When Jesus was at the well in Samaria, he told the woman there he had living water to give her. Let’s talk about how the gospel is that self sustaining well.
Author’s note: This article was born in a perfect storm, the coming together of all the elements in just the right amount and timing to create something new. Merriam Webster defines a perfect storm as “a critical or disastrous situation created by a powerful concurrence of factors.” I am using this term to refer to a series of pieces of information that “happen” to have come together from supposedly unrelated sources, but the timing has brought all of them together into my heart at the same time to give me understanding where before there was none. The world defines a perfect storm as a “disastrous situation.” I am using it to define a life giving, life changing event with no one source as its author, unless that author is God.
I have been writing commentary for the Come, Follow Me lessons about the last of three weeks of lessons on the Psalms. On the side I have also been compiling my commentary from the first year of the Come, Follow Me lessons on the New Testament. Several times I have had to try to explain what Christ meant when he talked to the woman at the well about the living water he offered her. I came up with explanations, but I actually never felt I really understood it, until now.
A few days ago I stumbled across a quote that has demanded my attention ever since. This piece is my way of getting it out of my head. If I don’t write it down it will fade, but in that fading I will have lost the understanding contemplating this quote has given me. And if you read this article to the end you will learn that not taking responsibility for expressing and acknowledging an appreciation for the word of God in our life will, in the end, keep us out of the celestial kingdom.
The quote
Back in 1991 Robert L. Backman, a member of the Presidency of the Quorum of the Seventy, gave a speech at BYU in Provo. In that speech on education he quoted, among many others, President Joseph F. Smith from his book called Gospel Doctrine.
President Joseph F. Smith named false educational ideas as one of three dangers that threaten the Church within (see GD, pp. 312–13).
He also stated that …
The mere stuffing of the mind with a knowledge of facts is not education. The mind must not only possess a knowledge of truth, but the soul must revere it, cherish it, love it as a priceless gem; and this human life must be guided and shaped by it in order to fulfil its destiny. The mind should not only be charged with intelligence, but the soul should be filled with admiration and desire for pure intelligence which comes of a knowledge of the truth. . . .
This quote alone is lacking the essential elements I needed for understanding Christ’s comments to the woman at the well in John 4:13-14.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water into .
At first I didn’t connect what President Backman was quoting from President Smith with the scripture in John. There was just something about President Smith’s quote that troubled me. I didn’t understand what he meant about his comment that “The mind must not only possess a knowledge of truth, but the soul must revere it, cherish it, love it as a priceless gem; and this human life must be guided and shaped by it in order to fulfil its destiny.” What difference does it make how I treat the knowledge I receive about eternal things? How does this cherishing of the truth President Smith refers to change me from just “The mere stuffing of the mind with a knowledge of facts” into something else? What was I missing?
Another piece of the puzzle
Here is a portion of the commentary I wrote for OT35-2022 – Let Every Thing That Hath Breath, Day 5 – Psalms 146-50 – Praise ye the Lord.
We need to express gratitude to our God. He does so much for us, and is capable of doing so much more for us. What holds us back is often the lack of our own imagination as to what the Lord is capable of doing and what He is willing to do in our life. Many times He can’t do the best things for us, because we don’t let Him. We make assumptions that our desire is petty or too small to take to God, so we don’t even ask for it. Or we may assume that we are being too forward in our request or desires for His intervention, so we won’t even bring it up in our prayers.
The spirit of gratitude is very important to our Father in Heaven and to Christ. In Doctrine and Covenants 59:20-21 the Lord is telling Joseph Smith that the creation of this entire planet, along with everything that is on it is for our use. It actually pleased the Lord to be able to do this for His children. Then He goes on in verse 21 to tell the prophet that nothing we do offends Him, except the sin of ingratitude. It is in not acknowledging His hand in all things that we show Him we are not grateful for what He has gone to so much effort to give us.
20 And it pleaseth God that he hath given all these things unto man; for unto this end were they made to be used, with judgment, not to , neither by extortion.
21 And in nothing doth man God, or against none is his , save those who his hand in all things, and his commandments.
All our God wants is a little demonstration of gratitude, and acknowledging His hand in all things (that is the “confess” part), and keeping His commandments. That is all He asks. How do we acknowledge something? Don’t we have to make some kind of outward, visible or audible statement that shows we know what was done, and that demonstrates that we are grateful? What does a mother in a home wish for so she feels like she is appreciated and loved? What does the father in the home need from the members of his family so he feels like his sacrifice of spending all day away from them to earn a living is noticed and appreciated? How do we let our friends know we are grateful for their friendship? Is a fleeting thought about it sufficient? Is thinking briefly about some of the wonderful things my wife does in our home enough for her to feel loved and appreciated?
I think you get the picture. Acknowledgment needs to be an outward gesture that is discernable by the one for whom it is directed. The Psalms are songs in poetic form that describe the power and majesty of God and His goodness. They were written by people who understood the importance of openly expressing gratitude. An artist may paint something that expresses how deep the feelings of appreciation go. A musician might write pieces that demonstrate the feelings of their heart. But what about all of us Joe Averages who can’t write a symphony, choreograph a dance, or paint a picture or carve a grand sculpture? What do we do to express ourselves to God?
I suggest you try this very embarrassing exercise. Do it when you are alone, as you will probably trip all over yourself the first number of times you try it. Find a quiet place where you won’t be interrupted then ponder. Think about all the things God has done. Try to comprehend His might, power, and majesty. What do you think it took for Him to create the planets and the heavens over the course of billions of years, all so His children would have a place of beauty to call home when their time for mortality arrived? What has God done in just the creation of this planet to show us how much our happiness means to Him? We have a nearly infinite variety of plants, animals, terrain, and weather with clouds that constantly change from moment to moment, vast sunsets and vistas to help us find peace and to feel awe in His creations. The list goes on and on. This is what you need to say out loud. Start expressing your appreciation to God for all He has done for you. Get personal if you feel the desire. Thank Him for blessings that He has given to you that have meant so much to you. Allow yourself to feel vulnerable, for acknowledging such things should allow our heart strings to sing whatever song they need to sing.
You can write this exercise. You can sing it if you want. God doesn’t care that you can’t carry a tune in a bucket, for He is listening to your heart, not your throat. All our Father wants is the expression that comes from our heart where we acknowledge that we have noticed what He has done for us, and continues to do for us each and every day. Just thinking the thoughts, though He can hear them, isn’t good enough. When we only think something we tend to get sidetracked and get lost in our own thoughts. This exercise requires a physical response to God’s goodness and greatness, whether it is through making something or speaking/singing/writing our thoughts.
The closest we come to this exercise in a public setting is Fast and Testimony meeting. I think that is the Lord’s favorite general Church meeting, for it is as close to expressions of true appreciation for His goodness as many of us ever get. And when was the last time you got up and bore your testimony in any form?
The important take away here is that God holds us accountable for how grateful we are for what we have been given. We must acknowledge our gratitude. It must be precious to us. We must cherish what we have learned about the gospel of Christ. So it is much more than just being grateful for a pretty flower or the song of a bird. How grateful are we for the knowledge we have of the covenants God has offered to us? Do we ponder on how living the commandments changes our lives for the better? Do we appreciate and express our appreciation for the Holy Ghost in our life? This is what Doctrine and Covenants 59:20-21 is talking about. Knowledge of God and His truths should make a difference in our life.
How the difference makes a difference
It has been a while, so here are the two quotes once again.
President Joseph F. Smith named false educational ideas as one of three dangers that threaten the Church within (see GD, pp. 312–13).
He also stated that …
The mere stuffing of the mind with a knowledge of facts is not education. The mind must not only possess a knowledge of truth, but the soul must revere it, cherish it, love it as a priceless gem; and this human life must be guided and shaped by it in order to fulfil its destiny. The mind should not only be charged with intelligence, but the soul should be filled with admiration and desire for pure intelligence which comes of a knowledge of the truth. . . .
Here are Christ’s comments to the woman at the well in John 4:13-14.
13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never ; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water into .
It is not enough to simply know about the gospel of Christ. We must live that gospel in order to receive its blessings. It is in the living of the gospel that our lives change for the better. Only when we apply a principle of truth can the Holy Ghost open our mind to what the principle can do for us. For example, I can be taught about the law of Tithing. But until I practice or live that law by actually paying my tithing, I never will have the testimony of its power given to me by the Holy Ghost. It is only through my willingness to sacrifice of my substance, and through the exercise of my faith that God will bless me in some way that I come to learn that my life is so much better because of this law than it was without it.
It is because I valued and cherished God’s words, His law, and lived it, that it became a source of sustenance, a living, meaningful thing in my life. Before I exercised my faith and lived the law, it was dead to me. After I lived the law, because I gave it value in my life, it became a well of life-giving support to me and my family. This same principle holds true to all gospel truths. When we drink, imbibe, or partake of God’s laws and commandments, and spend the time living them, cherishing them, and learning from them, they act as a well of water that refreshes our soul and lifts our spirit. And because of the eternal nature of these laws and commandments, they act to change our very natures.
Our obedience to the commandments teaches us to forsake our earthly passions, gives us the strength to master our weaknesses, and tame what is wild within us. The gospel is a transformative process that we participate in on a daily basis. This is why the Savior says that his words, the “living water” he provides can spring up within us and be like a well from which we can always drink and never be thirsty again. Jesus was describing to the woman at the well the nature of the transformative power of the gospel he offered. The commandments and words of God have life-giving properties to them. But they only become self evident as we live our lives by them and learn to seek the wisdom they impart to us.
The transformation
As we learn of the various parts of the gospel Christ taught, and apply those principles – those truths – to the way in which we live our life, the Holy Ghost is better able to open the eyes of our spiritual understanding. The nature of what He teaches us is the nature and character of those who live like the Gods. This is a practical application of celestial principles to help us become comfortable being that kind of person. We try, but make mistakes. We get lost and have to find our way back onto the path again. But each time the Savior and the Holy Ghost are there to help us do better the next time. And with each success we become more like Christ who showed us how to live perfectly. Mortality is a process that we won’t master in this life, but we can get a good start on it. What the Lord is interested in is if we are desirous to learn how to live happily with Him once again.
Stuffing our heads with knowledge that we aren’t applying in our life doesn’t do us any good at all. It is the application of that knowledge where the changes take place that make our lives come into agreement with the laws of happiness. Christ gives us the well of living water, the gospel. It is up to us to begin to live it so it becomes within us a self sustaining well that will support our efforts to become godly while still living in mortality. This is being in the world, but not of the world. It is coming to understand that we won’t ever be blessed for just knowing something. We must do or practice what we know in order to not be condemned for what we know.
Now I more fully understand why President Smith said, “The mind must not only possess a knowledge of truth, but the soul must revere it, cherish it, love it as a priceless gem; and this human life must be guided and shaped by it in order to fulfil its destiny.” It is in the cherishing and loving the word and commandments of God, and living by them that they are able to transform our life and bring new life to us that never ends. Truly the life filled with righteousness is a life that “shall be in him a well of water into .”
Education: Molding Character
of the Presidency of the Seventy
August 20, 1991
Click the link below to
print a PDF copy of the article.
Understanding the Well of Living Water
I love reading your Come Follow Me Lessons so much! Thank you for all you do, your work has inspired me and lifted me higher! I love this article, it speaks to my heart and fills me with gratitude and love for my Heavenly Father and His Beloved son! My heart is full and overfloweth!