Journey Through JohnSample

Scripture:

John 4:13-14 Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Observation:

Jesus uses the metaphor of thirst to talk about the inner longing of every human heart. We are born with a sense that there must be more to life than just the mundane tasks of each day. We instinctively know that we were created for something bigger and more meaningful than just survival. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God, “set eternity in the hearts of men.” A thirst for a relationship with the eternal God is planted in every human heart.

Application:

Sometimes I get caught up with everyday routines and forget about eternal things. There are days when I reach the end of my day and realize that I hardly thought about Jesus that day, but was totally distracted with earthly stuff. That kind of living feels so empty. Life is so much richer when I stay connected with Jesus. It helps when I start my day with some focused time with Jesus: reading my Bible and praying. Then, if I go on from there to make a conscious effort to take Jesus with me throughout my whole day – just talking here and there with Him about whatever is going on, praising Him for the beauty I experience, thanking Him for the good things in my life, asking Him for wisdom for daily decisions – that’s when I experience the well-spring inside of me that Jesus spoke of here.

Prayer:

Lord thank you for this time at the start of my day to focus on you through your Word. Now help me to stay connected with you throughout this day.  Don’t let me get distracted with earthly stuff. Help me live with eternal perspective in companionship with you all day long. I love you Lord. Amen. 

Truths to notice:

4:7 ff All humans are precious to Jesus. Jesus didn’t let Himself be driven by His culture’s ideas of who was worth speaking to and who wasn’t. He treated women with more respect and honor than was common in His day, interacting with them as valuable human beings though His culture viewed them as property. He also showed compassion and kindness to foreigners, even those from a nation that His own people hated.

4:13-14 Jesus satisfies our deepest longings. Without Him, we will always feel thirsty for something more in life. 

4:21-24 The important factor in worship is not location – but that we worship God in spirit and in truth – really meaning it from our hearts. 

4:25-26 Jesus is the Messiah who was predicted and described in the Old Testament.

4:28-30, 39-42 The most effective evangelism is simply telling others what we have experienced with Jesus, and drawing their attention to Him.

4:53 Jesus had power to heal people of illness.