresh water is unusable because it is in glaciers more water is found in the atmosphere than all the rivers of the planet combined water is the only compound on earth that naturally exists in solid liquid and gas forms water can dissolve more substances than any other liquid it takes ten gallons to make a single slice of bread 713 gallons to produce a cotton t-shirt 1000 gallons to make one gallon of milk 634 gallons to produce one burger.

[ The Infographics Show ]

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“20 Shocking Facts About Global Water Crisis”

Our world is swiftly running out of drinking water. Most of the largest lakes and rivers on the globe are being depleted at a very frightening pace, and many of the most important underground aquifers that we depend on to irrigate our crops will soon be gone. At this point, approximately 40 percent of the entire population of the planet has little or no access to clean water, and it is being projected that by 2025 two-thirds of humanity will live in “water-stressed” areas.

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“The Global Water Crisis – How Much Water Do We Really Use Everyday?”

The global water crisis will be the central issue facing our world this century. We can manage this problem, but only if we are willing to act now.

Hidden Water, the video created in support of Participant Media’s documentary, Last Call at the Oasis, visualizes the true cost of water – how much water we really use in our daily lives, which in turn affects the global water crisis.

Do you want to raise awareness about the water crisis in the US and around the world?

Visit Last Call at the Oasis: http://www.takepart.com/lastcall and sign the Water Bill of Rights to help guarantee access to clean water for all citizens!

[ Take Part ]

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“Water: The Drop of Life”

In this section we have gathered factsheets, information sheets and executive summaries of major reports that UN-Water members and partners have published to provide the press and the public with accurate and succinct information on various issues related to freshwater. We have also included a page of video resources. As the site grows, we will continue to add more multimedia resources, as well as advocacy and outreach materials, that UN-Water members and partners have prepared for the press, students and educators and the public.

[ Video produced for the International Decade for Action ]

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“Where We Get our Fresh Water”

Fresh water accounts for only 2.5% of Earth’s water, yet it is vital for human civilization. What are our sources of fresh water? In the first of a two part series on fresh water, Christiana Z. Peppard breaks the numbers down and discusses who is using it and to what ends.

[ Christiana Z. Peppard ]

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“Water For Life”

The Water for Life nonprofit organization will soon launch the smallest, lightest, and most efficient water filter ever made. This water filter was designed and developed specifically to help adults and children living in impoverished countries. The Water for Life organization continues to partner with dedicated mission organizations to improve sanitation conditions and bring safe drinking water to millions of people.

https://www.bewaterforlife.org/

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“Thirsty People”

We want to be people who are thirsty for satisfaction in God when we come to worship. John Piper says, “We are desperate for God, and He so delights to satisfy our souls in Himself.” This is an excerpt from “The Heart of Worship” given at Worship God ’09.

[ John Piper ]

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“Come All Who Are Thirsty”

Sermon Jam

[ Newsong Church Hawaii ]

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“Come To Me and Drink”

the human soul has thirst when you go without water your body gets thirsty when you go without God your soul gets thirsty you were made to drink God you were made for God your body was made to live on water your soul was made to live on God this is the most important thing to know about yourself nothing about yourself is as important to know as that you have a soul and the soul was made to live on God nothing is more important all theology all study all biblical learning all preaching is designed to spread a satisfying banquet for the Soul to eat with joy the aim of cooking is eating the aim of digging wells and clearing Springs is drinking everything jesus said everything Jesus did was aimed at this that you might drink and be satisfied that’s where it’s all going everything is a means to that end that you might drink of Christ that you might feed on Christ that your soul might live on him everything is a means to that that’s why he died that’s why pastor’s study that’s why churches are formed that’s why missions is in the world everything is aiming to awaken thirst for God and satisfy it with Jesus you.

[ John Piper ]

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“Come All Who Are Thirsty”

[ Newsong Church Hawaii ]

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“Living Water”

This sermon jam titled “Living Water” comes from a sermon preached by Dr. Vincent G. Artese titled “Seek the Lord While He Can Be Found”.

When Jesus spoke to the woman at the well about Living Water He was speaking about the Holy Spirit. Jesus Christ came to regenerate fallen man and restore us to a pre-fallen state. When God first created Adam and Eve He breathed into them His Spirit and they were filled with love. This ended when Adam and Eve fled from God and exalted self in personal independence, they thought they could find greater love somewhere else. Then they began to thirst, they realized they could find no happiness in this world, and they were both cursed, separated from the gift of God’s love. One can only be restored through the Living Water spoken of by Christ. Humanity continually tries to replace what was lost when our first parents were separated from God. But nothing can satisfy, perfect love is the answers. God fills those who are His with the Spirit and love, no one can find it anywhere else. The Samaritan woman desired intimacy and love. She found what she was looking for, not in this world, but when she became intimate with God. The relationship of the Christian to God must be based on divine love, but this takes an abandonment of our past as the woman at the well was willing to do. The reason mankind experiences torment and fear is because of a lack of love for perfect love for God. It takes place when one tries to replace love of God with other things that cannot satisfy. Looking at the example of Mary Magdalene one sees one who sought to find satisfaction in the things of this world, but then gave all of her possessions for Christ’s sake. Mary poured out her life to Christ in perfect love and found true satisfaction. She emptied herself of sin and received the Living Water.

[ Dr. Vincent G. Artese ]

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“Jacob’s Well in Samaria – The Samaritan Woman at the Well”

Jacob’s Well in ancient Samaria lies within the monastery complex of the Eastern Orthodox Church in Nablus, a part of the Palestinian West Bank. Jacob’s Well is also about 250 feet from the archaeological ruins of ancient Shechem. Shechem has a long history in the Hebrew Scriptures, and was the first capital of the northern Kingdom of Israel.

On one occasion in the Gospels, Jesus had a conversation with a Samaritan woman by a well – Jacob’s Well. This well was already a sacred site at the time of Jesus, since Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, and his family and livestock drank from it.

The Gospel of John tells us:
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”

Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” (John 4:4-15)

Then Jesus revealed things to the woman that he couldn’t have known. How she had many husbands and was now living with a man that she wasn’t married to. He lovingly confronted her about her past, and she acknowledged her wrongdoing. The woman at Jacob’s Well in Samaria repented of her past and told her townspeople that she had met the Messiah. Over the next two days, Jesus stayed with them and many Samaritans believed what he had to say.

[ Drive Thru History ]

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“Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman”

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“The Last 7 Words of Christ – I Am Thirsty”

[ Devonwood Community Church ]

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“Thirsty?”

[ Robert Kramer ]

https://www.sermonspice.com/product/29099/thirsty-with-scripture

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“Are You Thirsty?”

[ Think On These Things ]

https://www.sermonspice.com/product/76451/are-you-thirsty

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“iThirst”

The world is filled with Apple’s i-technology, which delivers on its promise to make connectivity and information readily accessible. But there is a deeper need within everyone, a thirst to be right with God, that no app or gadget can fulfill. How ironic that Jesus, the great Thirst-Quencher, would Himself be thirsty. It was part of the great exchange—His temporary thirst enabled yours to be quenched eternally!

[ Skip Heitzig ]

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“I Am Thirsty”

Jesus did everything God asked him to do before he gave his life up for you.

http://www.yourtimeofgrace.org/video/i-am-thirsty/

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“Thirsty”

the people who are good at learning say I like the feeling of not knowing yet
the same way that people who are good at skiing say I like the feeling of being
just a little bit out of control that’s how you get good at skiing and that’s
how you get good at math the difficulty comes from the fact that if you are not
open to living with the tension of being stupid you can’t possibly learn it I call it thirstiness if you are thirsty it means that you are willing to feel stupid you are willing to try you are willing to expose yourself to the unknown in order to seek what your desires are to get to the next level.

[ Seth Godin ]

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“Thirsty For More”

“Home Alone” clip

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“These Pretzels are making me Thirsty” (Scene from Seinfeld)

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“LMN” TV Ads

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“Mighty Thirsty” Sponge TV Ad

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“Next Time You’re Thirsty, Drink an Ad”

Coca cola creates the first ever ‘drinkable’ advertising campaign.

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“Thirsty Planet” Water Ad

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“You Will Never Be Thirsty Again”

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. And he had to pass through Samaria. So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

This story in John 4 about Jesus’s meeting with the Samaritan woman at the well reveals woeful truth about ourselves and wonderful truth about Jesus. And the wonderful truth that it reveals about Jesus gives hope to us in our woeful condition.

So don’t short-circuit the wonderful work of Jesus for you and in you by failing to see clearly how woeful your condition is without him. The reason the Bible tells us woeful news about ourselves is to make the greatness of grace and the greatness of salvation feel as wonderful as it really is. And that’s what this story is mainly about. Not us but him!

[ more… ]

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/you-will-never-be-thirsty-again

[ John Piper ]

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“Jesus’ Thirst and Our Spiritual Rehydration”

Those who gathered around the cross, on that dusty hill, could feel Jesus’ raspy cry reverberate in their own dry throats: “I thirst!” These are the words of One whose vitality was almost dried up to death. Yet, in those words we witness the thoughtful tenderness of the Good Teacher as He breathes these words into Scripture for our edification (2 Tim. 3:16–17). The words I thirst reveal rich truths about their speaker. [ more…]

[ William Boekestein ]

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/jesus-thirst-and-our-spiritual-rehydration/

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“Do You Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness?”

Some years ago, I spoke with a man whose business was to help people plan for the future. He asked me about my goals, about what I wanted to accomplish in life. As I went through this exercise, I noticed that one thing was conspicuously absent from my goals: there was nothing there about righteousness. [ more…]

[ R.C. Sproul ]

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/do-you-hunger-and-thirst-righteousness/

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“Do You Hunger and Thirst for God?” (Sermon Jam)

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“Blessed Are Those Who Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness”

Some of the most evocative words in the Old Testament come from Ecclesiastes 3:11:

God has made everything beautiful in its time; also he has put eternity into man’s mind, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.

What does this mean, that God has put eternity in man’s mind and yet has withheld from us the vision of what he has done from everlasting to everlasting.

https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/blessed-are-those-who-hunger-and-thirst-for-righteousness

[ John Piper ]

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“Water for the Thirsty”

Revealed As: Water for the Thirsty is a video excerpt from James MacDonald’s teaching series, Authentic Revelation.

[ James MacDonald ]

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“Women At The Well”

Drama

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“The Laundromat (The Samaritan Woman Story)”

This is a modern retelling of John’s account of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman by the well in John 4.

[ Theatre production was performed at the URBANA 09 Conference ]

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“A Women At A Well”

This sermon by Alistair Begg is based on the discussion between the Samaritan woman and Jesus in John 4:1-29.

[ Alistair Begg ]

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“Messiah: The Living Water”

Sermon on John 4:1-15.

[ John Macarthur ]

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

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“Woman at the Well”

Jesus shattered the walls of exclusion, revealing the Kingdom secret that Grace and Forgiveness are available to all.

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“Woman At The Well”

[ Billy Graham ]

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“Jesus and Samaritan Woman”

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“Women at the Well: For All Who are Thirsty”

Restoring Hope Ministries presents The Woman at the Well. She was tired and thirsty. She had been married 5 times and on affair #6. Loneliness, pain and rejection filled her soul. For all who are thirsty, come and meet this parched woman from John 4.

[ Billions of Reasons ]

https://www.sermonspice.com/product/35895/woman-at-the-well-for-all-who-are-thirsty

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“When You’re Thirsty For Something More”

Are you thirsty? When you read that, maybe you suddenly realized that you needed something to drink. But a desire for water or coffee isn’t the type of thirst we’re talking about here. Do you have a thirst for “something more,” a belief that we were made for more than what this world offers? Do you have a spiritual thirst?

Most of the time this type of thirst shows up in three ways. For those far from God, there’s an emptiness that nothing ever satisfies—a yearning for a relationship with the Creator. They try to fill it with work, accomplishments, the opposite sex or possessions, but the emptiness keeps crying out. Nothing on earth can satisfy.

For others, the thirst shows up when God seems distant. No Christian can stay on the mountaintop all the time; we eventually go through the valley. We all experience moments when God is silent. Sometimes that’s because sin or distraction creates distance between us and God, but other times God uses those moments to test and shape us.

Finally, some of us have a thirst for God to do something in a specific area of our life. We realize that we can’t do it on our own, and we need God to move.

In Isaiah 55, we find the prophet writing to a people who experienced these types of spiritual thirst. Some knew God and His goodness, but they’d rebelled from Him. Others had grown up hearing stories of God, but they didn’t really know Him. Right in the midst of their need, God offers a message of hope—the thirsty can find satisfaction.

COME TO GOD (ISAIAH 55:1)
God tells the people that if they’re thirsty, they don’t have to stay where they are. They can come to Him — where the water is — and be satisfied. Best of all, the invitation isn’t limited; it’s for everyone (1 Timothy 2:3–6). You just have to be thirsty.

When we come, God promises abundance — not just “water,” but plural “waters.” In John 4:13–14, Jesus explains to the Samaritan woman at the well that this water symbolizes the Holy Spirit poured out on those who follow Him. Also, God promises wine (joy) and milk (nourishment). In other words, God offers us everything we need — everything money can’t buy. He offers freely what we could never earn. This isn’t an invitation to church or to do better; it’s an invitation to come to Jesus, our Savior.

LISTEN TO GOD (ISAIAH 55:2–3)
In these two verses, God calls us to listen three times to make sure that we get it. Why? Because He doesn’t mean for us just to hear what He’s saying, but to really lean in and understand. Truthfully, we don’t always listen. We can tune things out even as someone speaks to us (as any wife knows). But we must cup our ears, lean forward and make sure we hear God.

God’s voice tells us what’s good for us. That doesn’t mean what He says will be easy, but He’ll always tell us the right way to go. When we listen, we can be satisfied on the inside, even when our life gets messy on the outside. That’s because His voice rises above the din. His Words revive us and teach us that we can be forgiven, that He can use us for His purposes.

SEEK GOD (ISAIAH 55:6–9)
God commands us to seek Him constantly. We must go to God so much that it’s like we wear a path in the carpet on our way there. There’s a time constraint on our seeking — a window of opportunity. Jesus explained in Luke 14 that heaven is like a party, but you must RSVP while you have the chance. The time for seeking Him is right now, not when you get your life in order or when you’re older.

Here in Isaiah, God promises to bless us if we seek Him now. We must stop doing things our way because that will never bring us peace. Instead, we’re called to turn to His ways. He’s God, and He’s not limited like we are by clouded judgment or time. Because He knows everything, He understands what’s truly best — even if His ways seem “upside down” from the world. The first shall be last; the one who leads must serve; the one who gives up his life will save it; humble yourself and be exalted. Even if His ways don’t make sense, think about how well doing it your own way works. Not so well.

So, how do we seek Him? It starts with believing that no matter how bad you’ve messed up, if you return to Him, He’ll have compassion on you and forgive you. We must pray and say that we need Him. That means humbling ourselves and giving up our way of doing things. We also must go to His Word (Isaiah 55:10–11). It’s powerful, and He’ll use it to speak to you.

HOPE IN GOD (ISAIAH 55:12–13)
God says that if we seek Him, He’ll take us home and provide everything that we need. He’ll lead us out of the darkness and into the light. You’ll get the direction you need. This isn’t a “just enough” sort of supply; it’s an overflowing abundance. He promises a deep joy that reaches down into our hearts; a shalom type peace, which means our welfare and completeness; and the overwhelming favor of His blessings.

If you’re thirsty today, listen to what God says to you. Come to Him and receive His promises.

[ Chip Henderson ]

http://pinelake.org/blog/when-youre-thirsty-for-something-more/

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“Come Thirsty”

“Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never be thirsty. The water I give will become a spring of water gushing up inside that person, giving eternal life.” (John 4:13-14 NCV)

Like the woman at the well, we recognize our need for living water. We need moisture, a swallow of water, a long, quenching drink. But where do we find water for the soul?

In this renewing and life-giving program, Max Lucado leads us to the four essential nutrients needed by every soul.

[ Max Lucado ]

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“Thirsty”

My soul is thirsty
My soul is thirsty for you

As the deer is thirsty for the water
So does my soul long for thee
My spirit needs refreshing
Father I’m thirsty
Thirsty for you

[Repeat: x2]
My soul is thirsty
My soul is thirsty for you

As the deer is thirsty for the water
So does my soul long for thee
My spirit needs refreshing
Father I’m thirsty
Thirsty for you

Let me drink from the fountain
That never shall run dry
The fountain of everlasting life

For if I drink of your water I will never thirst again
Let me draw from your living well

[Repeat: x2]
My soul is thirsty
My soul is thirsty for you

As the deer is thirsty for the water
So does my soul long for thee
My spirit needs refreshing

Father I’m thirsty
Thirsty for your touch
Please cleanse my heart, Lord

I am thirsty
I need you like never before
Cleanse my heart, Lord

I am thirsty
Lord I can’t make it without you Jesus
I tried it on my own

I am thirsty
Breathe in me Lord, breathe in me Lord
I’m thirsty, I’m thirsty for you
Oh Oh Lord, yeah

This time it’s not my friends nor my family
But it’s me, it’s me oh Lord
It’s me, It’s me oh Lord
Oh

[ Jason Nelson – “Place of Worship” album ]

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“All Who Are Thirsty”

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As deep cries out to deep
(We sing)

Come Lord Jesus come
Come Lord Jesus come
Come Lord Jesus come
Come Lord Jesus come

All who are thirsty
All who are weak
Come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the stream of life
Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away
In the waves of His mercy
As deep cries out to deep
(We sing)

Come Lord Jesus come (won’t You come my Lord)
Come Lord Jesus come
Come Lord Jesus (Jesus) come
Come Lord Jesus come

Holy Spirit come
Holy Spirit come
Come Lord
Holy Spirit come
Holy Spirit come

As deep cries out to deep
As deep cries out to deep
As deep cries out to deep, we sing…

Come Lord Jesus come (won’t You come, won’t You come, Lord)
Come Lord Jesus (Jesus) come
Oh, come Lord Jesus (the Spirit and the Bride say) come
(Come Lord, come Lord)
Come Lord Jesus come

Come, Lord Jesus come
Oh, come Lord Jesus come.

[ Robin Mark – “??????????” album ]

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“Thirsty”

Im so thirsty, I can feel it
Burning through the furthest corners of my soul
Deep desire, cant describe this
Nameless urge that drives me somewhere
Though I dont know where to go

Seems Ive heard about a River from someone whos been
And they tell me once you reach it, oh, youll never thirst again
So I have to find the River, somehow my life depends on the River
Holy River

Other waters Ive been drinkin
But they always leave me empty like before
Satisfaction, all Im askin
Could I really be this thirsty if there werent something more?

And Ive heard about a River from someone whos been
And they tell me once you reach it, oh, youll never thirst again
So I have to find the River,
Somehow my life depends on the River
Holy River, Im so thirsty

Im on the shore now of the wildest River
And I kneel and beg for mercy from the sky
But no one answers, Ive gotta take my chances
Cause something deep inside mes cryin
“This is why you are alive!”

So I plunge into the River with all that I am
Praying this will be the River where Ill never thirst again
Im abandoned to the River
And now my life depends on the River
Holy River, Im so thirsty.

[ Chris Rice – “Past The Edges” album ]

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“Thirsty”

How did I ever get so lucky
To be lying in your arms
I wouldn’t trade my life
For somebody’s millions
I’m just thirsty
And you are water

Some want wisdom, some need fame
Some may want a mansion far away
All I need is your tender loving
I’m just thirsty
And you are water

The way I feel when I hear your call
It’s just like heaven when a gentle rain falls

I know the good Lord must have smiled
On the day he made you
And I’m just grateful that he heard me praying
He said, “You’re just thirsty”
And he gave me water
I’m just thirsty
And you are water.

[ Patty Loveless – “Strong Heart” album ]

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“All Who Are Thirsty”

All who are thirsty.
All who are weak.
Just come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the
stream of life.

Let the pain and the sorrow
Be washed away.
In the waves of His mercy
As the deep cries
out to you.

[Chorus]
We said
Come Lord Jesus
Come.
Come Lord Jesus
Come.
(Repeat)
All who are thirsty
All who are weak.
Just come to the fountain
Dip your heart in the
stream of life.

[Chorus]

Won’t you come?
Won’t you come?
Nothing but your love for me.
I am ever faithful to you.

Won’t you come?
Won’t you come?
Nothing but your love for me.
I am ever faithful to you.

[ Kutless – “Strong Tower” album ]

*****************************
“Thirsty”

My soul is thirsty
My soul is thirsty for you(2x)

As the deer is thirsty for the water
So does my soul long for thee
My spirit needs refreshing
Father I’m thirsty
Thirsty for you

My soul is thirsty
My soul is thirsty for you(2x)

As the deer is thirsty for the water
So does my soul long for thee
My spirit needs refreshing
Father I’m thirsty
Thirsty for you

(Lead) Let me drink from the fountain
that never shall run dry
the fountain of everlasting life

(Choir) for if i drink of your water i will never thirst again
Let me draw from your living well

My soul is thirsty
My soul is thirsty for you (2x)

As the deer is thirsty for the water
So does my soul long for thee
My spirit needs refreshing
Father I’m thirsty (5x)
Thirsty for you

I am thirsty
oh-o oh-o (8x)

Reprise:

(Lead) I need thee oh, I need thee.
Every hour, I need thee
Oh Bless, me now my Savior
Im thristy, Im thirsty for you

I am thirsty
oh-o oh-o (10x)

Repeat

I am…oh-o, oh-o (11x)

[ Marvin Sapp ]

*****************************
“The Thirst Is Taking Over”

[CHORUS:]
You alone are what my soul needs
You know the thirst is taking over
Hardly breathe, I’m in urgent need
You know the thirst is taking over

The thirst is taking over

Hold me down, hold me down
Drip it on my tongue
And my convulsions stop
Thirst for love, thirst for your love
I could swallow your beauty whole

[CHORUS]

Running out, times running out
Searching for the one who can conquer me
I’m going to scream aloud, throw it down
Crash in the sweet obsession of you
I’m going to swim and drown in the wake of you

[CHORUS]

The thirst is taking over
I wanna taste it
I need to taste it
Deep in the Saviors arms

[CHORUS]

I wanna drink you in
I am drinking you in
I wanna drink you in

Hardly breathe, I’m in urgent need
You know the thirst is taking over
The thirst is taking over

I wanna taste it
I need to taste it
Deep in the Saviors arms

[ Skillet – “Alien Youth” album ]

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“We Hunger and Thirst”

Exalted Son of glory humbly came down
Wounded for the broken, bore the sinner’s crown
Through the willing death You died
You became our bread of life

Jesus, we hunger and thirst for You, Lord
As we remember Your sacrifice
We see the wounds from Your hands and pierced side
Extravagant love! Oh how great the price
Now our lives are Yours

The priceless blood of Jesus, this gracious cup
A life spring overflowing, poured out for us
He has conquered every sin
For the ones who trust in Him

The cup we drink, the bread we eat
Reminds us You are all we need
And makes us long for Your wedding feast

[ Sovereign Grace Music – “The Gathering” album ]

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“Thirst”

Wash over me like a tidal wave
Clean out what pulls me to the grave
Nothing left that you don’t love

Take me where your river flows
Heal the desert in my soul
Let it wash over my feet
All I’m asking for is just a drink

I thirst for You
Yes my soul it thirsts for You
Even as the deer is panting for the stream
Even though my soul is thirsty
I thirst for you

Spirit of the living God
Would you fall afresh like rain on us
Burst the doors and flood the halls
Into forgotten rooms inside our hearts

And we will all be swept away
In the current of your love and grace
Living water flow to me
All I’m asking for is just a drink

I thirst for you
Yes my soul it thirsts for you
Even as the deer is panting for the stream
Even though my soul is thirsty
I thirst for you

One thing I ask and I would seek
To see You there in front of me
With nothing standing in the way
Just me before You unashamed

I thirst for you
I thirst for you
You’re the well that won’t run dry
Only you can satisfy

I thirst for you
I thirst for you
Living water flow to me
All I ask is just one drink
I thirst for you.

[ Phil Wickham ]

*****************************
“Lord, I Thirst For You”

Lord I thirst for You
I long to be in Your presence
My soul will wait on You
Father draw me nearer, draw me nearer
To the beauty of Your holiness

I will wait for You, Almighty God
In the beauty of Your holiness
I will worship You, Almighty God
In the beauty of Your holiness

[ Randy Rothwell ]

*****************************
“We Thirst for You”

We thirst for You
We search for You
In a dry and barren land
We’re longing for Your hand
To guide us to
A place where You
Can cleanse us with Your rain…
Baptize us once again
We thirst for You

[Repeat Chorus]

[Bridge]
Oh Lord we are waiting
Let Your river flow
Come flood our hearts again
Quench our thirsty souls

[ CeCe Winans ]

*****************************
“Last Rain the Clouds Spill”
(Parody of “Last Train to Clarksville” by The Monkees.)

Take the last rain the clouds spill
And you’ll need to have a basin
You can drink it while you’re thirsty
‘Cause I’m taking’ a vacation
Drink it slow oh, woe, woe, woe
Oh, woe, woe, woe

‘Cause I’m leaving with a warning
That a drought will soon begin
You’ll have warm air like the desert
Till the Lord brings spring-like rain
And I must go oh, woe, woe, woe
Oh, woe, woe, woe!

And I don’t predict the weather on my own

Take the last rain the clouds spill
Therell be massive dehydration
There’s no time to stop and save your fishes
Its a pity God’s forsaken you
Oh, woe, woe, woe!
Oh, woe, woe, woe!
Pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity you
Pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity, pity you

Take Elijahs advice still
Now I must head up the road
I can’t heal your land with Jezebel
And Ahab on the throne
They’re really low low, low, low, low
Low, low, low, low!

And I don’t know if they’ll ever come around

Take the last rain the clouds spill
And I’ll meet you when you’re chastened
You will be real dry and dirty
Cause you’ve paganized the nation
Told you so oh, woe, woe, woe
Oh, woe, woe, woe!

And I don’t know, Israel, when I’m coming home

Take the last rain the clouds spill
Take the last rain the clouds spill
Take the last rain the clouds spill
Take the last rain the clouds spill.

[ ApologetiX – “Apol-acoustiX” album ]

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“These Streams”
(Parody of “These Dreams” by Heart)

Shared a little drink with a stranger I did meet

A thinker of a man who knew my hidden need
My sins were many – worse than I can list
But you don’t get a hangover from drinking like this

Starting on the edge of a battle-weary land
I searched for the truth at a watering hole then
I want to see truth clearly – Christ showed what it is
Cold waters in the desert are the streams in my midst

These streams flow out from the Lord on high
When we step into the light, the living waters rise
These streams won’t freeze when it’s cold outside
Everyone can come and drink from near and far away

Streams that flow in winter, summer or spring or fall
The waters I speak of truly change us all
Drinking them, my life’s right — the scandals don’t exist
And chains that have no power have fallen from my wrists

These streams flow out from the Lord on high
When we step into the light, the living waters rise
These streams won’t freeze when it’s cold outside
Everyone can come and drink from near and far away

There’s someone out there – a man exists
To lead and guide the way – come with me
There’s someone out there – the man exists!

He’ll lead us all with guidance like I’ve never heard
Come drink now with me from streams that refresh the earth
In a world full of princes, Jesus is the king
If you step out in faith, you’ll see what I mean

These streams flow out from the Lord on high
When we step into the light, the living waters rise
These streams won’t freeze when it’s cold outside
Everyone can come and drink from near and far away
These streams flow out from the Lord on high
When we step into the light, the living waters rise
These streams won’t freeze when it’s cold outside
Everyone can come and drink from near and far away

[ ApologetiX – “Loaded 45s” album ]

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DEEP THOUGHTS:

“When you’re thirsty and it seems that you could drink the entire ocean, that’s faith; when you start to drink and finish only a glass or two, that’s science.”
[ Anton Chekhov ]

“Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”
[ Seth Godin ]

“There are two reasons for drinking: one is, when you are thirsty, to cure it; the other, when you are not thirsty, to prevent it.”
[ Thomas Love Peacock ]

“If you were to offer a thirsty man all wisdom, you would not please him more than if you gave him a drink.”
[ Sophocles ]

“Would that I were a dry well, and that the people tossed stones into me, for that would be easier than to be a spring of flowing water that the thirsty pass by, and from which they avoid drinking.”
[ Khalil Gibran ]

“Wealth is like sea-water; the more we drink, the thirstier we become; and the same is true of fame.”
[ Arthur Schopenhauer ]

“Spring is the fountain of love for thirsty winter.”
[ Munia Khan ]

“Strike the rock and the water will flow; don’t wait to brag about why you alone can hit the rock for water to flow; just go and do it because the world is thirsty! Your potentials are in put in you by God because he knows there is a need to be fulfilled; awaken it and present it to us!”
[ Israelmore Ayivor ]

“For every drop of water you waste, you must know that somewhere on earth someone is desperately looking for a drop of water!”
[ Mehmet Murat ildan ]

“Only living water satisfy the thirsty soul.”
[ Lailah Gifty Akita ]

“I do wish,” said Lucy, “now that we’re not thirsty, we could go on feeling as not-hungry as we did when we were thirsty.”
[ C.S. Lewis – Prince Caspian ]

“When the thing that your heart strongly loves to do is the thing world hungers and thirsts to see done, then that’s what you were called to do. You must never leave it undone!”
[ Israelmore Ayivor ]

“No one can know the infinite importance of a tiny drop of water better than a thirsty bird or a little ant or a man of desert!”
[ Mehmet Murat Ildan ]

“To drink is a small matter. To be thirsty is everything.”
[ Georges Duhamel ]

“Look at you, you madman! Screaming you are thirsty and dying in a desert,
when all around you there is nothing but water!”
[ Kabir ]

“When you’re thirsty, it’s too late to think about digging a well.”
[ Harvey Mackay ]

“God, help me to see others not as enemies or as ungodly but rather as thirsty people. And give me the courage and compassion to offer your Living Water, which alone quenches deep thirst.”
[ Henri Nouwen ]

“What does the poor man do at the rich man’s door, the sick man in the presence of his physician, the thirsty man at a limpid stream? What they do, I do before the Eucharistic God. I pray. I adore. I love.”
[ Francis of Assisi ]

“Knowledge is the only water which makes one thirsty when it is drunk.”
[ Mehmet Murat Ildan ]

“Lord, I come thirsty. I come to drink, to receive. I receive your ‘work’ on the cross and in your resurrection. My sins are pardoned, and my death is defeated. I receive your ‘energy’. Empowered by your Holy Spirit, I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength. I receive you ‘lordship’. I belong to you. Nothing comes to me that hasn’t passed through you. An I receive you ‘love’. Nothing can separate me from your love…Receive Christ’s ‘woe’ on the cross, the ‘energy’ f his Spirit, his ‘lordship’ over your life, his unending, unfailing ‘love’.”
[ Max Lucado ]

RELATED BIBLE VERSES:

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
[ John 4:14 ]

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
[ John 7:38 ]

“O LORD, the hope of Israel, All who forsake You will be put to shame Those who turn away on earth will be written down, Because they have forsaken the fountain of living water, even the LORD.”
[ Jeremiah 17:13 ]

“And in that day living waters will flow out of Jerusalem, half of them toward the eastern sea and the other half toward the western sea; it will be in summer as well as in winter.”
[ Zechariah 14:8-9 ]

“Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.’”
[ John 7:37-39 ]

“Then one of the elders answered, saying to me, ‘These who are clothed in the white robes, who are they, and where have they come from?’”
[ Revelation 7:13-17 ]

“Then He said to me, “It is done I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost.”
[ Revelation 21:6-8 ]

“Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month.”
[ Revelation 22:1-2 ]

 

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Hope you enjoyed some of these insights—share them with your friends and colleagues—so we can have a larger ’pool’ to receive from, and more to share with! Also, remember to include your name as the “source,” if some of this wisdom is of your doing—I would like to give credit where credit is due!

FOCUS VERSES:

“But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
[ John 4:14 ]

“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’”
[ John 7:38 ]

Mark

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If you have a ‘neat’ story or some thoughts about an issue or current event that you would like me to try to respond to, I would be glad to give it a try…so, send them to me at: mbesh@comcast.net

Disclaimer: All the above jokes & inspirations are obtained from various sources and copyright are used when known. Other than our name and headers, we do not own the copyright to any of the materials sent to this list. We just want to spread the ministry of God’s love and cheerfulness throughout the world.

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