Pentecost reminds us of the 'living water' of God's Holy Spirit that sustains us in these troubled times and strengthens us to do God's work.
There is nothing more refreshing for a thirsty and tired traveler than a drink of cold well water. God has provided a special well of life to ultimately refresh the spiritually hungry, tired and thirsty mass of humanity.
"On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, 'If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'" (John 7:37-38).
Pentecost and the Holy Spirit
Jesus told His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit a few days after His departure to the throne of His Father. He told them to wait at Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:4-10). Jesus kept His promise on that day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
This particular day was momentous in the history of the New Testament Church and the world. It was the coming of the Holy Spirit that was prophesied to change the whole world. On that Pentecost, God began a powerful work through His Church by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Through suffering, trials, persecution and martyrdom, the Church has continued to take the gospel to all the world by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Since that first New Testament Pentecost the Spirit of God has moved the hearts of men and women to follow the way of truth. The Spirit of truth guides us into all truth and shows us things to come (John 16:13).
The gift of the Spirit that God so generously poured out upon His people is marvelous. It is through this Spirit that He has set us apart and 'sealed' us (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5). Paul said it is by the Spirit in us that we know we are sons of God (Romans 8:16). It is through that Spirit that we receive the laws of God within our minds and within our hearts (Jeremiah 31:31-33; Hebrews 8:10). It is by the Spirit of the Living God that we are daily renewed. It is by the Spirit of God that it is possible for us to have the mind of Christ in us (Philippians 2:5).
God has called us in this end time, a time of marvelous wonders and terrible sins. Our lives have been blessed through this calling, but it is a day-by-day challenge to remain focused on God's plan for us and all of mankind.
Christ said because lawlessness would abound the love of many would grow cold. Paul also described the terrible times we face daily: "But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!" (2 Timothy 3:1-5).
Thankfully our loving Father has led us to the living waters to sustain us in these troubled times.
Living Water
When Jesus came to Jacob's well in Samaria, He was thirsty and tired from His journey and asked the gentile woman of Samaria for a drink of water. The well had belonged to Jacob and his family for generations. In Jesus' day it was still prized as a source of cold, life-giving water (John 4:5-10).
As Jesus sat on the well resting, He and this gentile woman discussed the conflicts in the customs of their two peoples. Jesus asked this Samaritan woman to give Him a drink of cold water. She said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?"
What Jesus asked of her was very surprising because the Jewish tradition did not allow a Jew to have such dealings with a gentile. Then Jesus spoke to her concerning "the gift of God" and His power to provide it. He spoke of "living water."
She must have thought He was being presumptuous, and so she asked if He was greater than Jacob whose well this had been.
The living water of which Jesus spoke could only be provided by God. The Samaritan woman had no knowledge of such spiritual things.
Jesus said those who drink of that living water would never thirst. In fact, He said, "The water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life" (emphasis added throughout). Her response was that she wanted a drink of that living water so she would not have to come to draw water ever again. Her thoughts were on eliminating this physical chore from her life. Her thoughts were not of a spiritual nature, but of an earthy concern.
Jesus led the conversation to a higher level. He told her, "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23-24).
When Jesus' disciples returned, they were amazed to find that Jesus had been talking with this woman. They asked Him if He had eaten and He said, "I have food to eat of which you do not know." They were puzzled at this remark and thought He spoke concerning physical bread. He said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:30-34).
Walking in the Spirit
The lessons in this encounter at the well stand out strikingly. First, we should focus on the "gift of God," which is His Holy Spirit-the living water. It is the Spirit that gives us life eternal. Paul specifically defines how we will live if we walk in the Spirit. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:22-25).
We should "stir up" the wonderful gift of God and rekindle its work in our lives. We must be sound-minded in the way of God and be confident in the power and the love of God which was shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5).
Secondly, we should set our focus on doing the work of God. The Spirit of God inspires us to have the mind of Christ. As Christ said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.... Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together" (John 4:35-36).
When Christ comes He wants to find the Church faithfully doing His work (Matthew 24:45-47). We must daily draw from the well of living water to spiritually refresh us and give us the power to continue doing His work to the very end for the sake of all mankind.
Let us always remember to follow Christ's admonition and invitation to us to come to the well of the living water where we can draw great spiritual strength and be refreshed with Him and with our Heavenly Father.
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).
"And He said to me, 'It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely to him who thirsts. He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son'" (Revelation 21:6-7).
"I, Jesus, have sent My angel to testify to you these things in the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the Bright and Morning Star.' And the Spirit and the bride say, 'Come!' And let him who hears say, 'Come!' And let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely" (Revelation 22:16-17). UN
