Some of our children have this strange tendency to not drink enough water. When at regular school they would come home with full water bottles and I would wonder “What the?” Now they are homeschooled I still have to remind them to drink regularly throughout the day.
There is however a giveaway sign in our house when the kids haven’t been drinking enough water – they get cranky! Research says dehydration can affect your mood and make you grumpy and confused. We think clearer and are happier by drinking more water. But by the time we experience the sensation of thirst, we are already dehydrated. Nearly all of our systems do not function as well without the proper water intake.
Essentially if we don’t drink water, we will eventually die. Drinking adequate water, research reveals can reduce the risk of colon cancer by 45%, and bladder cancer by 50%. Being adequately hydrated helps us perform better in physical activities. It also assists in weight loss, promotes healthy skin, body temperature regulation, and can be a preventative and cure for sore joints, headaches and numerous other ailments.
The concept of both a physical and spiritual thirst is mentioned in the bible over 60 times. Whenever God mentions something repeatedly, it’s always good to take a closer look.
Just as our bodies are made to be satisfied by water, letting us know by feeling thirsty in the natural, so too do our spirits thirst. Regardless of how much of everything else we “drink”, our spirits are made to be filled and replenished by God, and God alone. Anything outside of Him is going to leave us thirsty, dry and parched. And just as my kids get cranky, being spiritually thirsty has the potential to leave us cranky on the inside too. The amazing thing about what Jesus offers is that it is an invitation to never be spiritually thirsty again.
I love this account in the bible of when a Samaritan woman meets Jesus.
“When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
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? 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.” (John 4:7-14)
Jesus catches this woman’s attention by asking her for a drink, which was not the done thing. He wanted to give her what she desperately needed, so she wouldn’t hunger and thirst for love in all the wrong places ever again. (John 4)
He still extends the same invitation to us. Today know that just as your body thirsts and needs water, so too does your spirit. Jesus says to you, “draw close to me, and allow me to feed, sustain and satisfy your innermost being, so that you will never hunger and thirst again.”
Jesus said, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. (John 6:35)
Prayer: Lord thank you that what you offer satisfies benefits more than my natural body; it satisfies my spirit too. Help me to realise that you have everything I need. In Jesus Name Amen.
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