Image courtesy of Sweet Publishing / FreeBibleimages.org
We are less than 30 days away from the 2020 U.S. Presidential election. And true to form, this election seems to be “more important” than all the previous elections – and some might even say wilder than all the previous elections COMBINED!
Over the next 30 days, we can expect the voices around us to get louder. To prepare me for this, the Lord reminded me of the story of Jesus and the Samaritan woman.
DO I HEAR THE VOICE OF JESUS?
John 4:7 – There came a woman of Samaria to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
At this time here in America, our family and friends and colleagues are thirsting for answers. They ask, “Who are you going to vote for?” They press me to share my opinions and likes on social media and beyond. And they thirst for me to read and respond to all their opinions.
And at least two men are thirsting for my vote. They are saying to me, “Give me your vote.”
I could easily be consumed day and night by that. But amidst all the thirsty cries of those voices, will I allow the voice of Jesus to ring in my heart? He too thirsts. And He says, “Give Me a drink!”
I may not be able to completely shut out all the voices asking for my votes and my opinions. But I want the voice of God saying, "Give Me a drink!" to stand out like a trumpet over all the other squeaks of humans saying, "Give Me your vote!".
GIVE JESUS WHAT HE THIRSTS FOR
What does Jesus ask of me today? What is the “drink” that Jesus wants?
Jesus is interested in something that is eternal (John 18:36). Jesus didn’t die to save us from bad politics. He came and died to save me from my sins. And MY OWN daily sins of disloyalty and disobedience to Him and my selfishness and pride are the worst sins of all (1 Samuel 15:22).
Today and every day, Jesus calls out to me because He thirsts for:
1) My loyalty: Jesus thirsts for my heart to maintain a pure and simple devotion to Jesus (2 Cor 11:3).
2) My obedience: Jesus thirsts for me to offer my daily life as a living sacrifice (Romans 12:1). And that everything that I do at home, at work, in ministry, and even every part of my thought life, may be an act of worship to God.
3) Disciples: Jesus thirsts for disciples. He wants me to be a wholehearted disciple, not just a fan and a flag-bearer. And He also wants me to help others know the good news of Jesus and become wholehearted disciples of Him (Mark 16:15; Matthew 28:18-20). So I want to get to "know" His thirst for this too.
But even as I surrender fully to His thirst, I must recognize that the request of Jesus to satisfy His thirst is not for Him. It is for my greater good. When Jesus asks for my heart and my obedience, He is not trying to restrict and suppress us. He asks me to give up something only in order to replace it with something much, much better.
RECOGNIZE MY LACK
Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
I can spend the next 30 days controlled by the news of the U.S. election, anxious for who I will vote for or who will become President here in the U.S. Or I can spend the next 30 days listening to the voice of Jesus and thereby recognizing my need for Him!
If I knew it is the gift of God who says, “Give Me a drink”, I would beg Jesus for His living water.
The secret to thirsting for Jesus is to recognize that Jesus is God’s gift to me. As if there was nothing else!
If someone were to ask me about God's gift to me, what would come to my mind? I know that I would so easily think of my health, my wife and children, my job, my house, etc.
But these are all earthly things - and that is the problem because that is so often my main focus. When I think of the biggest blessing and gift of God, the eternal gift of Jesus doesn’t immediately dominate everything else. Yes, that is my theological answer. But it is not my natural instinct.
So that is my lack. And that is why Jesus calls out to me – to show me my need for the Holy Spirit. He alone can reveal Jesus and magnify who He is to me (John 7:37-39; John 16:14).
The burden on Jesus’s heart right now is not who I will vote for in 30 days. It is that I don’t thirst for His life in me today. And that I don’t see the gift of God that is Jesus!
Lord Jesus, may I see you as the only Gift that matters to me. May everything else become increasingly insignificant to me. You are the One who decides who occupies positions of power. So may I fasten my heart and my focus on what satiates you, and what You are eager to offer me today.