With the Super Bowl just around the corner, there will be ad after ad trying to convince us that “our product is better than their product because…”
The famous rivalry, of course, is between Pepsi and Coca-Cola.
Now, whatever side of the road you’re on—know you are loved here. This is a safe space for both 😉
I’ve heard from numerous friends and family members that nothing beats a good old McDonald’s Coke. (You know who you are… 😉)
But one thing happens regardless of what we decide to pop open… the thirst comes back.
Even with water. With juice. With anything really. (This reminds me of my orange-juice obsession when I was pregnant with my second.)
No matter what our drink of choice is, our thirst returns. We need something more.
I remember being about 13 years old, wandering the Tulsa Zoo on a sweltering summer day, desperate for water. The whole group of us kids were.
No longer were we trying to cajole the animals into doing something entertaining.
No longer were we checking the maps for our favorite exhibits.
No longer were we laughing and talking.
We had been out in the July heat and desperately needed something to drink.
I don’t remember a time when my throat was as parched as it was in that moment. We became like madmen, stumbling through the zoo looking for water.
“Over here!” someone shouted, and I was so glad I wasn’t far away. I ran—along with the other kids—to the concrete water fountain not far from the elephant’s enclosure. A line quickly formed, and we could barely stand waiting our turn. We groaned when someone took too long gulping the water.
But then… it was my turn.
Glorious water going down my throat, quenching that aching thirst. What a marvelous thing!
We all went through once… then again… and again. Finally—our thirst was quenched.
That desperate search for water feels familiar now—just in a different way.
Today, as I was studying, I was reading a devotional by Jim Cymbala, reflecting on 1 Corinthians 12:13, which says that we all drink from the same Spirit.
Now that’s a true thirst-quenching water fountain!
Friend, it is your turn—each and every day (and you don’t even have to wait in line)—to drink from the Holy Spirit.
How deep are you drinking?
Do you take a polite sip and then head off into your day?
Do you stay thirsty day after day?
Or do you take gulp after gulp?
There is no limit.
There is no lack of access.
The fountain is always flowing.
We drink from the Spirit by reading the Word, meditating on it, listening to faith-based teaching, praying, and simply talking with God like a friend.
Those polite sips may feel like they’re getting us through—until a hard week comes, a challenge arises, or a situation hits us unexpectedly. Then we realize we haven’t been drinking deeply from the Word or the Spirit.
The good news?
It’s never too late.
The fountain is always available—open and full of supply.
Come to it today.
When we GULP the water of the Word and the Holy Spirit, we become:
“Like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.”
Psalm 1:3
I don’t know about you, friend, but I am tired of walking around parched—looking for refreshment in a land that doesn’t offer any deep drinking water.
The distractions of the world don’t satisfy, no matter how much or how long we drink from them. Only God’s Spirit and His Word truly satisfy and strengthen us.
It’s time to drink deeply.
And the beautiful thing is—it doesn’t have to look complicated. It doesn’t require a long devotional or a seminary lecture. It can be as simple as five minutes with the Word in your favorite chair or at your kitchen table. It can be listening while you drive to work.
Let the Word work in you.
As Scripture says, when our roots grow down deep in Him (Colossians 2:6–7), when trials ramp up and challenges come, we may bend—but we will not break—because our roots are firmly planted.
My prayer:
Lord, we long to drink from You and Your Holy Spirit.
Please forgive us for the times we allow distractions to keep us from You.
This world and everything in it cannot compare to the way You quench our souls with Your presence.
Help us not to delay, but to drink deeply from Your fountain—just like that water fountain in Tulsa on a hot summer day—to gulp down the refreshment of Your Word and Your presence.
You are more than enough.
Help us to be like trees planted by the water—growing strong as we continually soak up Your presence and Your Word.
Amen.
Until next time,
An interactive question for you:
Also, what section of Scripture are you reading and meditating on right now?
Melanie Talevski 