WHAT IS YOUR WATER SOURCE?
Introduction
Your water source is very crucial in life. Your health is to a very great extent determined by the source and quality of the water you drink. Millions of people in the world are pining away daily largely due to the source, quality and content of the water they consume! Water- borne diseases account mainly for this grim picture. Its impact often goes beyond physical health to other facets of life. Many centuries ago, the people of Jericho faced a great challenge with their water source and quality: “The men of the city said to Elisha, “Look, our Lord, this town is well situated, as you can see, but the water is bad and the land is unproductive.” 2 Kings 2: 19. It is clear here that in spite of the obviously beautiful location of their city, the water was bad and consequently caused the land to be unproductive. It can be observed that several aspects of their socio-economic life were terribly affected, just because of their bad water!
This principle exactly applies in the spiritual realm. Many people are well-positioned in life and beautiful on the outside but are sadly unproductive and irrelevant to God and his kingdom because of the source and quality of the spiritual well they drink from. God lamented this in the life of Judah when he spoke through Jeremiah saying: “My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.” Jer. 2:13. This was manifested in the life of the Samaritan woman who boasted to Jesus: “Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds.” John 4:12. That was a clear empty boast in comparison with Jesus Christ, the true fountain of water, who created and called Jacob, his ancestors and descendants who dug the drying, natural well!
Little wonder, the Samaritan woman who drank from Jacob’s well continued to suffer untold hardship and disgrace in the hands of several men and in the society. This story reveals the several false, natural and defiling fountains we often drink from to include our ancestry, religion, pride and philosophy. As long as we keep trusting and drinking from these worldly, drying, and filthy wells, we would never be healthy or strong and courageous to face and overcome the Devil, Sin, the flesh and the world. Little wonder the Holy Spirit charged Paul to warn the Colossians and ourselves to “see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.” Col. 2:8. What is your water source today?
Hundreds of years ago, God boldly promised that, “On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity.” Zech. 13:1.He invites all humanity thus: “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come; buy wine and milk, without money and without cost. Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David.” Isaiah 55:1-3.
When Paul began to drink of Christ, the fountain of life, he sincerely declared: “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Galatians 2:20. This testimony confirms Jesus’ promise to the woman of Samaria that “whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst [of any other type of water], because the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.” John 4:14. Oh! What a glorious offer!