2018 Weekly Devotional - Week 49

Week 49    

John 4:13-14 "Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 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.”  

    If you have ever been to Geneva, Switzerland it is unavoidable. In fact, it is unavoidable in most photos of Geneva. I’m talking about its signature landmark, the Jet d’Eau. Jet d'Eau, literally means 'water jet', it is a huge fountain on the Geneva Lake, and is one of the tallest fountains in the world. In 1886, the city needed to release the excess pressure of a hydraulic plant at La Coulouvrenière. Almost by accident the fountain was created. Many people liked the fountain and after a few years it was relocated to the center of the Lake. Originally the fountain was created by existing pressure and the water attained a height of about 131 feet. Later the water was pumped and the height of the fountain increased to about 300 feet. Today, strong engines pump 500 liters of water per second allowing the water to ascend to a height of 459 feet! I’m told that it takes a water droplet about 17 seconds from the time it leaves the nozzle to land on the surface of the lake. It is truly a beautiful feature that is a must see for visitors.  

    Jesus has encountered a woman coming to draw water from a well. Jesus begins to speak to her about eternal matters using the water well in their midst as an illustration. Jesus tells her that the spiritual water that he possesses will not have to be drawn out but instead will ‘well up’ in the life of the believer who possesses the living water. This living water, unlike the Jet d’Eau, is not accidental or artificially induced. No! Christ Jesus intentionally calls us to himself. When changed by Christ we don’t have to manufacture the joy that is ours, for, the living water springs up to an effervescence! The word picture Jesus gives is that of an animal jumping or hopping up and down. It is a vivid picture indeed of the new life that happens when the living waters of Christ change us. Have you taken a draught of that water? Have you repeatedly gone to the ‘well of self-help’ only to find its water stagnant? Have you gone to the ‘well of good works’ and left even more thirsty than when you arrived? Abandon those wells and come to the water of eternal life in Christ Jesus.  

In Christ,  

John