Leave Your Waterpot

John 4 tells of a woman in the city of Samaria who went to a well to draw water.  To her amazement, she met a Jewish man at the well who not only acknowledged her presence, but asked for a drink!  This was quite out of the ordinary.  To put her perspective in her own words, "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."  She realised quickly that Jesus was no ordinary man.  He was not even an ordinary prophet.  He said in John 4:13-14, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life."  As Jesus told her of Living Water only He could provide through the Holy Spirit and eternal life, her heart leaped with the incredible possibility:  was this the promised Messiah?

She went to the well with a plan to draw water, but in her excitement over meeting and speaking with Jesus her plans changed.  John 4:28-29 says, "The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ²⁹ "Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?"  The woman went for some water, but received living water through faith in Jesus.  Her plans immediately changed.  This is significant, that she left her waterpot behind!

I have no idea how many times, dear Christian, I have lugged that heavy, sloshing waterpot of my own plans along when God had a greater and higher purpose for me.  I went to the petrol station to purchase fuel for my car and I left with a full tank - but didn't take the time to start a conversation with the intent to introduce someone to Jesus.  It was me who remained empty when I could have been filled with the Spirit.  I stayed up late watching a program on TV to the end, but fell asleep mid-sentence whilst in prayer.  I was occupied, but not satisfied.  We make many plans for ourselves, but do we allow God to interrupt them with something beautiful and awe inspiring through the leading of the Spirit?  We need to learn to leave our waterpots when God has given us something far more satisfying through His service.  Jesus had food to eat His disciples did not know, and Jesus provides life, strength, and purpose the world cannot know!