Scripture:  Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 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." John 4:13-14 (NKJV)

Observation:  thirst again … never thirst, &c.—The contrast here is fundamental and all comprehensive. “This water” plainly means “this natural water and all satisfactions of a like earthly and perishable nature.” Coming to us from without, and reaching only the superficial parts of our nature, they are soon spent, and need to be anew supplied as much as if we had never experienced them before, while the deeper wants of our being are not reached by them at all; whereas the “water” that Christ gives—spiritual life—is struck out of the very depths of our being, making the soul not a cistern, for holding water poured into it from without, but a fountain (the word had been better so rendered, to distinguish it from the word rendered “well” in Jn 4:11), springing, gushing, bubbling up and flowing forth within us, ever fresh, ever living. The indwelling of the Holy Ghost as the Spirit of Christ is the secret of this life with all its enduring energies and satisfactions, as is expressly said (Jn 7:37–39). “Never thirsting,” then, means simply that such souls have the supplies at home. [Jamieson, R., Fausset, A. R., & Brown, D. (1997). Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (Jn 4:13–14). Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.]

Application:  We all recognize, and science confirms it, that in order to have the best of health we need to work at maintaining healthy habits.  For instance, the Weimar Institute developed what is known as NEWSTART which is an acronym for Nutrition, Exercise, Water, Sunlight, Temperance, Air, Rest, and Trust in Divine Power.  These seven elements help us to have better health, but they don’t simply happen in our life; we must be intentional, we must work at, we must ensure that these seven are part of our life.
In the world of athletics or sports, we recognize that the best of the best have natural abilities but also work hard at getting where they are.  In the realm of work, most people who work hard accomplish many things for their company and for themselves.  In the arts, artists, musicians, and performers have to work hard, and for a long time, to perfect their skills until they are recognized and rewarded for them.
In the spiritual realm the same is true.  We recognize that spiritual growth takes place when we read the Bible, pray, and share or witness to others.  Bible study is one of the vehicles God uses to communicate His will to us, to teach about Him and His plan for our lives.  Prayer is how we communicate with Him and how develop a close relationship with Him.  Witnessing or sharing is the way we exercise our faith, the way we are strengthened and grow.
If we work hard at being good in our studies, at work, in sports or the arts, why do we think that a good marriage happens naturally and without any effort on our part?  If we must study the bible, pray, and help disciple others not just for their benefit but for our own, shouldn’t we also make the same effort in order to have a good, healthy, strong marriage?
Today’s passage reminds us that as much as we must drink water daily, and pray daily, so also we need to work daily at making and keeping our marriage healthy and strong.

A Prayer You May Say:  Father God, help us to make that daily effort to maintain strong, healthy relationships with You, with our spouse, with our family, and with others in our life.

Used by permission of Adventist Family Ministries, North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists.