February 20

He brought them living water

Ellen G. White

"But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." — John 4:14 · KJV

To those who were hungry and thirsty, He would bring a cup of cold water, and often would give them the food intended for His own meal.

All this displeased His brothers. They threatened and tried to terrify Him, but He kept right on, doing as God had said.

Many were the trials and temptations that Jesus had to meet. Satan was always watching to overcome Him.

If Jesus could have been led to do one wrong act, or to speak one impatient word, He could not have been our Saviour, and the whole world would have been lost. Satan knew this, and it was for this reason that he tried so hard to lead Jesus into sin.

The Saviour was always guarded by heavenly angels, yet His life was one long struggle against the powers of darkness. Not one of us will ever have to meet such fierce temptations as He did.

But to every temptation He had one answer: “It is written.” The wrongdoing of His brothers He did not often rebuke, but He told them what God had said.

Nazareth was a wicked town, and the children and youth tried to have Jesus follow their evil ways. He was bright and cheerful, and they liked His company.

But His godly principles roused their anger. Often for refusing to join in some forbidden act, He was called a coward. Often He was sneered at, as being altogether too particular about little things. To all this His answer was: “It is written.” “The fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.” Job 28:28. To love evil is to love death, for “the wages of sin is death.” Romans 6:23.