Jesus, Our Living Water

John 7:37 "On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink." 

Jesus was in the Temple courts in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles with the Jewish people. During this week-long celebration, the Israelites were remembering how God provided water for their ancestors in the wilderness. As part of the celebration, the priests would carry water in a gold pitcher from the Pool of Siloam to a basin at the foot of the altar. During the exuberant celebration, Jesus stood up in the Temple and cried out "if anyone is thirsty, come to me and drink."  As they were celebrating God's past provisions, Jesus was saying “Come to me! I have an endless supply of water and I will send water into your spiritual desert and satisfy your soul. Come and drink!”

Jesus came to meet our deepest spiritual needs.  There is nothing more satisfying to our heart's longing than a relationship with Him, but we have to open our hearts to drink and receive in order for our thirst to be quenched. John 6:35 says "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'" 

When I entered into a personal relationship with Jesus I experienced peace like never before. Jesus wants us to "drink", or receive because He knows what His presence will do in our lives. Matthew 5:6 says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled." What we hunger and thirst for determines if we will ever be filled because nothing will satisfy our hearts except for Jesus. 

Let's receive all that He has for us and let go of all substitutes in our lives that have brought a sense of false peace so we may taste the true Living Water.