An Unexpected EncounterSample

Neither the present nor the past limits Jesus

Religion, in order for us to reach Jesus, demands a resolute and sinless life.

What Jesus did on the cross was precisely so that we would come to his feet with all our afflictions and mistakes, even with our life in pieces. This is relationship, not religion.

In difficult times we don't understand the why of what we are going through, but Jesus can turn around any situation we are going through.

In John 4:17-18 we are given a glimpse into the past of this woman from Samaria. Like many of us, she meets Jesus with a difficult history and a past she wanted to forget. She expected Jesus to judge her actions, as everyone had done. But what she did not know was that Jesus did not come to meet her with the intention of judging, but to heal each of her wounds.

Jesus always makes a difference. While everyone had rejected this woman, he accepted her completely. He did not expose her sin to condemn her. He talked of her sin to demonstrate his love in the midst of her pain. God is not bothered by your failures. He takes advantage of them and uses them to bring change and restoration. He brings to light and uproots those things from which we need to heal completely. He transforms us so that we can live in his freedom.

If our past or our present cannot limit Jesus, why do we sometimes limit him with excuses? It is as if we seek to build a wall of separation between God and ourselves that he has already torn down.

There is nothing we can do to deserve God's mercy and grace. He has already given us forgiveness for all our mistakes, but he wants us to live our lives without limitations. He wants you to enjoy your life to the fullest, without burdening it with things that do not belong to you.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that in you I can find forgiveness, peace, and rest. Thank you that my mistakes do not define me, but you do. Help me live in the freedom you have already granted through the cross. Amen.