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How often does the unexpected happen in your life?
Something good...something you would never have dreamed would ever have happened…but it did. Perhaps a moment in time when the unexpected meets the intentional. We find just such a thing occurred in the life of a Samaritan woman. She was going about her day without any expectation of what or who she would encounter. However, Jesus, the one she was to encounter, had very specific intentions. He was traveling from Judea to Galilee going through Samaria. It had been a long walk and He was tired, so He stopped at Jacob’s well around noon and waited. He was alone, for His disciples had gone to look for something to eat. It wasn’t too long before she walked up to draw water and Jesus asked for a drink. She was not expecting this. He was a Jew and she was a Samaritan; the two groups never associated with one another. She said as much when she asked Him why He asked for a drink. Then Jesus said, “If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” The truth is Jesus knew everything about her, but she had no idea who she was speaking to or what He had for her. But He knew what she needed more than anything else in the world. I believe it’s safe to say Jesus knew all along who He would encounter when He stopped at the well that day. He was there intentionally. He purposely came to her where she was in the middle of an ordinary day. But little did she know that this encounter would prove to be life changing. There are those moments in our own lives when Jesus is waiting to reveal himself in the midst of our ordinary days. You see, He knows everything about you and He knows exactly what you need. He’s saying to us “If you only knew…” Take a drink…it’s Living Water. It will change your life. Bro. Joe Scripture Reading: John 4:4-42 Matthew 11:28-30 Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for meeting me at the wells of my life…revealing yourself at just the right time and always knowing exactly what I need. I love you. Thank you for loving me. Amen
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Do we sometimes loose our ability to see things the way God wants us to... “For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7
What are the lens we sometimes use that might keep us from seeing from God’s perspective?
There are those who at a point and time in their life have come to Jesus...walked the aisle of a church...encountered Him, but never surrendered their life to Him. So, what does it take to see through the lens of God’s heart? It takes coming to Jesus...surrendering to Jesus...following Jesus. This begins by coming to Jesus as Paul speaks in Romans 10:9-10: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” You are made new...the old you no longer exists...a change has occurred. Surrendering to Jesus is a moment by moment, lifelong choice of giving Him control of every aspect of your life. In John 1:35-39 we see how this all began for two of Jesus’ disciples. “The following day John was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, ‘Look! There is the Lamb of God!’ When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. ‘What do you want?’ he asked them. They replied, ‘Rabbi’ (which means “Teacher”), ‘where are you staying?’ ‘Come and see,’ he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day.” The faith to follow Him begins when we are willing to come and see and then we decide to remain with Him for all eternity. They had the faith to follow. How about you? Bro. Joe Scripture Reading: Sunday - 1 Samuel 16:7 Monday - John 1:35-39 Tuesday - Romans 10:9-10 Wednesday - Matthew 21:18-21 Thursday - Matthew 17:14-20 Friday - Ephesians 2:1-10 Saturday - James 1:1-8 Prayer: Jesus, I surrender my life to follow you by faith. Amen Coming to Jesus - The Gospel of Friendship
The gospel is the teachings of Jesus...the revelation of Christ. Friendship is a close personal relationship with another individual. For a better understanding of the gospel message pertaining to friendship, take a look at John 15:9–15, where Jesus said to his disciples: “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me.” Jesus went on to model what he taught: true friendship requires sacrifice. One of the greatest illustrations of this truth being lived out is found in Mark 2:1-12. In this passage we find four friends who physically carried a paralyzed friend to see Jesus, but when they got there they couldn’t get in the house. It was standing room only. And yet they knew their friend needed so much more than what he could get if they simply stood outside and listened. So they carried him up on top of the house, tore a hole through the roof, and then lowered their friend right down in front of Jesus. The text then says Jesus “saw their faith.” Not the faith of the paralyzed man but the faith of the four friends. He saw THEIR faith. He didn’t hear it but SAW it. Jesus healed their friend. We need a faith that can be seen... ...When you come to church, it’s faith that can be seen. ...When you help someone in need, it’s faith that can be seen. ...Some days, when you just get up, get dressed, and go to work, it’s faith that can be seen. What we see here is friendship as a form of the gospel. Friendship as an expression of God’s goodness and steadfast love...Faith Friends...friends who not only believe in you but believe for you. Bro. Joe Scripture Reading: Sunday - Mark 2:1-12 Monday - James 2:17 Tuesday - John 15:9-15 Wednesday - Romans 1:12 Thursday - Proverbs 18:24 Friday - Proverbs 27:17 Saturday - James 2:18 Prayer: Father, I want to be the kind of friend who is willing to sacrifice for others. Help me Lord to live by faith that is seen. Amen How’s your heart? Jesus knows… “No one needed to tell him about human nature, for he knew what was in each person’s heart.” John 2:25 NLT
Perhaps…
Remember Jesus said: “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me.” John 14:1 NLT Remember David’s prayer: “The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.” Psalms 51:17 NLT If you will come to Jesus with…
He will give you a new heart that is…
“And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.” Ezekiel 36:26 NLT Can you say along with David, “My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.” And my heart responds, “ Lord, I am coming.” Psalms 27:8 NLT Bro. Joe Scripture Reading: Sunday - Luke 6:45 Monday - Proverbs 4:23 Tuesday - Psalm 139:1 & 23 Wednesday - John 2:25 Thursday - Ephesians 3:16-17 Friday - Jeremiah 17:9 Saturday - Psalm 119:11 Prayer: Change My Heart Oh God…Make It Ever True…Change My Heart Oh God…May I Be Like You. Amen |
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July 2020
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