December 20th Advent Devotional

December 20

John 4:13-14

Jesus said, “Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life.”

-John 4:13-14 _{The Message}

This scripture is buried inside the story of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.  Prior to these verses, she is surprised that a Jew would even stoop to talk to her, much less ask her for a drink.  After this exchange, she asks Jesus about where it is “best” to worship God—at the sacred mountain as is the Samaritan tradition, or in Jerusalem as per the Jews.  I love Jesus’ answer—He tells her the time is coming when it won’t matter what you are called or where you go to worship.  Rather, who you are at your core and how you live your faith will matter most to God.

Jesus is the greatest gift ever given to the world and is the epitome of God bursting into the world.  He changed everything the world knew about “religion.”  He gave meaning to the shunned, the overlooked, the outcast.  He made worship of God open to all, regardless of worldly standing.  He came to strip away all of the labels the world lived by and replace them with the only one that matters—Christ follower. 

Jesus came to fill us with the life-giving water of the Spirit that is a continuous gushing fountain of life within us.  He came to open a line of communication with each and every one of us, not only with the “Prophets.”  We no longer have to take someone’s word for what God wants us to hear; we can hear it ourselves.  Are you listening for what he has to say to you?  Do you really want to hear what he is telling you?  Are you really listening?  Are you ready to follow?

Sean Prince