Pickle Heaven Press-James R. Johnson

something to help you laugh and think about life with Christ

Tag: John 4:13-14

something to pond-er — November 19, 2025

something to pond-er

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At one time, my daughter taught at a Christian school in South Korea.  My wife went to visit her for a week, and the itinerary included a trip to her local church.   My wife brought me a church bulletin as a souvenir.  Whoopee!

I actually read the bulletin which was written in both Korean and English.  Advertised in it was an upcoming retreat.  Included were three pictures with a compelling caption beneath each one.  Keep in mind, however, that the captions were Korean ideas, translated into English.

There was a picture of a mountain and beneath, it said, “Breathtaking Mountain Scenery.”  There was a second picture of some asphalt.  The caption said, “Basketball Courts NOT made of dirt.”  Hey, that’s exciting. 

The third picture was of a pond.  The caption said, “Pond with real water!”  Hmm, it makes you curious about the ponds filled with fake water.

Pond or not, real water is essential to our lives!

Water lubricates our joints, cushions tissues, and protects organs.   It transports nutrition and flushes out toxins.  It keeps our brains humming and our skin plump and healthy.  It supports our immune system, improves our mood, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases.

I must confess, however, that I prefer soda over water. Soda is mostly water anyway, so why not?

Yes, soda is mostly water, but the additives compromise and even reverse the benefits that pure water brings. 

Soda does not provide the essential minerals and vitamins. Sugar makes us fat and gives us cancer, diabetes and inflammation.  The sweeteners are linked to negative health effects.  Caffeine causes the body to drain off the water already stored in our bodies and so on. 

But here’s the crazy thing.  The experts say that a glass of soda is 90-99% water.  But that remaining 1% turns a soda into a health hazard.

This causes me to wonder about the water Jesus’ offers.

He challenged throngs of worshippers at the temple saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink” – John 7:37-38.  

This is to say that there is water for us to drink that the Lord provides.  He used that figure of speech to let us know that His water does for our spiritual existence what H2O does for our material state. 

Because God is holy, His water is also holy and 100% pure.  And it really and truly does for us what the Lord promised.  It gives and sustains an effervescent spiritual vitality within us. 

But silly me – sometimes I substitute his water for soda. 

I tell myself, “I need Jesus plus “blank” to be happy.”   I need the 99% that Jesus gives but I also need my IRA to grow, or I need to be in charge at work, or I need my kids to adore me, or I need a new bass boat.  

And it’s that added 1% that we strive to have, that steals the joy of knowing and serving Jesus.  It ends up stripping us of any satisfaction.  A little bit of compromise makes a catastrophic difference.

We need to drink deeply and exclusively of the water Jesus gives.

They say we can live only 3-4 days without water intake.  Which is why my daughter carries around a Stanley cup that is big enough to hydrate a camel.  Jesus, however, supplies us with an inexhaustible supply (John 4:13-14). 

Bottled water can be pricey, but Jesus said, “To the one who is thirsty I will give water free of charge” – Revelation 21:6.

When I was a kid, we would run around on a hot summer day.  If we got thirsty, we would pick out a house nearby, grab their garden hose and drink.   It satisfied us even though it had kind of rubbery taste.

There’s no after taste with Jesus.  So, drink deeply!

A PRAYER: Lord, please help me identify that 1% 

This has been Jim Johnson and pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus be with you

Scripture passages are from the NETBible®

the hidden well — October 12, 2022

the hidden well

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Psst!  I have some dirt to share!  It’s in a big pile in the land of Israel.

It is what remains of a once thriving town called Meggido.  It was a hugely important place in OT history because of its strategic location.  If an invader possessed Meggido, they could control all Israel. 

However, the city was extremely easy to defend.  It towered over the plain, and the sides leading up to the city were smoothed stone so that a soldier couldn’t get a foothold.  It was topped off with formidable walls – a nightmare to an invading force. 

The primary way to take Meggido was through siege.  An invading force would surround the town and seal it off.  Eventually the residents would have to either surrender or die from the lack of water.

Megiddo was blessed with a bountiful spring, but unfortunately it was located outside of the city walls.   This was a boon to the invaders, but the bane of the invadees who could not access it during battle.

So, the shrewd citizens carved an enormous tunnel down, through solid rock with an entry point within the city.  It went down 120 feet, then out 250 feet more to get to the source of the spring. 

They finished by piling tons of rock over the outside access to the well, thus hiding it and denying it’s life-giving flow to their enemies.  Meggido had a hidden, yet inexhaustible source of water to sustain them through the battle. 

—–

There was a woman in the New Testament who was also under siege.  She attempted to slake her thirst by turning to a man – a guy who would love away her emptiness.

She married mister right but found him to be mighty wrong.  Her second marriage promised to be better, but it also went down in flames. 

Then there was a third and fourth and even a fifth.  Each marriage lured her with the façade of happiness but failed to deliver.  She became the woman that everyone seemed to want, but no one wanted to keep.  

She was living with a sixth man when she encountered Jesus.   He found her drawing water from the well that Jacob the patriarch had once unearthed.

Jesus pointed it out and said, “Everyone who drinks some of this water will be thirsty again.”  – John 4:13.   His words had a sickly reverberation to them. “Thirsty again,” He said.  Six times she had swallowed the fickle affections of men, but she was still parched.  

Jesus went on, “But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.” – John 4:14 

Jesus looked her in the eye and promised to satisfy her in such a way that she would never thirst again.  He presented Himself as a Megiddo of sorts – a spiritual life source hidden within her from which she could draw continually.  His was a water that would satisfy and see her through the sieges of life.   It would sustain her for eternity.

She believed Him!  She believed in Him!  She gave Him her faith, and He filled her emptiness and profoundly satisfied her thirst. 

It was about 50 years ago that I took that drink.  I have found Jesus to be true to His Word.  He filled my emptiness with His love.  He gave me a solid purpose and a comforting sense of security. 

Every year, its more of the same.  He became in me a spiritual life source, that continues to nourish and water my soul.  He is my hidden well of Megiddo that sustains me in the battle. 

I can truly say that I am satisfied.  What about you?

A PRAYER: Water of Life, I thank you!

This has been Jim Johnson with pickleheavenpress.com

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Scripture references are from the NETBible.com