Living Water
John 4:11
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
The restored Church of Jesus Christ provides tools for us to "draw" the living water. Those tools include covenants, ordinances, and priesthood power. As we follow the covenant path, we are able to access the Savior's Atonement, help, and guidance. Those blessings are immense, my friends. The well of the Savior's love and help is deep - truly eternal and limitless. It never runs dry. We can draw on Him every second of every day and into the eternities without Him ever faltering. Isn't that wonderful? We just need to hold onto our tools to draw with.
John 4:14
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
The key to never thirsting is keeping our covenants. I feel more spiritually thirsty when I'm veering away from the path. We have the opportunity every week to symbolically partake of water during the ordinance of the sacrament. We are able to turn our hearts to Him and ask for His help to change us. The more we internalize the gospel and become like Him, the more we have the living water within ourselves. We become one with it. I think it can help to learn scriptures and such by heart so we can draw upon the teachings of Jesus Christ wherever we are.
True Worship
John 4:23
23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
I like the idea of being a true, genuine worshipper. We need to seek the Father as He seeks us. True worship is more than going through the motions. Yes, every bit of faith counts, and God loves us even when we attend church while grumbling. He loves us when we make the effort for effort's sake. He appreciates all we do to serve Him. I think He always seeks us, but He finds us when our hearts are true to Him. I'm reminded of the difference between the letter of the law and the spirit of the law - something the Jews during the Savior's time struggled to understand. When we obey the letter of the law without appreciating the spirit of it, it's like dancing to no music. It won't lead to true conversion and change.
"If our children learn the dance steps without learning to hear and to feel the beautiful music of the gospel, they will over time become uncomfortable with the dance and will either quit dancing or, almost as bad, keep dancing only because of the pressure they feel from others who are dancing around them.
"The challenge for all of us who seek to teach the gospel is to expand the curriculum beyond just the dance steps. Our children’s happiness depends on their ability to hear and love the beautiful music of the gospel."
Elder Andersen's whole talk is linked above. Give it a read if you haven't in a while. It's wonderful.
Ultimate Fulfillment
John 4:
31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
The Savior experienced ultimate fulfillment when He accomplished His work here on earth. His life was difficult, definitely, but He always had perfect perspective and knew the end goal. He accomplished all that was required.
We're not perfect, but I think we can still taste of that fulfillment as we serve God and become His hands. I feel it when I obey a prompting and see it makes a difference. We don't get to know everything in our mortal lives, but I imagine in the next life we'll see the fruits of every time we listened to the Spirit. We'll also know what happened when we didn't.
We can be filled in many ways through the gospel and following the covenant path. We can be healed emotionally. I picture all the wounds I've had throughout my life and how His love fills them in, closes the gaps, and makes me whole. We can be healed spiritually as He brings us out of darkness and into His light, filling everything with the glow of hope and eternity. Sometimes He even fills us physically as we receive needed help. If we feel like something is missing in our lives, we can seek Him and find true fulfillment and peace.
The Vital Importance of Ministering
John 4:25-27
25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
Jesus didn't discriminate, but His disciples did (at least at first). I think this last verse can be interpreted two ways. Either they stopped themselves from asking judgmental questions and simply marveled, or they were so busy marveling that they didn't inquire about the needs of this woman. Either way, it was shocking for the Savior to be talking to this woman of Samaria and most would persecute Him for it. I love that the Savior never forbade anyone from having the opportunity to learn and change - even people considered the "worst" in their society.
Jesus is the perfect example of looking past outward appearances and first impressions. I believe that no matter someone's decisions, once we know their story, we can't help loving them. Yes, there have been horrible people in history, but we don't know their struggles, upbringings, influences, history with mental illness, etc. And anyway, most people we meet on the street haven't killed people or committed really awful sins. In most cases, we won't be in danger by loving those around us. Still, we judge. I think verse 27 reminds us that we don't know the intentions of others and that we should ask questions instead of making snap judgments. We should try to connect, not condemn. We need to remember that the Savior loved everyone and that He gave everyone a chance (pretty limitless chances, actually).
Many people around us are thirsty and need living water. We can't know their needs without both listening to the Spirit and listening to them. We need to be aware of the people in our neighborhoods, workplaces, congregations, and so on. The more we extend friendship, the more we can learn what help is needed. And if we can't provide that help, we can try to find someone who can and always pray fervently for our brothers and sisters.
The other day, I was struck by many sad pieces of news and felt brokenhearted for people I physically couldn't help. They lived too far away, needed more than I could give, and so on. That day felt so dark and sad as I pondered how cruel life can be. Then, I thought about the inspired principle of ministering, and my testimony of it grew. There is a reason we are literally assigned to look after each other. We can't reach everyone who needs our help (though social media and such helps a lot), but the people close to them can. It's so important that we minister - really minister - so that everyone has someone to turn to. I'm praying that people in closer proximity will reach out to the friends and family members I know need help.
Of course, not everyone is on the records of the Church and has someone formally assigned to minister to them. That means we need to reach out to far more people than those on our rolls. We can pray for help knowing who to reach out to and follow promptings. God sees everyone and can send us to their aid. We have to open our hearts and listen. Someone around us may have lost a family member and we don't know. Someone else might be struggling with health problems or another major trial. We need to take the time to ask questions, listen, and care about the people we interact with. I'd dare to say all of them, at least to some extent. We are all so needed in this work.
Bonnie Gwyn
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