Water For A Thirsty Soul

Do you ever feel weary, empty, or lost?

In John Four, a story is told about an encounter between Jesus and a woman from Samaria. Jesus is on his way to Galilee from Jerusalem, and in passing through the town, he stops beside a well and meets this local woman. He asks her for a drink of water, and the woman is curious because Jewish men did not associate with Samaritan women. But Jesus does, and He tells her something. We’ll pick up the story there, and you can read what happened.

“If you only knew the gift God has for you and who I am, you would ask me, and I would give you living water,” Jesus says. “Whoever drinks this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks the water I give will never thirst. It will become a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

“Please sir,” the woman said, “give me some of that water so I will never thirst again and I won’t have to come here to draw water.”

“Go and get your husband,” Jesus told her.

“I have no husband,” she said.

“You’re right. You don’t have a husband--for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t married to the man you are living with now.”  John 4:10, 13-18

Pretty bold of Jesus to speak that way to her, don’t you think? Jesus’ ability to direct the conversation the way He wants is amazing, and it’s even more amazing how the woman responds. First they have a discussion about what true worship is, and then Jesus reveals He is the Messiah. This news excites her, and she runs off to tell everyone.

If a man on the street approached such a woman today and spoke the words Jesus does, he would probably get slapped for it! People get uncomfortable when we go below the surface, especially with matters of morality or pride, and yet Jesus does it with such ease. He wins her over! How does He do that?

I think the key lies in the way He speaks. On the printed page of our Bible we can’t hear how He says these words to her or see the look in His eyes. But based on what we know of Jesus’ compassion and deep love for people, and by the way the woman responds to Him, I think it’s safe to assume Jesus wasn’t speaking in a judgmental way. He was concerned for her, and He wanted to offer something that would take away her pain.

When she asks Jesus for the Living Water, why does He ask her to go and get her husband? He knew she didn’t have one, and His words seem out of place. A more appropriate response may have been, ‘Have you been baptized? Would you like to be?’ Or He could have said, ‘Follow Me. Come and be My disciple.’

But He didn’t do either, and this is why: He wanted her to be honest about her emptiness. That was the key to receiving the Living Water because its purpose was to fill up those empty places in her heart. The loneliness. The shame of her reputation. The hopelessness of her situation. The holes left by those who had abandoned her and didn't love her fully. And it’s the same for us today. Before we drink the Living Water, we must first realize how thirsty we are.  

Imagine yourself meeting Jesus beside this well. You’re coming to get some ordinary water, but instead Jesus offers you Living Water--something that will satisfy your heart and soul. You say, ‘Yes, please. I need that.’ Then He says, ‘Go and get your_________.’ You fill in the blank. What would Jesus want to bring to the surface? What would He ask you to go and get where your only response would be, ‘I have no__________.’

You may think in terms of people, circumstances, or personal character: I have no friends, no boyfriend, no beauty, no talent, no joy...’ You can fill in the blank with more than one thing. The list of our emptiness can go on and on. Receiving what you truly need from God requires your honesty about your feelings about yourself, your losses, your weaknesses, your disappointments, and your mistakes.  

Take some time to think about them and share your heart with Jesus. In exchange for your honesty, you will receive the love, the peace, and the blessings He has waiting for you. You are safe with Him, and He won’t send you away empty-handed. He will fill you to overflowing.

Why? Because you are loved. You are His. And He is good.

Back To School

What comes to mind when you think about going back to school?  

It's that time of year again. Perhaps you have already started, or perhaps you are enjoying this final weekend of freedom before it's back to class, back to homework and tests, back to worry, stress, and generally not having much fun.

I saw a photo on Facebook this week. It was a picture of some children on their way to school. They appeared eager to get there. They were carrying their books and backpacks and had on their best school clothes. It wasn't an advertisement with kids pretending to be excited about school, it was real. These children and teens wanted to go to school, and they weren't going to let anything stop them. I'm not sure how far they had to walk to get there, but they were walking...on a bridge...over a polluted river (a wide, fast-moving river in a third-world country)...hanging on to the railing on one side as their feet traveled the wooden boards because the railing on the other side was hanging down toward the water. The bridge was broken and dangerous to use, but they were using it because that was the way to school, and they were willing to risk their lives to get there.

It's easy to take for granted what we have, isn't it? It's easy to grumble and complain and whine. It's easy to see a blessing as a curse. It's easy to forget how much we have. It's easy to go from saying, 'I want it!' to 'I need it!' It's easy to miss the light of truth when our eyes are closed.

I'm not writing this to make you feel guilty if you're complaining about going back to school or wishing your life was different than it is. I'm writing this to encourage you to change your thinking. I'm writing this to encourage you to open your eyes and take a look around you. How are you blessed? What do you have? What are you forgetting to be thankful for? What do you already have that if you lost, you would cross a dangerous bridge to get it back? Complaining brings misery. Unfulfilled wants becomes depression. Unrealistic expectations brings hopelessness and despair.

But thankfulness brings joy. Thankfulness brings peace. Thankfulness brings satisfaction, contentment, and a desire for what really matters.

Go ahead, try it. Make a list of everything you're thankful for and keep it close by for times when you need to be reminded again. Be thankful and be happy. It's that simple. 


"Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again--rejoice! Tell God what you need and thank him for all he has done. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:4, 6-7)

Where's Your Heart?

"These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away." 
Matthew 15:8


We live in a world where we constantly compare ourselves to others. What we wear. How we look. What talents we have, or don't have. How rich. How poor. How ordinary or extraordinary. It's easy to feel inferior and hard to feel superior. It's easy to see all of our faults and shortcomings and hard to see what makes us special, unique, and valuable.

We are special, unique, and valuable--every one of us. But when we measure ourselves against what others expect or we expect, we will always fall short. Even when we are beautiful, successful, and noteworthy, there will always be others who are more so. There is no such thing as being good enough or being at the top. Those places do not exist, therefore, in our minds, we will always fail to some degree.

What then should we use to measure ourselves? What scale gives us an accurate reading of our value, significance, and accomplishments? How do we know how we're doing? As a Christian you may think your worth lies in how much good stuff you do, how many Bible verses you memorize, how often you pray or read your Bible or share the Good News with others.  But these too are only man-made scales.

Jesus was approached by some religious men who asked Him why His disciples weren't following all the rules of Jewish tradition. In their eyes, Jesus and His disciples were falling short. Jesus responded by asking them why they weren't living in obedience to God. They thought they were perfect, but He said, "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far away."

They were being religious, but they weren't trusting God. They were acting intelligent and wise--as if they were wiser than Jesus, but He knew their hearts were elsewhere. They weren't focused on God and His love, they were focused on themselves and being superior to everyone else.

Sometimes others can make us feel stupid for how we dress, the choices we make, and the beliefs we have. We may think we have to please these people and change for them, but we don't. Jesus would call them blind and foolish for what they think is important and right, and He would call me foolish if I thought I had to please them by changing my appearance, making the choices they make, or striving for what they call successful.

My value and worth is found in God alone. In His love for me. Living in obedience to Him is about believing He loves me enough to tell me what is best for me. Only God can know that. Only He can lead me on the paths He has for me. Only in keeping my heart close to Him can I know how loved and treasured I truly am.



"I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is good and leads you along the paths you should follow." Isaiah 48:17


*Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.  All rights reserved.

Secret To Success

Hezekiah trusted in the LORD, the God of Israel...He remained faithful to the LORD in everything, and he carefully obeyed all the commands the LORD had given Moses. So the LORD was with him, and Hezekiah was successful in everything he did.  2 Kings 18:5-7 (NLT)


Have you ever failed at anything?

Everyone fails sometimes. I have failed many times. Sometimes because I haven't tried or given something my best effort. I didn't have the motivation or take the necessary time to be successful. Other times I failed because I didn't have the time, talent, or brains to achieve my desired goals. Sometimes I failed because others put expectations on me I couldn't live up to, and other times I put those expectations on myself.

I failed at learning to play the piano when I was in fourth and fifth grade. My mom wanted me to learn and she had me take lessons for two years. I hated it! Being older now, I sometimes wish I had learned to play and can see why my mother had that desire for me, but I wasn't into it at the time, and I didn't have the finger-strength and coordination to learn without major practice. I hated practicing, I rarely did so, and I failed at learning to play the piano.

I also failed to achieve a goal I set for myself when I was older. I wanted to go to medical school and become a doctor. I took all the science and math classes I was supposed to in high school. I got straight A's. I went to college and majored in pre-med, but the college-level classes were too hard for me. I studied a lot, but I didn't understand the science and math-stuff well enough, and I gave up during my third year. My grades weren't what they needed to be, but it wasn't because I didn't try. I tried my hardest, but I failed to reach the goal of getting into medical school. Sometimes I wonder if I gave up too easily, but I know I didn't. Simply put, I couldn't do it.

In our society, failure is often looked-down upon. But failure, whether for lack of trying or lack of skill is okay. Really. It's okay to fail.

Why? Because of God's grace. He doesn't expect us to be perfect. He loves us even when we fail, and sometimes that's when we are most able to fully love and worship Him. Trusting in His perfection is worship. Trusting in my perfection is idolatry.

I've been reading the books of First and Second Kings in the Bible lately. As the name of the books suggest, they tell us about the kings of Israel. God originally didn't want Israel to be led by kings. He wanted to be their king. But the people insisted on a human king, so God gave them one. The first king was Saul, and he was followed by many others. Some of the kings we know a lot about, like David, Solomon, and Hezekiah. Others we don't know much except for one thing: whether they did what was good or evil in God's sight. Were they a good king or a bad king? Were they successful in God's eyes, or did they fail?

God's scale for whether or not these kings failed was based on one thing. Did they listen to God and do what He said? Did they trust Him and follow Him, or did they walk a different path?

God has different expectations for us than others do. He has different expectations than we do. My mom's expectation for me was to learn to play the piano, but I don't think that's what God had in mind for me or He would have given me more desire and talent to learn. My expectation for myself as a young woman was to become a doctor. I had the desire but not the brainpower, so I don't believe that was God's expectation for me either.

What did I do when I failed and let go of my hopes and dreams? I followed God. I asked Him to lead me, and He did. He led me to places of blessing, trials, new discoveries, hardship, happiness, failures, and success. The point isn't how successful I've been or how many times I've failed. The point is I have followed Him, and I know that's His perfect plan for me.

If you have failed at something, or many things, or if you are currently frustrated with your progress to achieve a certain goal, it's okay. Really. If you fail or succeed isn't the point. The point is to walk with Jesus, and He will always lead you exactly where you need to be.


Show me your ways, O LORD, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. (Psalm 25:4-5)

God's Wonders

"As in the days when you came out of Egypt, I will show them my wonders." Micah 7:15

How big is your view of God?  

I begin with that question because I want to ask you another question. Both questions are important, possibly the most important two anyone could ever ask you. I ask myself these questions regularly, or maybe I should say, Jesus asks me.

What is the cry of your heart?

These two questions go together, although we don't always think of them that way. Let's start with the second one. What is the cry of your heart? What do you want? If someone asked you, 'What do you want more than anything? What is most important to you? What do you wish you could change about yourself, your life, or the world around you?', what would your answer be?

??? Don't keep reading until you can think of at least one thing. ???

Something specific may have popped into your head, or maybe more than one. If you have a piece of paper handy, write it (them) down. If you still haven't thought of anything, keep reading. Something may come to you later.

Now back to the first question. How big is your view of God? Do you believe He cares about the cry of your heart, and do you believe He has the ability to help you? Are you looking to Him for that? Is the cry of your heart something you feel comfortable asking Him for? There's no problem, dream, or desire too small to go to God with, or too big. Perhaps you're thinking about how you want to find the perfect dress for an occasion you have coming up, or you want to do well on the test you have in math tomorrow; or maybe your thoughts today are more heavy. You want your parents to stop fighting. You want to end world hunger. You want to help your friend know God. God wants you to come to Him with all of the cries of your heart. Whether it be something someone else might say, 'Is that all you're worried about?' or whether it's something huge where others would say, 'Keep dreaming, that's never going to happen.'

I mentioned in my previous blogpost that Micah was a prophet who was living in a time of despair. He wanted things to be different, and he was looking to God to bring change. "I watch in hope for the LORD. I wait for God my Savior."  One of the things he wanted was to see "fruit" in Israel. He wanted to see goodness and love and peace instead of hatred, violence, and evil. But he knew the people would never get there without God, so he prayed for them. He asked God to come and be their shepherd. To guide them with love. To teach them and heal them and have mercy. And he was right to pray for these things because he understood the heart of God. He knew God wanted those things for them too.

"I will show them my wonders," God says.

We have a big God, and He wants to show us His wonders--things only He can do, and things He can help us do. He wants to respond to the cry of your heart and give you a bigger view of His love, His power, and His goodness. This is serious business, following God and trusting Him. He's serious about you knowing Him. Seek and you will find. Ask and He will answer. Go to Him with your hopes and dreams and those that have already been shattered. And then wait with hope because He will be there. To rescue you, love you, guide you, and show you His wonders. The wonderful desires of His Heart are always perfect and He has them waiting for you.

"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you." --Jesus (Matthew 7:7)

Precious In His Sight

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord. I wait for God my Savior. My God will hear me."  Micah 7:7

Micah was a prophet of Israel living in a time of despair for the Jewish Nation, and Micah himself was a little depressed. He was following God with all of his heart, but he didn't see a lot of people around him doing the same. He saw misery all around him. "What misery is mine!" he says. "The godly have been swept from the land."  It was so bad he warned the people about even trusting friends or family members.

Perhaps you can relate. Perhaps you have a desire to seek God and live in His ways, but you feel alone in that journey. Perhaps you have no one to cheer you on. Perhaps you try but never feel you're getting anywhere, so after awhile you give up and just go with the flow of the current around you. You try to be like the other girls. Maybe you succeed, or maybe you don't, but either way you're left with a feeling of emptiness. You know there has to be more to life, but you can't seem to find it.

I was inspired to create this blogsite where you can find the encouragement you need to pursue Jesus. You know about Him. You try to follow Him. You have a desire to seek after Him and the things He has for you. But you feel alone in that. You feel defeated. You feel clueless about how to really know Him. You doubt your importance to Him. You doubt His love for you. You doubt your value in His eyes.

I titled this blogsite "Precious In His Sight" because that's the primary message I want to share with you. You are precious to Him! You are loved. You are valued by God just for who you are. And that is the Jesus He wants you to seek. Not a God who demands things of you. Not a God who abandons you. Not a God who forgets about you, but a God who is always near. A God who comes to the rescue! We sometimes forget about God, but He never forgets about us.

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD.  I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me."

This was Micah's mindset. He was waiting for God with hope. He was trusting that God would hear him and rescue him. The first step in seeking God is believing He is there. For whatever you're going through. For whatever you're waiting on. For whatever you are feeling discouraged by or depressed about. Seek Him for the answer. Seek Him for guidance. Seek Him for whatever you need. Expect Him to lead you, provide for you, protect you, help you...In other words, expect Him to show up! Live in the reality of His constant presence and love.

"This I declare of the LORD: "He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I am trusting him." (Psalm 91:2 NLT)