By Rick Warren
“Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (John 4:13-14 NLT, second edition).
If you feel unsatisfied with your life and you want to live a fulfilled, meaningful life, you need to stop looking for satisfaction somewhere besides Jesus.
We’re always looking around, trying to find something to make our lives happy and significant. We think, “If I could just wear this kind of clothes, then I’ll be cool. If I could just have plastic surgery and get this fixed, then life would be grand. If I could just get this job, I’ll be satisfied.”
The Bible says in Jeremiah 2:13, “My people have done two evils: They have turned away from me, the spring of living water. And they have dug their own wells, which are broken wells that cannot hold water” (NCV).
Not only have we rejected God and not looked to him to meet all our needs and satisfy our lives. We’re also trying to meet our needs on our own. These wells we’ve dug called a career or good looks or a golf game aren’t going to hold water.
In John 4:13-14, Jesus says, “Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life” (NLT, second edition).
Sin is addictive. It only makes you thirstier! If you don’t believe that, ask anybody who’s looked at pornography — once is not enough. If you are addicted to prescription medication, one pill is not enough. If you have a problem with anger, you’re not going to get angry just once. Sin creates greater thirst for satisfaction.
But Jesus offers living water that will permanently satisfy your thirst.
If you feel unsatisfied with your life, that’s called spiritual thirst. And the only one who can quench that thirst is the one who said, “I thirst.” Jesus thirsted on the cross so you don’t have to thirst. He paid for what you don’t have to pay for. He became thirsty so you never have to be thirsty again.