COLUMN: It matters what you drink

Skye Pournazari
Pastor Laura Rand Maryville Church of Nazarene

Many years ago I worked on road construction teams. I loved the work until those summer days became brutally hot. (Today, I pray for those whose livelihoods are outdoors in the heat of the summer.) I remember how thirsty I would get for water. I remember the coolness of the water as I drank and it felt as if the cells in my body immediately absorbed the water and suddenly, I was energized.

It matters what we drink, doesn’t it? And there are all kinds of drink we can consume. Some drinks contain high amounts of sugar or sugary products while others are filled with caffeine. These drinks taste good and are fun to drink, but our bodies need water to function well.

There are many things we can drink in this world. But what is the result? In John 4 we read about a woman whose community had ostracized her because of her lifestyle. She had filled the thirstiness of her life with relationships that only left her dehydrated. She was dry, parched and dying of thirst. She came to the well, where Jesus was waiting to meet with her. His heart broke for her as she was dying in her thirst.

Jesus asks her what she had been drinking in her life. His intention was not to shame her into drinking his living water, but rather, it was an invitation for this thirsty woman to find a drink where she would never thirst again.

This woman spoke to Jesus about religion and tradition, but Jesus shared that his living water was neither of those. But rather, the living water came from really knowing the savior of the world. He invited her to be filled by his living water! He invited her to know how much he valued her, how much he loved her, how much he had for her, and to know him personally, I mean really know him as he knows her.

This is the living water! He loves us so much that he gave his life on the cross that we no longer have to drink of what leaves us thirsty. But rather he invites us to drink of Jesus, to be in relationship with him, to receive all that he has for us, and to live in the hope that he is.

We are influenced by what we drink. If we drink of the anxiety, fear, self-medication and the hopelessness of the world, we will surely die from dehydration. But when we drink of Jesus, when we talk with him, getting to know him, spending time with him and his word, and being transformed by his word, he fills us and gushes up within us. When we drink of the living water we are filled with new life and hope.

Jesus says (John 4:14), “Drink of me, of my living water, and you will never thirst again. You will be fully satisfied. For when you drink of the water I give you, it becomes a gushing fountain of the spirit, springing up and flooding you with endless life.”

Jesus is inviting you to drink from his cup. His hope for you is life, hope, and joy. Drink deep, for his living water is abundant.