For Free

03.11.15

John 4.14 14 “...but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – Jesus (ESV)

I’m doing a Lent thing this year. It’s kind of Lent-Lite, but it’s the first time I’ve ever done Lent-Anything, so at least it’s a start. I’m not sure why I’m doing what I’m doing, but I’m doing it nonetheless. It seemed like the thing to do; sort of a, well-everyone-is-doing-it thing to do. I’m pathetic – I know it.

Today, in my Lenten reading was a reference to Isaiah’s words in Isaiah 55: “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.” (V. 1) The devotional then led to John 4 where Jesus tells a Samaritan woman, “…whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.”

I thought about a plant in my office. It’s a start off of another plant and I stuck it in some watery dirt (or some dirt-ery water) in a tall Lexan vase and placed it by the window where it gets massive light in the morning and shadier light in the afternoon. The plant represents (to me) my business and what it takes to get a business going. Starting a start and starting a business are somewhat similar in my mind. Both take time and care.

And Isaiah told his hearers all those centuries ago: Hey! Come and get whatever you need to live…FOR FREE!!!!! In other words, whatever you need, God will give you – for free; just come to Him to get it. And that is where the trouble starts for mankind: coming to God for anything.

Even if it’s free; even if it’s too good to be true, we seem to think God is somewhat lacking or worse, deceptive – a divine bait and switch: I come to Him for free stuff and He slips shackles on my feet. Caught ya, ya little punk! And sometimes, it feels that way until I am really thirsty and really hungry and eating school paste just doesn’t get it anymore. (I never liked it anyway – it was too pasty!)

God is the God of the desperate and sometimes desperation is the only thing that gets through. That doesn’t mean God is mean, or cruel, or manipulative; it means He will let us get to the end of ourselves and He will still offer us free stuff to help us to believe and trust in Him. The woman at the well wanted Jesus to give her the water because she was tired of coming to get it time after time after time. Jesus said, Child I am giving what you need that goes way beyond your measly wants and needs: I am giving you life! (For Free)

The jury is still out on Lent but the reminder this morning of what Jesus offers to me is critical: I need what He freely gives – all the time! (The plant in my office needs water all the time!)

Father, I need You – all the time. My business needs You – all the time. And my life is incomplete, shrunken and lacking without You. Gracious God, give me what I need today and help me to be grateful for life eternal, abundant, and everlasting! Amen.