Food and Water

I can think of anybody I know that doesn't love food. We love to talk about our favorite foods and the best places to find them and enjoy them. We even plan our days and events around food. Some of us do a good job of eating healthy while others (like me) crave stuff like pizza, cheesesteaks and buffalo wings. Yes we love food, but we also need food. We won't survive very long without it. And we can only last a few days without water.

Jesus uses food and water to teach us some very powerful Biblical truths. When his disciples were trying to get Jesus something to eat, he said to them: "I have food to eat that you do not know about...my food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work" (John 4:30, 32). When Satan tried to tempt him in the wilderness to misuse his power and satisfy his hunger, our Lord responded: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God." (Matthew 4:4). Regarding water, Jesus told the woman at the well that if she drank the living water that He provided, she would never thirst again and have everlasting life (John 4:10-14).

Just as our bodies can't survive physically without food and water, we can't survive spiritually without Biblical refreshment. Our diet begins with God's Word that nourishes us with His wisdom, knowledge and power. It continues with knowing God's will as he reveals it to us through His Word and Spirit and then carrying it out in our lives. Our spiritual food gives us the strength to accomplish what He has called us to do and gives us the fuel to exercise the spiritual gifts our Father has graciously given to us.

And finally, our Savior provides living water that leads to eternal life; a life not possible without His sacrificial payment of our sin debt on the cross at Calvary. Only Christ's living water can quench our spiritual thirst--a thirst that cannot be satisfied by any other worldly cause or endeavor.