John 4:14 – But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (ESV)

By seven o'clock in the morning, I am on my way to the kitchen, whereas Caroline has already washed, dressed, eaten, read a book, and is well on her way to work. Consequently, it falls to me to round up the children, dispense breakfast to Sophia and Zoë, and then get us ready for school and out of the house, come rain or shine.

I am not an early riser, so I am not at my best first thing. Today, in the midst of working on auto-pilot, a small corner of my hazy mind muses upon some personnel changes in the church about which I am concerned.

By now, I am sorting out the drinks and toast. I need to get Sophia a pink cup and Zoë a blue one — those being the only clean ones left, apart from the horde waiting to be unloaded from the dishwasher — further down my list of the morning's "to do"s.

In the middle of pouring into the second cup, a thought bubbles up: Does it really matter what colour the cup is? The children may express a preference, but the important thing is that they both get to have a drink, rather than who gets what colour cup!

What is the right priority here? I thought. Drink.

So Rod, does it really matter who, where, why, or how God has chosen for His Holy Spirit to reside? As long as God is taken to the lost and saved, why worry what format, colour, or shape the church takes, whether as individuals or as a corporate body? The need is for people to drink.

The kingdom of God is simple and deep, radically changing our lives, by the power of the Holy Spirit, if we let Him. Whether we are in the pink or just blue, what Jesus pours inside is the same life-giving water.

Prayer: Lord, we want to see Jesus honoured and reverenced because You are a holy God and that is Your right. Yet we wish also to see the same Jesus of the well in Samaria touching the lost and building bridges, reaching through us into the profane world in which we live. As we ask it, having cleansed us from our sins, please pour Your presence into us. We know that He Who is in us is greater and more important than anything, so by Your grace, may we be fit to carry life-giving water into the lives that nudge us today. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

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About the author:

Rod Marshall <roderickhenrymarshall@gmail.com>
Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, England
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