If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water (John 4:10).

If you ask, He will give you living water! That is all you have to do – ask. How real, how true, how free – yet how simple! This is grace. He loves us not because we are rich in goodness, but because He is rich in mercy; not because we are worthy of His favor, but because He delights in lovingkindness. His welcome to us comes from His own graciousness, not from our lovableness. Christ invites the weary. It is this weariness that fits you for Him and Him for you.

Pardon, peace, and life – all of them are gifts, divine gifts, brought down from heaven by the Son of God, presented personally to each needy sinner by the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. They are not to be bought but received as men receive the sunshine – complete and sure and free. They are not to be earned or deserved by exertions, sufferings, prayers, or tears, but should be accepted at once as the purchase of the labors and sufferings of the great Substitute. They are not to be waited for but taken on the spot without hesitation or distrust, as men take the loving gift of a generous friend. They are not to be claimed on the ground of fitness or goodness, but of need, unworthiness, poverty, and emptiness.

Lift up your eyes and look to Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith!

Kevin Howard

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