Liz’s Morning Devotional based upon Upper Room
January 21, 2022
Read John 4:4-26
4 Jesus had to go through Samaria. 5 He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, which was near the land Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there. Jesus was tired from his journey, so he sat down at the well. It was about noon. 7 A Samaritan woman came to the well to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water to drink.” 8 His disciples had gone into the city to buy him some food. 9 The Samaritan woman asked, “Why do you, a Jewish man, ask for something to drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (Jews and Samaritans didn’t associate with each other.) 10 Jesus responded, “If you recognized God’s gift and who is saying to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would be asking him and he would give you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you don’t have a bucket and the well is deep. Where would you get this living water? 12 You aren’t greater than our father Jacob, are you? He gave this well to us, and he drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks from the water that I will give will never be thirsty again. The water that I give will become in those who drink it a spring of water that bubbles up into eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will never be thirsty and will never need to come here to draw water!” 16 Jesus said to her, “Go, get your husband, and come back here.” 17 The woman replied, “I don’t have a husband.” “You are right to say, ‘I don’t have a husband,’” Jesus answered. 18 “You’ve had five husbands, and the man you are with now isn’t your husband. You’ve spoken the truth.” 19 The woman said, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, but you and your people say that it is necessary to worship in Jerusalem.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, the time is coming when you and your people will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You and your people worship what you don’t know; we worship what we know because salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—and is here!—when true worshippers will worship in spirit and truth. The Father looks for those who worship him this way. 24 God is spirit, and it is necessary to worship God in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one who is called the Christ. When he comes, he will teach everything to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I Am—the one who speaks with you.”
Good Morning! Drink the living water and never thirst again!
We read many examples of transformation in the New Testament. Jesus’ offer of living water and turning the water into wine are just a couple of examples. The Samaritan women knew of the prophecy that the Messiah would come and teach everyone. It’s also interested me that those outside the realm of the chosen people seemed to know and understand the prophecies better than the Pharisees and scribes.
For generations, the Jewish leaders interpreted scripture and looked for specific signs, but they looked through the lens of superiority and how the arrival of the Messiah would improve their status. The prejudices fueled their belief that they were elevated above everyone else: the poor, the afflicted, the Gentiles, or anyone who wasn’t in that inner circle. In the end, their patronizing attitude was their doom. They were so blinded by their beliefs that they couldn’t see the Messiah when he was standing in front of them.
Jesus walked and talked with those who were excluded from the Jewish elite. Regardless of their status, these poor, uneducated, non-Jews, were able to see the prophecy revealed because their eyes were open and their hearts were not hardened by the prejudices of the Jewish leaders.
When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we invite the Holy Spirit to work within us and transform us. This transformation is a lifetime commitment because God’s time is not our time. Each day is a new opportunity to feel God’s love within you and to share the love of Christ with someone new. Even those blinded by ambition and those with hardened hearts can be transformed by the power of God’s love. Offer Christ to all!
Creator God, Thank You for loving us. We sometimes yearn for the glamour and glitter that others have. It looks so exciting! Help us remember that we have been given the greatest gift that anyone could ever receive and that each time we share our gift it grows. Thank you. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen
Thought for the day: God can transform my life.
Through Christ, we can remove the shackles of prejudice from our hearts! Pastor Liz
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