Obey your thirst!

Another great one, this time by Daniel Darling...

John 4:1-42

It was the final minute of a close basketball game between my high-school and our rival. We were playing at a tournament in a hot gym in a small dusty Illinois town.

My coach called timeout and the waterboy raced out to us players and offered a water bottle.

I cocked my head back and squeezed the bottle. Warm, sulfur-tasting water squirted out into my mouth. We had run out of Gatorade and so all we had was water that tasted like it came from the fish-tank in the school lobby.

But I was so thirsty, I downed half the bottle.

Have you ever been thirsty? I mean parched to the point where you would drink anything?

Well, Jesus was this thirsty when he stopped at a well in Samaria. He had just walked for two days under the hot, sticky Judean sun. Even though Jesus was God in the flesh, He was also human. He was looking forward to a tall, soothing glass of water.

But Jesus was also here for another reason. At the other side of the well was a lady who was also thirsty. She had plenty of water available at the well, but she was still thirsty.

Thirsty for approval. Thirsty for satisfaction. Thirsty for something more to her life.

She had sought happiness in a series of relationships that wouldn't satisfy. Sound familiar? Maybe you're there right now. You've bought the lie that says, "If I could just get a guy to look at me" Or "If I could just get that hot girl to go out with me."

But there is no human relationship that will satisfy your deepest longings. God designed you that way. We were created to find fulfillment and joy only in Jesus Christ.

Jesus offered something to this woman at the well. He offered her living water. Water that satisfies. By believing in Jesus Christ, God's Holy Spirit would allow her to have unconditional access to the God of the universe.

Are you thirsty? If so, obey your thirst and discover Jesus' living water.

Think:

• Why can't I find satisfaction in life outside of God?

Daniel Darling is an author and pastor with a passion for young people. He is the author of Teen People of the Bible, a 100-day devotional for teens. Visit him at danieldarling.com.