John 4:13-14

Friday February 26th-Samaritan woman at the well John 4: 7-42-Living Water

5:00 PM

 

Friday February 26th-Samaritan woman at the well

John 4: 7-42

Jesus answered and said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall never thirst; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.” John 4:13-14



 

Growing up I knew of Jesus, but I really did not know Him.  Like this Samaritan woman, she knew that He was coming but did not really know Him.  I can tell you the day I received Him as my Lord and Savior my life was not the same again. 

Lord, I have been watching and waiting for You, the Messiah to come and that You would tell us everything we need to know.  On that, day when I went to draw water You were there.  When I saw You there I was concerned seeing You were a Jew and the Jews and my people do not get along or talk to one another. But You were different.   You wanted me to draw water for You, but in turn You told me that You had living water and that I would never thirst again.  How strange I thought.  I want that water!  My thinking was that I would not have to come and draw water again.  You told me that Your water was a well of water springing up to eternal life.” I want that water, Lord.  When you asked me to go get my husband I could not lie I had no husband and then You told me that I had answered correctly because I had, had 5 husbands but the one I was living with was not my husband.  Right then I knew You must be the Messiah because You knew about me without me telling You.  You changed my life that day! I now believe in You Jesus, the Messiah!   I was so excited to meet You and I wanted to share with others that I left my water pot behind and ran home to tell anyone who would listen to me that I met You the Messiah!  They did listen and also came to know You, not just because of what I said but they went to You and asked You to stay with them.  They believed because they also heard from You and knew that You are the Messiah!  My life is now changed and I live each day to serve You.  You are my Lord and Savior!   You have put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to You my God so that many will see, fear and will trust in You. Amen



 

 

EVERY WEEK WE MEET FOR PRAYER AND WE WOULD LOVE TO PRAY FOR YOU.  LEAVE YOUR REQUESTS HERE AND WE WILL BRING THEM BEFORE THE FATHER.  OR, EVEN BETTER, COME JOIN US! Here's the Link

 

Lyn

 

 

 

Becky Austin

God’s Promises: the Samaritan Woman ‬ ‭

11:30 AM

.


“The most basic need a soul has is to experience unconditional love and acceptance.” -unknown


The Samaritan woman was on the fringes of society and she well knew it. A Jewish man would not typically even acknowledge her existence. And yet, the unthinkable happened for Jesus had an intentional encounter with her at a well. No wonder she was in disbelief.

“The Samaritan woman said to him, "How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?" (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)”

‭‭John‬ ‭4:9


But what this woman experienced that day was true unconditional love. 

“Unconditional love is not based on the performance of the receiver, but on the character of the giver.”-Unknown


This unconditional love is promised to you and I as well.  It’s quite remarkable when you think about it.  We are mere specks of dust in the vast expanse of the cosmos and yet the God of the Universe extends unconditional love and acceptance to each of us. 

God is Holy and certainly this woman living in a lifestyle of sexual sins would not be worthy of His forgiveness and offer of eternal life... and yet He offered what only He could offer, living water.  He does the same for us. He loves us and meets us in the midst of our sinful entanglements to offer us hope and extend his mercy and grace.


“For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.” Titus‬ ‭3:3-7‬ ‭


He knew everything about the Samaritan woman and He knows everything about us. And yet,  He is patient with us and keeps tugging at our heart strings and convicting us of our need for Him because He wants to save each and every one of us.

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter‬ ‭3:9‬ ‭


He is the God of 2nd chances, and will keep picking us up and dusting us off for as long as our hearts allow Him to correct us and teach us. He promises us redemption from even the darkest, most desolate places if we will accept his love and mercy.

“who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,” Psalm‬ ‭103:4‬ ‭


He did not dismiss her because of her failures. He welcomed her because He knew that she would be grateful and yield her heart to Him.

“He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him; as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us. As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear him. For he knows our frame; he remembers that we are dust.” Psalm‬ ‭103:10-14‬ ‭


And since we are talking about an encounter with Jesus at a well, I found this analogy fitting. 

Our prayer and God's mercy are like two buckets in a well; while the one ascends the other descends. -Mark Hopkins

Jesus is waiting to talk to you. He knows everything about you and yet He loves you. As you humble your heart and lift your prayers up to Heaven, He promises to extend to you from above, His abundant wisdom, mercy and grace.

“But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere.”

‭‭James‬ ‭3:17‬ ‭

alone

Following Jesus Can Seem Lonely at Times, But There's Hope! {John 7}

9:30 AM

Following Jesus can lead you to lonely places at times. Have you ever felt the sting of persecution by those you love; family, friends, or neighbors? Sometimes we're called to take a stand, or step out in faith when no one is willing to stand with us, but take heart, Jesus knows all about that and this chapter is proof, and here in this chapter, He also offers us hope!



We see here in chapter seven, Jesus’ own brothers questioned His divinity and seemed to be mocking Him. No one seems to understand, and if they did, they certainly weren't willing to admit it, for Jesus was receiving death threats from the religious leaders who should have been on His side.

 In order for us to better understand all that's taking place here we need to know a bit more about this festival they are all celebrating: 
The Feast of the Booths or the Feast of the Tabernacles was actually a party in many ways for the Jewish people.  The people would moved out of their homes for a week and lived under shelters made of branches, similar to camping out today. The purpose behind this religious festival was to remind the nation of Israel of their time wandering in the wilderness living under God’s care.  
The Temple area would have been filled with large candles that were supposed to remind the people of the pillar of light God provided for them in the wilderness.  And each day during the seven days, the priest would carry water from the Pool of Siloam and pour it out in the Temple as a reminder of the water that miraculously came from the rock in the wilderness.
If we skip down to verse 37, we are on the seventh and last day of this feast.  It was called the great day because a lot of special things happened then. On this day the priests would march seven times around the altar chanting Psalm 118:25, "O LORD, save us, we pray. We beseech You, O LORD, cause us to prosper!"  On the seventh trip around the altar they would pour out the water.

 I believe it was at that moment that Jesus stood and shouted this incredible invitation, and invited all those who were thirsty to come to Him and drink. 
1 Corinthians 10:4 tells us that the rock in the Old Testament from which the water miraculously flowed was Jesus.  He was that rock, and now we know that the water that poured from that rock was the Holy Spirit. 
So, when we believe in Jesus, His Holy Spirit is given freely! Those of us who are in Christ possess His Spirit and His Spirit will freely flow through us onto others. 

 The people then couldn't have fully understood all that Jesus was saying at that time. But now we know the Holy Spirit literally dwells in every believer all over this world.  We aren't ever alone, for we are on a mission working with the Omnipotent, Omniscient, Omnipresent King of kings! 

 Just how cool is that?

 Blessings, 

 sue

Angie Benjamin

Longing for God {Psalms 42:1-45:17}

12:00 AM



As the deer pants for streams for water, so I long for you, O God - Psalm 42:1-2

Do you long for God? Do you really desire Him?

The verse mentions an analogy of a thirsty deer longing for water. But what difference would make to the deer to "know" the water but not experience it or "drinking" it. He would still be thirsty and could  eventually die.

The same applies with us and our desire for God. God does not only want us to "know" Him but seek Him and experience Him.

Jesus stands at the doors of our hearts and speaks to the heart of each person on earth, offering the water of eternal life--the life that flows from God.
If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink (John 7:37). 


Throughout the Scriptures there are many verses that speak of God's provision of water as evidence of his grace and as an image of his gift of life in his presence. Indeed, many of these texts were read at this festival, such as the gift of water from the rock (Ex 17:1-6), the water from the eschatological temple (Ezek 47:1-11; cf. Joel 3:18) and the water from Jerusalem that will flow in the age to come (Zech 14:8; cf. Beasley-Murray 1987:116). In Nehemiah there is a reference to the water from the rock in the wilderness (Neh 9:15), which is followed by a description of God's gracious provision: "You gave your good Spirit to instruct them. You did not withhold your manna from their mouths, and you gave them water for their thirst" (9:20; cf. Carson 1991:326-27). 

Jesus invites those who know their need, those who are poor in spirit (cf. Mt 5:3), to take the initiative and come to him and drink (v. 37). Drinking refers to believing (cf. v. 38), which means aligning oneself with him, trusting him, receiving his teaching and obeying his commands. Such faith will enable one to receive the Spirit and enter an abiding relationship with Christ after his glorification. All of this is based on who God is and what he has done for us. When we believe we open our hands to receive what his grace offers--we come and drink. **VP New Testament Commentaries  by InterVarsity Press.

God wants us to experience who He really is...to seek Him and He will satisfy our desire and thirst.

What to do when you feel discouraged and depressed? PRAISE HIM



Why am I discouraged? Why so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will praise him again- my Saviour and my God! - Psalm 42:5

In this verse we see the sons of Korah struggling with depression and it also shows us what to do when we are feeling depressed.

First they ask a question to their own souls : "Why am I discouraged?"

Is what I'm going through impossible to God? {Luke 1:37} Bigger than God? {1 John 4:4} -{You know the answer, don't you?}

Second, they gave and instruction to their souls. They realign their mindset. They changed their thinking. There is power in out thoughts. {Proverbs 23:7}

Finally, they resolve what to do: "I will praise the Lord"

Praising makes a whole lot of difference. I have seen it in my life. In the gloomy dark days...I just praise Him. Just because He's worthy...regardless the situation.

So sisters, today I encourage you to experience victory through cheerful, positive, God-like thinking!

Have a beautiful blessed weekend,

Love from Botswana,

Angie