Key Verse:
"Jesus answered,"Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.'"
(John 4:13-14)
Central Truth:
Jesus Christ is King, not an add-on.
EXCHANGE OR ADD-ON?
I am captivated by the conversation that Jesus has with this woman. What Jesus was offering and what she wanted from him were two different things. Jesus was offering her a type of "living" water (spiritual forgiveness and the Spirit that comes with it) that would give her a relationship with God. What she wanted from Jesus was something to make her life easier ("living" water that would mean she wouldn't have to come fetch water from the well anymore.) Jesus was offering an exchange, and she was just wanting an add-on.
This type of interaction with God happens all the time. Jesus offers each of us a relationship with Him in which we die. That is what Christianity is...an invitation to die. To die to our agenda, our rights, our opinions, our judgements and to live seeking his agenda, his opinion, and his desire for our life. The daily Christian life is about learning to be less of me and more of Him. However, we have turned Christianity into something else. We want to add Jesus and the forgiveness He offers to our life to make our life better. We want to run our lives, live for our comfort, and add Jesus to supply peace and assurance to make it all good. We, like the woman, want modern Christianity to be more of an "add-on" than an "exchange."
Jesus didn't go to the cross and die a brutal death to be a life add-on for you and me. He died to offer us forgiveness so that He could be King of our lives. He is not satisfied in influencing your belief system and morality. He longs to be King of your heart, because He is King of the World. He wants to have the final say in everything from how you treat people to how you spend/give your money. He will not be satisfied with anything less than being King. Christianity is not as much about living with Jesus in your heart as it is battling yourself to ensure that Jesus remains king of your heart.
Today, think about who Jesus really is to you. What role does He functionally serve in your everyday life? Are you fighting to keep Him as King, or are you satisfied in making Him your spiritual add-on?
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"Christianity is not as much about living with Jesus in your heart as it is battling yourself to ensure that Jesus remains king of your heart."
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome depiction of the Christ follower's struggle. I love that line! It so eloquently depicts the constant need to strive forward on your journey with Christ. Christianity should be a verb, an action word, not a noun!