John 7:37-39: “On the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called out [in a loud voice], “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink! He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me], as the Scripture has said, ‘From his innermost being will flow continually rivers of living water.’” [Isaiah 58:11; John 4:14] But He was speaking of the [Holy] Spirit, whom those who believed in Him [as Savior] were to receive afterward. The Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (raised to honor).” (Amplified Bible)
Are you thirsty?
I myself just finished a nice cup of tea to fortify me on a Wednesday, but I know that I will be thirsty again today. My beverage was only a temporary fix, both for my thirst as well as warming me up on a cool fall day.
Yet if I’m honest, deeper down within is a quiet ache for something more, something that can be easily ignored at first but will grow and grow the longer I let it go untended. It’s a thirst for communion with Jesus.
Life continues hurtling forward at a breakneck pace. My expected schedule has changed no less than five times already this week and I’m worn out after a busy weekend. Around me there are needs that clamor to be met, tasks that demand to be completed. There are no shortages of cups to pour into.
You likely recognize that analogy: “You can’t pour from an empty cup.” And it is true. But somewhere I heard a much better analogy that went something like this.
It’s not so much trying to pour from an empty cup but more like taking an empty tea kettle and setting it on the stove-top with the temperature on high. There is no water in the kettle so it can’t boil, and eventually the heat will destroy the kettle, then the stove, and then burn down the house around it.
Often life feels like the heat from that stove burner. When the water in your kettle evaporates and boils dry, continued heat will cause us to melt down and burn up, destroying everything around us.
The answer to this problem is to make sure that our cup–or rather our kettle–doesn’t go dry. For believers, we know a Source that will not run dry that we can access. The invitation from Jesus doesn’t expire and He never runs out of water to fill our kettles.
We must do our part though. We must COME to Him. This doesn’t just show up by chance. We must answer the invitation of Jesus: “Come.”
Like His invitation in John 7, Jesus also invites us in Matthew 11:28-30: “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavily burdened [by religious rituals that provide no peace], and I will give you rest [refreshing your souls with salvation]. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me [following Me as My disciple], for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest (renewal, blessed quiet) for your souls [Jeremiah 6:16].” (Amplified Bible)
The more time we spend in communion with Jesus in His presence, the easier it is for us to keep our kettles filled up. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us, but though that river is always accessible, we must be mindful to actually access it regularly. How? We must COME to Him.
Choose Jesus first
Override temptation to look elsewhere
Meet Him in the stillness
Enjoy His presence
There will always be something else demanding your attention, your time, your focus. In order to meet these demands well, we must come to the One who can fill us up with the love, grace, mercy, and compassion needed to attend to the needs around us.
Seek Him first, and the other things will fall into place. With His help, we can find strength and refreshment to meet each task without burning out and burning down our lives with us.
Blessings,
~Lynne
Leave a Reply