If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink Jn7:37 Jesus is at a feast. I would imagine that people are having a good time. They are eating and drinking, dancing and singing, yet Jesus cries out saying, “If any man thirst, let him come unto me and drink.” He knows that the all the partying, all the fun times will not produce a peace that endures. The world is full of empty promises. What we think will produce happiness does not produce happiness. The people who spent the evening at the feast will wake up in the morning with the same issues they faced before they went to the party. They will need another party and another party and another party to produce the escape from reality that we all have to face. We still have to work. We still have our health to deal with. We still have to deal with relationships. We may have issues with drinking, drugs, sex, or gambling. We still have to deal with issues of life and death. All of which means that the bill of goods the secular gives us does not give us a peace which endures. The world with its pockets of happiness is still a fallen world and there is much sadness and suffering in it. The solution to the world's dilemma is God. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him would not perish but have everlasting life (Jn3:16) Everlasting life is peace that endures. Jesus went on to say that out of our belly would flow rivers of living water. We must take a step of faith to believe what Jesus says is true. When we receive Jesus into our lives and experience second birth, the issues of life still remain. Life and death, sickness and health, poverty and prosperity still are with us. The difference is God is with us now and Jesus lives in our heart and the infilling of the Holy Spirit is the living water that will last for ever giving us a peace that endures. Does it mean we will not face trials and tribulation? No. But whereas the world's promises only produce temporal, short lived happiness, God's gifts produce everlasting life, everlasting joy, everlasting peace. If we choose to stay in the system of the world all that awaits us at the end of our journey is fear and death. We will thirst forever and ever and ever. If we embrace the Lord we can learn how to live properly and fulfill the scriptures and we can learn to face death with the hope of everlasting life. What Jesus is telling us is of vital importance. Think through what I am saying. Evaluate your existential situation. Do you live in hope or do you live in fear? Does what the world offers make you happy or does it leave you dry and thirsty when the thrill is over? Do you know where you will spend eternity? Are you bound by fears of sickness, poverty, and death? These are the questions that imply that only Jesus is the answer. The questions of life are really few but they are truly significant and only Jesus is the remedy to all the world's problems. Ask Jesus into your heart today and begin the journey to a peace that endures. amen |