August 3, 2018

Living Water

I remember the first time I went to Zimbabwe.  One of the rules that they told us on the trip was “don’t drink the water”.  The water in Zimbabwe, especially in the villages, was not safe for us to drink.  It contained all kinds of things that our westernized bodies couldn’t handle.  We couldn’t have ice.  We couldn’t even eat fruits and vegetables that had been washed in their water.  They were serious.  We could only have one specific kind of bottled water. Water was a burdensome commodity there in the villages.  There was usually on one source of water found in a central location.  Many would walk for hours with all the containers that they could possibly carry every day just to get their daily ration of water – water that would make you and I very sick.  Just like for you and I, water was a necessity. Did you know a human being can only survive without water for 3 to 4 days?  Most doctors say that one might survive up to 7 days, but the average is between 3 and 4 days.  There are some other things that play into this, such as food intake, climate, body temperature and activity level.  If we drink contaminated water, it can cause serious gastrointestinal issues and even long-lasting consequences that we may not even be aware of until years down the road. Obviously, God created us in a fashion where water is a big deal.  Maybe that is why He talked about it so much.  Maybe that is why He often used the illustration of “Living Water.”  Even more than we need water to quench our physical thirst, we have a greater need for something more – LIVING WATER! I hope you can join us this coming Sunday as we revisit a familiar story found in John 4:7-25.  My prayer is that God will help us better understand our desperate need for LIVING WATER. Blessings, Pastor Brandon