Flavored Water
Dan Kunz
Elizabeth Barrett Browning once wrote, “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways!” My modern take on that is, “How do I love my water? Let me count the ways!” I haven’t actually done a count of how many different ways a person can buy water today, but it has to be dozens, if not hundreds. I’m kind of partial to the raspberry-flavored 20-ounce bottles which I get at my favorite convenience store, but during the summer I also like the many flavors LaCroix offers in cans which include a little “sparkle”! You can get flavored water. You can get carbonated water. You can get water in bottles. You can get water in cans. You can even get little packets of energy-boosting powder which you can add to your water. The variations are limitless.
My dad moved to his heavenly home quite a few years ago, but if he was still around, I’m sure he’d be amazed that people actually buy water, instead of filling up a glass from the faucet. If he was still around, I’m pretty sure he’d “box my ears” for spending good money for something which is free. The flavored water would, as my friend says, “Throw him for a spinner!” Why would you need to add anything to good, clean, cold, refreshing water? As odd as that may seem to an “old soul”, many people do so every day. Unfortunately, many people do the exact same thing with the “living water” which Jesus offers.
John 4:13-14 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The Samaritan woman at the well was there drawing water in the middle of the day because she was trying to avoid the looks and comments of her fellow Samaritans. She was a “woman with a reputation”. The well water she was getting definitely wasn’t flavored and probably wasn’t even safe to drink without boiling. Jesus spoke to her not only of her earthly need for pure water, he also spoke with her about a much more important topic. The water which Jesus offered the woman at the well is the exact same water he offers you and me - the pure, unadulterated Gospel. Once we have that Gospel, we will never again be thirsty (for something “better”), and it will bring us eternal life with God in heaven.
Do people try to “flavor” this living water? Absolutely! Just as some people may think that plain old regular water is kind of dull, boring, or lacking flavor, some may feel that the Gospel is also plain, dull, boring, or lacking “flavor”. Let’s infuse some of our good works to make it sparkle. Let’s eliminate some of God’s commandments to make it taste better. Let’s add some of our own thoughts and ideas to make it sweeter. Adding flavors or carbonation may be okay for canned or bottled water, but adding to or subtracting from the Living Water, makes it poisonous! Any time we add or subtract from any of God’s Word, we diminish it. If we do so with the Gospel, we take the most valuable commodity on earth, and make it worthless. I don’t know about you, but although I sometimes like my earthly water to taste like raspberries, I want my spiritual water to taste like Jesus!