Jesus Christ and Mick Jagger might not have had a lot in common, but they did agree on one thing.
But before we get to that, I want to talk about fuel.
I hear conflicting stories about running motorbikes on ethanol-based fuel. Some say it burns cleaner, is cheaper, and more sustainable. Others say it’s corrosive and damages older engines.
Look, I reckon my bike would run on the smell of an oily rag, but for me there’s something satisfying about going for the top-shelf high-octane juice (and the extra cost on a full tank is negligible). I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, but the bike seems to accelerate faster, cruise easier, and go further.
Maybe it’s better suited to the design of the engine? I don’t know.
What I do know, is that there is only one fuel WE are designed to run on, and that’s God’s Spirit. Anything else leaves us high and dry.
Mick Jagger from the Rolling Stones sang, “I can’t get no … “ “I can’t get no …”
You know what it is he couldn’t get none of?
Yeah look, I know his grammar was terrible, but his idea was spot on.
You can’t get no satisfaction in life.
Jesus agreed. He said, “whoever drinks this water will thirst again” (John 4:10).
Think about it.
How many people can say, hand on heart, that their jobs, their marriages, and their hobbies give them long-term unwavering satisfaction?
Not that these things are bad, in fact they’re good and you should enjoy them, but looking to them for ultimate fulfilment is a self-defeating exercise—you’ll most likely suck them dry.
And the thing is, we all run on something. If you don’t run on God’s Spirit, you’ll look for other things to top up on. Things that corrode and burn out the engine; things that cause addiction, hurt, and brokenness; things that promise much and deliver little.
What drives your life? What do you turn to when you’re feeling flat, discouraged, bored?
In the Bible (John chapter 4) there is a woman stuck in a cycle of toxic relationships. Jesus told her there is a better way, saying, “whoever drinks the water I give them (living water) will never thirst.”
Who in their right mind would reject living, moving, flowing water, for stagnant water sitting in a well?
Jesus promises ongoing true satisfaction and fulfilment to his followers, saying, “those who believe in me, out of their inner being will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
So why scratch around in the dirt drinking from puddles?
There is a never-ending flow of LIVING WATER perfectly designed to nourish and fulfil us!
We have this fuel, that is free, within reach, and unlimited in supply.
So let’s respond like the woman in the story did: “Give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water!”
Give me this water, so that I won’t get thirsty and keep turning to addictions.
Give me this water, so that I won’t get thirsty and keep numbing my brain on Netflix.
Give me this water, so that I won’t get thirsty and keep sucking the life from my career.
Give me this water, so that I won’t get thirsty and keep sucking the life from my marriage.
Give me this water so that I can be satisfied, rested, and fulfilled.
We don’t have to live defeated lives.
We don’t have to stay broken.
We don’t have to struggle as much as we do.
We can live truly free lives, sharing our joy with others as we become walking, talking springs of living water in our homes, communities and workplaces.
Jesus said, “if you knew the gift of God … you would have asked him and he would have given you living water!” (John 4:10).
I say it too - if only you knew how good life is with Jesus.
Choose Living Water.
Choose true satisfaction.
Choose fulfilment.
Choose deliverance from addiction.
Choose to end the search.
Choose to start living.
Listen—stop wasting your time and money on what doesn't satisfy.
Skip the ethanol, go top-shelf high-octane.
Switch your fuel today.
