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DON’T JUST TAKE MY WORD, SEE FOR YOURSELF In chapter four of the Book of John, Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman at a well preparing to draw water; a conversation then develops with Jesus comparing the water He had to offer to that of the water in the well (JHN.4.13-14).
Upon hearing this, the Samaritan woman became excited about the prospect of receiving the water Jesus had to offer; however, she made the mistake of thinking she would no longer have to come to the physical well again and her life would be that much easier. This is where many of us as Christians often get off-track thinking that when we come to Jesus that our lives will just become a flowery bed of roses, when this is clearly not the case.
This is why many individuals today often associate their salvation to the Christian experiences of other relatives and people; and since they are connected to these relatives and/or individuals, in their mind, this means they too must be in right-standing as well when this is far from the truth. And rather than allowing the challenges of the Christian walk to mature and develop them, they prefer to live vicariously through another.
What great grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, auntie, uncle, etc. did may have been good for them and kept them in the grace of God at that particular time; yet this does not equate to salvation or abundant living for another individual. In other words, an individual can’t live the Christian life based solely on someone else’s experience; we must each have a personal encounter with the Savior for ourselves.
Therefore, in order to grow and mature, we must individually receive a daily helping of God’s spiritual food for ourselves (1PE.2.2). However, we must move from just receiving milk to the meat of the Word as we develop in our faith. Daily spiritual nourishment can be received through the Word (Jesus Christ).
The Samaritan woman had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that forever changed her; she then had spiritual food and drink that would last an eternity. And once she was changed from the inside out, she encouraged others to not just take her word, but challenged them to come see the Giver of unending spiritual food and water for themselves (JHN.4.29)!
We each need a personal encounter with Christ; however, don’t just take my word, “TASTE AND SEE” FOR YOURSELF!
Upon hearing this, the Samaritan woman became excited about the prospect of receiving the water Jesus had to offer; however, she made the mistake of thinking she would no longer have to come to the physical well again and her life would be that much easier. This is where many of us as Christians often get off-track thinking that when we come to Jesus that our lives will just become a flowery bed of roses, when this is clearly not the case.
This is why many individuals today often associate their salvation to the Christian experiences of other relatives and people; and since they are connected to these relatives and/or individuals, in their mind, this means they too must be in right-standing as well when this is far from the truth. And rather than allowing the challenges of the Christian walk to mature and develop them, they prefer to live vicariously through another.
What great grandmother, grandfather, father, mother, auntie, uncle, etc. did may have been good for them and kept them in the grace of God at that particular time; yet this does not equate to salvation or abundant living for another individual. In other words, an individual can’t live the Christian life based solely on someone else’s experience; we must each have a personal encounter with the Savior for ourselves.
Therefore, in order to grow and mature, we must individually receive a daily helping of God’s spiritual food for ourselves (1PE.2.2). However, we must move from just receiving milk to the meat of the Word as we develop in our faith. Daily spiritual nourishment can be received through the Word (Jesus Christ).
The Samaritan woman had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that forever changed her; she then had spiritual food and drink that would last an eternity. And once she was changed from the inside out, she encouraged others to not just take her word, but challenged them to come see the Giver of unending spiritual food and water for themselves (JHN.4.29)!
We each need a personal encounter with Christ; however, don’t just take my word, “TASTE AND SEE” FOR YOURSELF!
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About this Plan
This devotional plan provides a different perspective on faith in the life of the believer utilizing Scripture references from the Gospel of John to challenge readers to change the way they think about everyday practical living. Faith is better classified as a verb; therefore, it must be alive and active to promote real change and lasting transformation.
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We would like to thank Sheldon Malone for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.facebook.com/changedthinking/
