Water Gives Life
“Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst.” [John 4:13]
About 100 years ago, a pile of bones was found on a sand dune in Saudi Arabia. Evidently, a man had died while lost in the desert. In one of the pockets of his tattered clothes was a scribbled note that read, “Dying of thirst. I cannot go on any longer.” The lost soul had apparently assembled a small makeshift shelter there and, without water, sat down to die. Tragically, his remains were found right across a sand dune from a lush oasis – he died from thirst only a few hundred yards from artesian springs. Millions today are slowly dying from dehydration simply because they do not drink enough water.
About 83 percent of your blood is water. If that ratio drops just 5 percent, you will no longer be able to see. Another 10 percent and you will be unable to hear. A 12 percent reduction leads to your blood thickening, making it impossible for your heart to pump, which leads to death. On the other hand, a camel can lose 40 percent of the water content in its blood and do just fine!
Drinking other beverages (fruit juice, coffee, tea, etc.) does not provide the same health benefits as plain water. In fact, research has shown that women who consumed large quantities of non-water beverages increased their risk of a fatal heart attack by two-and-a-half times. The same study showed that men increased their risk by 50 percent!
Unless you are proactive in your daily intake of water, dehydration could become a way of life. It is little wonder that 75 percent of Americans are chronically dehydrated. In 37 percent the thirst sensation is so impaired it is mistaken for feelings of hunger. But you can do too much of a good thing. Drinking too much water is rare, but it can happen. Forcing yourself to drink massive amounts of water can cause low blood sodium levels and lead to brain swelling and even death.
Water is so important that Jesus used it as an illustration of Himself. When talking to the Samaritan woman at the well, Christ compared the message of salvation He brings with life-giving water. He added, “But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14). Every time you drink a glass of water, remember that Jesus is the ultimate thirst quencher!
