We all the story of the woman at the well. She had been married five times, she is living with a man who she is not married to and she meets Jesus at the well during the heat of the day where she knows no one will be at the well to "judge" her for her sins. He already knows her story, why she is there and what she can do to escape her sinful life. He talks to her about "living water."
At first, the woman at the well thought Jesus was speaking about running water that she could received instead of having to work so hard to retrieve the water out of the well. She was very excited to not have to work so hard to get water. But instead, He was talking about the cleansing and refreshing power He was offering her - she was extremely excited now! Jesus was talking about God's own Mercy. A dependable source of cleansing and refreshment from the inside out. He was talking about a fresh start for a life that was going nowhere, a heart that had shriveled and hardened. He knew all about her and all she had done and still promised her forgiveness. She was so excited that she left her pail at the well and ran to tell everyone her testimony about Jesus to all the people who judged and shunned her. Once she opened up to them about the flow of the living water, she couldn't stop telling about what Jesus had done for her. (I KNOW THE EXACT FEELING! :) )
Because Jesus does His best work with broken people, we need to be ready to be worked on. I know in my season of sin I was so broken that I laid in His hands like broken glass just begging to be put back together. When we are in that position, that is when the Healer begins His work.
He calls our attention away from our failures and toward Him. The answers to your current or past failures is exactly the same answer to your sins. It is also the same answer He gave the woman at the well. His answer is truth - you are called to face the truth about the sin in your life. His answer is forgiveness - you can repent of your sin and start over without condemnation. But above all, His answer is Himself. He wants us to turn to Him, open up to Him and receive all of the living water He has in store for us. No matter what you've done, no matter where you've gone, no matter the number of adulterous affairs or divorces you've had, you are still eligible for receiving the living water.
It really is that simple. But simple does not mean easy because we still live in a fallen, sinful world. Because all sin - especially relational sin - still has long-lasting, real-life consequences. In this world we have trouble, which means even with Jesus we'll face times when we don't know what to do or we can't bring ourselves to do what is right. But that's exactly the point of living water. Because water is never a one-time gift but a flowing, fresh source of cleansing of refreshment and power.
Part 2 we will talk about what the living water can do for you. Until next time.....
God bless,
Shannon