Jesus knew the Samaritan woman who met Him at the well had searched for satisfaction and come up short. He knew her heart was empty, without love or self-worth or meaning or fulfillment or happiness. And so He gently pointed out to her, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again.” What was “this water”? The woman took it to mean the water in Jacob’s well, but Jesus was speaking to her heart. All those who look to draw their satisfaction from the wells of the world – pleasure, popularity, position, possessions, politics, power, prestige, finances, family, friends, fame, fortune, career, children, church, clubs, sports, sex, success, recognition, reputation, religion, education, entertainment, exercise, honors, health, hobbies – will soon be thirsty again!
If you look for deep, lasting satisfaction from any of these wells the world offers, you’re wasting your time. You need to be filled with the Living Water of Jesus Christ.
Let us who are of the day be sober,
putting on the breastplate of faith and love,
and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
Gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. § Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breast- plate of righteousness … above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
He will swallow up death forever, and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces; the rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; for the Lord has spoken. And it will be said in that day: “Behold, this is our God; we have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the Lord … we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation.”
Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
1 Thess. 5:8; 1 Peter 1:13; Eph. 6:14, 16–17; Isa. 25:8–9; Heb. 11:1
The children of Israel encamped before
them like two little flocks of goats,
while the Syrians filled the countryside.
Thus says the Lord: “Because the Syrians have said, ‘The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys,’ therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” And they encamped opposite each other for seven days. So it was that on the seventh day the battle was joined; and the children of Israel killed one hundred thousand foot soldiers of the Syrians in one day. § You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.
“They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you. For I am with you,” says the Lord, “to deliver you.”
1 Kings 20:27; 20:28–29; 1 John 4:4; Isa. 41:10; Jer. 1:19
Gold is one of our most precious commodities. We hoard gold, we wear gold, we invest in gold, we work hard for more gold – we love gold! We sacrifice our families, our friends, our reputations, our health – all so that we can increase our supply of earthly treasures. We want to buy more things . . .
so we can dust more things
so we can break more things
so we can get more things
so we can show off more things
– none of which will last!
Jesus commanded His disciples not to lay up treasures on earth where moth and rust corrupt and where thieves break in and steal, but to lay up treasures in Heaven. I wonder what treasures we will have in Heaven as evidence of our work and witness on earth – if any? While it is said we can take nothing with us to heaven – we can! We can take somebody else!
Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord
for His goodness, and for His wonderful works
to the children of men!
Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him! § How great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You.
This people I have formed for Myself; they shall declare My praise. § Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved … That we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory.
How great is its goodness and how great its beauty! § The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. All Your works shall praise You, O Lord, and Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, and talk of Your power, to make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of His kingdom.
Ps. 107:8; 34:8; 31:19; Isa. 43:21;
Eph. 1:5–6, 12; Zech. 9:17; Ps. 145:9–12
Indeed we count them blessed who endure.
We … glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. § Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. § My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. § Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. § Most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me … For when I am weak, then I am strong.
James 5:11; Rom. 5:3–5; Heb. 12:11; James 1:2–4; 1:12; 2 Cor. 12:9–10
Like a boat that would be tossed endlessly and aimlessly and dangerously on the open sea without an anchor, we need to anchor our lives as well. That anchor is devotion to God. God worked for six days during that first “week” then rested on the seventh: “And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done” (Gen. 2:3, NIV). The word holy means “set apart,” or different from ordinary things.
From the law in Exodus we know one reason for this day of devotion is to ensure that we do not get too far away from God’s pattern. If one out of every seven days we are anchored by our focus on Him, we are less likely to drift from Him. On the other hand, if one day each week is not spent in giving Him our attention, we are more likely to put Him further and further away from our thoughts until we do not seriously think of Him at all, and we end up being tossed about on the sea of life only to wind up being smashed and broken on the rocks when a storm hits.
Drop your anchor – keep your focus on Him!
