If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water. (John 4:10)The [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:23)
Our family pondered John 4 the other day. Bethany, my youngest, said that she sensed the waters of baptism washing over her (vv. 1-2), and then sensed the living water running cool and refreshing inside her. What a beautiful picture of baptism! Not just a bath or sprinkle, but a reminder of the true baptism: rivers of living water flowing from Christ through us. (John 7:38)
I heard God say, "If you knew the gift of God, you would not be so amazed at my love for people." What is this gift? Living water. Eternal life with Jesus. God giving himself. The gift of God is not mere forgiveness, but life with him, having a home with the Father, Son, and Spirit. It is flowing and moving like a river, not locked in a well.
Eternal life without a conversational relationship with God is like having that bucket and drawing out water from a well. I come to the well when I am thirsty. I dabble in the spiritual here and there when it suits me. I keep it in the bucket of my religion or "faith." It is mine to enjoy or dispense of as I see fit. This is "bucket life."
When eternal life is eternal living, when the presence and power of God influence my life each day, even each moment, then I find that I am afloat in living waters. They come from within and surround me. I am immersed in a different life. I cannot hold it in a bucket, but find I am flowing along with God in a life.
The bucket can seem appealing when the life of God sweeps me away from my desires and my demands. I sometimes find I want the bucket and the feeling of control over my life. I want to be able to put it down and pick it up when it suits me.
But life is not like that. I have been told that the world doesn't just stop when I need a break - life goes on. Of course, that image is more sinister in that the world runs over people; God doesn't. But eternal life is not subject to my control. I cannot hold a river in a bucket.
I have found more and more that eternal living is a cooperative project between myself and God. We are working on it together. God doesn't just tell me what to do - that's "bucket life." "He walks with me and talks with me and tells me I am his own." He wants my input and my involvement. Eternal life moves and changes and grows.
Although my choices are essential, eternal living in union with Christ is about him. The living water is his gift to give and mine to receive. He wants me to receive it cheerfully, not under compulsion, so we talk things through and work together. Most often, the choice I have is whether I will jump in and wade deeper or stay on the banks with my bucket.
Lord, your life goes on. Let it not be without me. I want to know the your gift and be immersed in your family, your presence, your life. Amen.
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