Tag Archives: samaritan woman

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Why “Good” Isn’t Good Enough

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For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. —Romans 3:23

A self-righteous person doesn’t think he needs forgiveness. A self-righteous person doesn’t think she needs Jesus. A self-righteous person will say, “You go and preach that gospel in the prisons and on the streets and to the criminals. But don’t bother with me. I am an educated and intelligent person. I am a moral person.”

But the Bible says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, . . . that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:5, 7).

Self-righteous people are different from what I would call garden-variety sinners. Self-righteous people are kind people. They are considerate people. They may volunteer and help out. They do benevolent things. We all know people like this. In fact, I have met some non-Christians who are nicer than some Christians I know.

It isn’t wrong to say there are good people in this world because there are. The Bible doesn’t dispute that. But the Bible does say that no one is good enough to get to heaven. We don’t get to heaven on the basis of niceness. Heaven is not for perfect people; it is for forgiven people.

We see a classic example of this in John’s gospel. In John 3, we find Nicodemus, who was a religious guy, a moral guy. But then in John 4 there is the Samaritan woman, an immoral person who was living in sin. What do these two have in common? They both encountered Jesus. And they both believed in Jesus.

This reminds us that everyone needs Jesus—both the moral and the immoral, both the down-and-outer and the up-and-outer.

Everyone needs Him.

 

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Our Daily Bread — A Missed Lunch

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John 4:27-38

Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.” —John 4:34

For me, food is more than a necessity—it’s a wonderfully enjoyable part of life! I enjoy sitting down to a well-prepared meal, especially when I’m feeling hungry. I imagine that the disciples were hungry for lunch when they returned to the well where Jesus was interacting with the Samaritan woman. They urged Him, “Rabbi, eat” (John 4:31). His response? “I have food to eat of which you do not know” (v.32), which made them wonder if someone had already brought Him something to eat (v.33).

I wonder if the disciples were so consumed with thinking about food that they couldn’t see past their picnic. They didn’t understand the significance of what was going on at the well. The most important thing to Jesus was “to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (v.34). He was focused on the spiritual needs of this woman who desperately needed what only He could give.

It’s easy to become preoccupied with needs of the moment. But Jesus invites us to get beyond our own interests—our own little “lunch”—to open our eyes to the souls who are searching for answers to their deepest needs.

So, join Jesus at the well, and let Him use you to tell others about the spiritual food only He can give. —Joe Stowell

Dear Lord, may my eyes be fixed not just on the things

I am interested in, but lift my eyes to see the

needy souls around me. Give me passion for the lost

and the joy of seeing others satisfied in You.

Be hungry to satisfy the needs of others around you.

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Charles Stanley – God’s Goal in Communicating

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1 Corinthians 2:9-14

There is no circumstance in our lives about which the Lord will not speak to us. And we can be sure that when He does, His words are always purposeful. Consider some of the Father’s goals for His children:

• God wants us to comprehend the truth of what He is saying. As Christians, we can be confident that this will happen because the Holy Spirit is present within us, and John 16:13 promises that He will guide us into all truth. It may take time and effort on our part, but the Lord’s intention is for us to clearly understand what He’s communicating.

• Our heavenly Father also has a goal to conform us to the image of Christ. As we read the Scriptures, His Spirit may point out Jesus’ compassion toward the Samaritan woman as our example for living. Or He may warn us, through Jesus’ rebuke of Peter, not to rely on human understanding. Our part is to respond to His words by aligning our lives with the truth, and not to resist.

In addition, God reveals truths about life in Christ so we will be able to communicate those same principles to others. Jesus spoke only what His Father had taught Him (John 8:28). Likewise, we need to be listening carefully every time God speaks so we, too, will know what to say.

God has something to say: to the obedient and the disobedient; to the powerful and the weak; to the self-assured and the insecure; to the lost and the saved. Don’t miss what He has to tell you. Let whatever happens in the course of the day draw you to Him, and practice giving Him your full attention.

 

 

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Max Lucado – Get Ready for a Surprise

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Have you got God figured out? Get ready, you may be in for a surprise. Hear the rocks meant for the body of the adulterous woman drop to the ground. Listen as Jesus invites a death-row convict to ride with Him to the Kingdom in the front seat of the limo. Listen as the Messiah whispers to the Samaritan woman, “I who speak to you am He.” And listen to the surprise as Mary’s name is spoken by a man she had buried.

God appearing in the strangest of places. Doing the strangest of things. Stretching smiles where there had hung only frowns. Hanging a bright star in a dark sky. Many more knees will bow. And many more seekers will celebrate.

“For no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him!” (1 Corinthians 2:9)