FOCUS ON THAT WHICH WILL SATISFY THE SOUL
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“As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the
word; that you may grow thereby, if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is
gracious.”—1 Peter 2:2-3
One day as Jesus and His disciples were walking from the city
of Judea to Galilee they came to the city of Samaria. Jesus was very tired, so He sat down to rest
by a water-well while His disciples went into the city to buy some food. It is
here, by what is known as Jacob’s well, that Jesus asked a Samaritan woman to
give Him a drink of water. Because their two cultures did not speak to
one-another, she was puzzled and asked Him, “How
is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me a Samaritian woman? For Jews
have no dealings with Samaritans.” Jesus
went on to tell the woman that if she knew who she was talking to that she
would have asked Him to give her living
water (John 4:3-10).
Have you ever had a time when you experienced unbearable
thirst? You probably would have traded
anything for a drink. There is nothing that taste’s better than that cold,
refreshing glass of water. Now compare
this physical need to spiritual thirst. Jesus
referred to Himself as "living water" because He
knew that we have a deep need for fulfillment.
It is only the living water
that can truly satisfy.
When asked why people all over the world long to come to
America, a high school class came to the conclusion: “To fulfill the American dream of owning
their own home, having a vehicle to drive, having a family and money in the bank.” Isn't it interesting that no matter what
country a person may live in that there is so much dissatisfaction? In Christ,
we have everything necessary to be complete, content, and fulfilled. Yet our world deceptively tells us to seek
after wealth, glory, and other empty dreams. These seem to gratify for a short time, if at
all. Yet we often do not recognize our
actual needs.
This same thing happened to Eve in the Garden of Eden. She and her husband, Adam, had everything
that that needed, and yet when the Enemy came, he caused her to focus on a perceived
need. See Genesis 1-3. Our common enemy, Satan, continues to use the
same deception today. He causes people
to focus on a perceived need and then tells us that his poor substitutes will satisfy the hunger inside us.
However, my friend, Jesus is the only thing that can satisfy our souls. He called Himself "the bread of life" and "living water” (John 6:34-35; 7:38). These are the sustenance’s our soul
requires to survive and thrive. His Word is alive, able to teach, convict, and
redirect us toward a godly path, “For the
word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any tow edged sword,
piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and
is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). The
spiritual milk of God’s truth provides the nourishment our souls need to be satisfied.
All of us have an emptiness within us—a longing for something
more. The question then, becomes, what are you attempting to use to satisfy your soul? Are you using other things to try to satisfy
the longing in your soul? I heard
someone say that our hearts are like a jigsaw puzzle and no matter how hard you
try to force a wrong piece, it will never fit correctly. Today I urge you to turn to Jesus, and His living water will satisfy your soul.
Prayer—Father I repent
for substituting other things in my life to satisfy the longings of my soul and
I ask You to forgive me. Lord I turn to
You with my whole heart seeking You and You alone to satisfy my yearnings, in
Jesus’ Name. Amen.
