“Jesus replied, ‘If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask Me and I would give you living water.” (John 4:10 NLT)
It’s estimated the average person can survive about 3-4 days without water, but no one can survive in eternity for one second without the living “Water,” the Lord Jesus Christ. Yet, most human beings mistakenly believe since they have physical life, that’s their only concern. Each day we likely have access to dozens or more people who are walking dead people, dying of spiritual dehydration due to their lack of the presence of the Spirit of God living in and through them.
Jesus met a Samaritan woman who didn’t have a clue about her need of Jesus until she met Him, listened to His voice and responded by faith to His offer of living water, then she was empowered by His Spirit to tell everyone she met about the Lord. Where is that Spirit led compulsion to share the Lord in us? Why are we so reluctant to share the “Living Water” with every “thirsty” person we meet?
By God’s grace, He’s giving me greater boldness in speaking to strangers about Him. One key that I’ve found very helpful is speaking to someone we don’t know about common interests. Usually, when we meet someone for the first time it will be in a setting that gives us both a reason to be there, thus, a common interest.
In a doctor’s or hospital waiting room, a sport’s event, or casual outing, wherever we are, if we’re both there, there’s certainly a reason and an automatic common interest. I think of Jesus and the Samaritan woman, both were there because of the water. That was the common source of interest upon which their conversation could begin.
Notice Jesus didn’t say, as well He could have: “You shameful woman, you’re living a life of sin and shame, having had five husbands and now living with a man to whom you’re not even married. Shame on you! You deserve to rot in hell for your awful lifestyle! Repent and believe the Good News!” Yeh, right! She’d have dropped her bucket and been gone before the second sentence left the Lord’s mouth. But isn’t it ironic that after building some common ground He Has WAS able to tell her those things.
Folks don’t need to know how bad they are, they need to know how good Jesus is. “Please give Me a drink” were His opening words. No condemnation. No accusatory, negative comments, just a simple non-threatening request that caught her off guard but certainly got her attention. My sense is, we don’t have to cram the Gospel down anyone’s throat. If it doesn’t flow naturally, then wait for another opportunity. How do we know they’ll get another opportunity? We don’t, but the Lord does, that’s why it’s critical we let Him lead us.
We may not have opportunity to “harvest” someone’s soul in every conversation, but we can certainly plant and/or water the seed of faith the Lord plants. Not everyone will be open to hearing about the Lord, but they may be open to having a friendship with us. Don’t close the door for another conversation with someone, or, at least, another conversation the Lord can offer them later through someone else, by being pushy or overbearing.
Pastor Corky Calhoun made an interesting observation when he wrote: “We live in a world of dehydrated people who would rather die of thirst than fully humble themselves, repent of their sin and drink from the well of living water, Jesus Christ.” His words are true and challenging, but we must use them to encourage, inspire, and challenge us to be better at reaching those in our spheres of influence, not shut us down in fear. We walk in the power of God’s Spirit, the same Spirit who was leading Jesus in His conversation with the woman at the well.
Your next conversation with a lost, lonely, spiritually dehydrated person may not be at a well, but wherever it is, trust His leadership to fill you with wisdom and right words to help create a thirst in that dying person that may lead them to eternal life in Jesus as it did the Samaritan woman at the well.
Food for thought.
Blessings, Ed 😊
Walking With Jesus 