a post originally written on 11/11/12.
"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." John 4:10
Jesus is hungry. Jesus is also thirsty. Jesus "must needs go through Samaria." What does the God of the universe need that He does not already have? The redemption of man in these three years of His life. His mission: to come and reconcile us. He needs his bride. If He does not find His bride, His purpose is failed. Without a Bride, Jesus doesn't drink. Jesus doesn't eat. When Jesus was low on sustenance, he goes on a mission trip.
No he wasn't talking about earthly food. His followers think this means earthly food. They look around a place like Samaria and think, "If we are going to eat in this place, it will have to be brought in from somewhere else." They take off to get the food, meanwhile Jesus sits down to the feast.
Jesus needs to succeed at His mission to win us. But if we should not comply and let ourselves be won over by Him, then He has failed. In that sense, Jesus is thirsty and hopes that His people will give Him a drink.
There is no spiritual food and there is no spiritual drink without a mission trip. The water is meant to irrigate my sphere of influence and spill out like a flowing moving body of water (streams of living water will flow out from within). The irrigated area of my sphere of influence is supposed to bear fruit.
So I thought that God was supposed to make the water flow from within me? But in fact I find that I want most to have God flow His life-giving water out through my life when I come across a person who doesn't know Him at all. That is why Jesus is thirsty to be around the Samaritan woman.
Why would anyone rob Jesus, mission? Why would anyone rob Jesus water and food?
"You will ask, 'When did we give you a drink? When did we feed you?' I will answer, 'Whoever does this to the least of my brethren, He does it unto Me.'"
Why do I rob Him drink and food? I get busy and caught up with the finer things in life, such as writing blog posts.
We think that it's hard. We think that it's hard to find success as a missionary because it's hard in the places we want to win people. But, it's not. It really isn't. That is what Jesus is telling us here. The disciples look around Samaria and think there is no way to barter for food. They're totally wrong. "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" If we are willing to get out of our earthly families as Jesus left His, reaping the harvest is unbelievably easy. It is already ready! All we have to do is drink, like Jesus is drinking. Drink the water of mission. We can make our prayers about mission. Ask and He will pour water through you to others.
"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." John 4:10
Jesus is hungry. Jesus is also thirsty. Jesus "must needs go through Samaria." What does the God of the universe need that He does not already have? The redemption of man in these three years of His life. His mission: to come and reconcile us. He needs his bride. If He does not find His bride, His purpose is failed. Without a Bride, Jesus doesn't drink. Jesus doesn't eat. When Jesus was low on sustenance, he goes on a mission trip.
No he wasn't talking about earthly food. His followers think this means earthly food. They look around a place like Samaria and think, "If we are going to eat in this place, it will have to be brought in from somewhere else." They take off to get the food, meanwhile Jesus sits down to the feast.
Jesus needs to succeed at His mission to win us. But if we should not comply and let ourselves be won over by Him, then He has failed. In that sense, Jesus is thirsty and hopes that His people will give Him a drink.
There is no spiritual food and there is no spiritual drink without a mission trip. The water is meant to irrigate my sphere of influence and spill out like a flowing moving body of water (streams of living water will flow out from within). The irrigated area of my sphere of influence is supposed to bear fruit.
So I thought that God was supposed to make the water flow from within me? But in fact I find that I want most to have God flow His life-giving water out through my life when I come across a person who doesn't know Him at all. That is why Jesus is thirsty to be around the Samaritan woman.
Why would anyone rob Jesus, mission? Why would anyone rob Jesus water and food?
"You will ask, 'When did we give you a drink? When did we feed you?' I will answer, 'Whoever does this to the least of my brethren, He does it unto Me.'"
Why do I rob Him drink and food? I get busy and caught up with the finer things in life, such as writing blog posts.
We think that it's hard. We think that it's hard to find success as a missionary because it's hard in the places we want to win people. But, it's not. It really isn't. That is what Jesus is telling us here. The disciples look around Samaria and think there is no way to barter for food. They're totally wrong. "Do you not say, 'There are still four months and then comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!" If we are willing to get out of our earthly families as Jesus left His, reaping the harvest is unbelievably easy. It is already ready! All we have to do is drink, like Jesus is drinking. Drink the water of mission. We can make our prayers about mission. Ask and He will pour water through you to others.
5 comments:
Beautifully written Michele, especially the way you write about Jesus' thirst and what it means. And "The Hungry Inherit"
It's me, goe. I'm on a different computer tonight so I have to use "anonymous" :D
Thanks. How are you doing?
I'm not exactly on a mountain-top right now, but I'm doing okay I guess. :)
Oftentimes I struggle with "feeling" the love of Jesus even though God's word tells me it's true. But what you wrote and the lovely way you expressed it actually makes me *feel* His love. That's why it was so beautiful to me. Thanks for the blessing. I mean it-- it's wonderful.
Gary
It is good to know how you are doing regardless if it is the best or the worst or somewhere in between. :)
You are my friend and I love you as my brother as well. And I know that you love me as your sister.
Michele
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