The cry of emptiness rings from both the deepest ghetto and the largest mansion. The same echo of a meaningless life reverberates at the downtown bar and the country club. There are senior citizens, middle-ages men and women, and teens with equally hollow hearts, for which no medical prescription exists.
The Samaritan woman at the well symbolizes millions throughout history who have used their best efforts to satisfy the yearning for love and completion. Until a person tastes God’s love, the sense of emptiness cannot be permanently satisfied. We were created to honor and glorify the Lord; no other act of adoration-toward the opposite sex, worldly position, work, or money-can bring a sense of long-term pleasure and purpose.
It is no wonder, then, that when Jesus offered the Samaritan woman a drink that would quench her thirst forever, she eagerly agreed. Salvation’s promise includes more than the elimination of guilt. Receiving Christ as Savior means He indwells every believer’s spirit in order to express His love to us and through us. If we are willing to acknowledge Christ’s death and ask His forgiveness for our sins, which put Him on the cross, we are able to experience the permanent overflow of God’s love filling our emptiness.
The believer who feels hollow must honestly confess any sin harbored in the heart. Wrongdoing and idolatry block fellowship with the Father, but repentance breaks the dam. The only fulfillment for an empty life is God’s freely offered love.
The Samaritan woman at the well symbolizes millions throughout history who have used their best efforts to satisfy the yearning for love and completion. Until a person tastes God’s love, the sense of emptiness cannot be permanently satisfied. We were created to honor and glorify the Lord; no other act of adoration-toward the opposite sex, worldly position, work, or money-can bring a sense of long-term pleasure and purpose.
It is no wonder, then, that when Jesus offered the Samaritan woman a drink that would quench her thirst forever, she eagerly agreed. Salvation’s promise includes more than the elimination of guilt. Receiving Christ as Savior means He indwells every believer’s spirit in order to express His love to us and through us. If we are willing to acknowledge Christ’s death and ask His forgiveness for our sins, which put Him on the cross, we are able to experience the permanent overflow of God’s love filling our emptiness.
The believer who feels hollow must honestly confess any sin harbored in the heart. Wrongdoing and idolatry block fellowship with the Father, but repentance breaks the dam. The only fulfillment for an empty life is God’s freely offered love.
By Dr. Charles Stanley (Jn. 4:3-18)
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