It’s a meet-cute but of a spiritual sort. While on a long journey, Jesus stopped at Jacob’s well and leaned against the stone wall, weary. His sandals were dust-covered. He waited.
A woman picked up her water jar. Driven by thirst and the need for sustenance, she, too, came to the well. A well where the water was considered a generational blessing of provision from Abraham’s grandson, Jacob. A well that was deep and necessary for life to flourish and perhaps even considered sacred.
The woman carried an empty jar and a heavy heart, two vessels that needed filling. As she approached, Jesus chose to ignore three cultural taboos. Not only did He see her, He spoke to this lowly Samaritan (first taboo) woman (second taboo) who lived with a man she was not married to (third taboo). According to Jewish law, even touching the jar this woman carried would have been unacceptable. As they conversed, He offered her what only He could: the gift of living water.
Even in her situation, we see her reverence for God through her questions about where to worship. Jesus saw it all—the longing in her heart and the thirst in her soul. She came for water, yes, but when she had the chance to receive living water from the Messiah, she set down her water jar (John 4:28). With her deepest thirst quenched, she ran to tell others.
What Jesus brought to this woman transcended all she expected: the well’s provision, what she thought she needed, and what she was burdened by.
He sees us too. He sees our hearts for Him, and He sees where we fall short. He sees the load we carry. He knows everything we’ve ever done, and He still provides more than we could imagine. In the same everyday tasks, in the very places where we’re going for sustenance, this same living water is ours. He is waiting at the wells we’re turning to and He reaches far deeper than our buckets will go. His eternal well forever satisfies our souls.
When we come to him with our ears wide open and listen, we will find life (Isaiah 55:3).
Let’s lay down our jars to receive.
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110 thoughts on "The Living Water"
Thank you Lord for never turning away, despite the broken humans that we are.
Jesus didn’t turn away from people who weren’t “good” or “perfect”. He meets us where we are, like the woman at the well, and offers what only He can. Grace and love pouring out offering eternal life. Amen.
Amen
Amen
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I love that line..He is waiting at the wells we are going to.
A year or two ago I listened to a podcast series called “holy curiosity”. It did a deep dive on the woman at the well. And honestly was a bit life changing for me. I highly recommend it.
In short, this podcast challenges the idea that the woman was “scandalous”, we in our modern lens have interpreted her as a wayward woman, when in actuality, she was actually viewed as tragedy by the early church. They viewed it as more likely that her 5 husbands had died, and she was now living with kin. Rather than an adulterous woman. Food for thought. I highly recommend it. Several of the founders of our modern day theology had very poor views of women in general and that compelled them to provide negative commentary on many women that may not be and likely is not accurate.
What was the episode called? I’d like to listen
Thank you for this recommendation for the podcast. It’s amazing!
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Empty jars, filled with living water, a woman in need meets the Savior and is changed for eternity! Then she brings good news to her people and for 2 days they sit at the feet of Jesus and hear the redemption story written for them, wow, a town of people despised by the Jews believe! My thoughts of wait….the disciples witnesses Christ revealed to them all….oh, how deep is the Father’s love ❤
Amen
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❤️ May our hearts be open to receive what we need. May we not block our blessings and be mindful.
Amen
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Coming back to leave a reply as I continue to meditate on this passage. I was struck by the parallel of the empty jar the woman was carrying and the six empty vessels at the wedding. All were empty and waiting to be filled with water. In both cases, Jesus took the empty vessels and gave an over abundance of blessing. For the wedding guests, those empty vessels became with the finest new wine. For the woman at the well, her vessel became symbolically filled with “living water.” I’m so thankful to serve a God who loves to work in abundance! Who takes my imperfect vessel and doesn’t just fill it but fills it in ways the exceed anything I could imagine.
So good!
What a great insight!
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We spend so much time fixing the outside thirst chasing validation, success, peace, or “the next thing.”
But true rest starts when you let the Living Water do the healing inside.
You don’t have to earn it.
You don’t have to prove it.
You just have to show up, bucket in hand, and be honest.
Because God can’t fill what you keep pretending isn’t empty.
Yesssssss!
“Because God can’t fill what you keep pretending isn’t empty.” Wow, thank you for writing this. This was incredibly helpful to me.
I am continually awed by Jesus’s reverence for women and how he lifts up those deemed outcasts and taboo.
I am reading “Twelve Extraordinary Women” by John MacArthur. Chapter eight is dedicated to The woman at the well. I found it interesting when John pointed out that Jesus was weary and thirsty. While He is at the same time both God and man, we don’t often think of everyday things that we would experience, as humans.
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Again… interesting!
“Let’s lay down our jars to receive.” Thank you Marnie for your beautiful well thought out devotional this morning.
Thank you Marnie! This is truly a meet-cute. What a description! God has done it for her and He is no respecter of person, He surely is doing it now for thirsty longing hearts at the well, who are labouring for water that doesn’t satisfy. May we look out for our meet-cute. I came across this from a devotional book of Charles Spurgeon “by chance” today, not by chance (the book is called Morning and Evening if you are curious). And it spoke on the topic we are reading today. It is food for thoughts. “God, who comforts the downcast”- 2 Corinthians 7:6. And who comforts like Him? Go to some poor, melancholy, distressed child of God, tell him sweet promises, and whisper in his ear choice words of comfort, he is like the deaf adder, he doesn’t hear the voice of the charmer, no matter how wisely he charms. He is drinking gall and wormwood, and comfort him as you may, it will be only a note or two of mournful resignation that you will get from him. But let God come to His child, let Him lift up his countenance and the mourner’s eyes glisten with hope. You couldn’t have cheered him: but the Lord has done it, he is “the God of all comfort”. There is no balm in Gilead but there is balm in God. There is no physician among the creatures, but the Creator is Jehovah Rophi. One word of God is like a piece of gold, where the Christian beats the piece of gold into gold leaf, and can hammer than promise out for whole weeks. So then poor Christian, you needn’t sit down in despair. Go to the Comforter, and ask Him to give you consolation. You are a poor dry well. When you are dry, go to God, ask Him to shed abroad His joy in your heart, then your joy shall be full. Don’t go to earthly acquaintances, for you will find them Job’s comforters after all. But go first and foremost to your “God, who comforts the downcast”, and you will soon say, “When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought me joy”./. Just wow for me. Yesterday my son and I continued to read two more chapters of Genesis. I was so shocked that he did it. We read through Cain and Abel, there was a “make it stick” section, saying that Cain and Abel didn’t get along, and siblings have been fighting ever since, but God wants us to get along, write down two or three things you fight with your brother or sister about. Surprisingly, my son loved this, and he wrote not three things, but seven things (lol) he fought with his little sister about, toys, sweets, some more, and then slime. I find this so sweet. I am grateful for your prayers. What a turn around this has been for me. I was full of frustration at the beginning, but now just thankfulness that I got to know him more. Be blessed dear sisters.
So glad to hear about your son’s turn around, Mercy! That’s awesome!
Such inspiring passages in today’s study. The more I learn, the more I am in awe of how compassionate and loving Jesus is. As a new Christian, I often feel less than other Christians. I do not have the knowledge yet that they have. Today’s lesson taught me that I am enough in the eyes of God. I needed that!
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Two things I noticed – Jesus told her that an hour is coming when you will worship “neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” Another nod to the fact that His blood would end the need for the Temple system, and the need to worship in Jerusalem. Also I see it as prophetic, as He was explicitly later on, about the complete destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD.
“The hour is coming, and is now here”: we are IN the Kingdom age, and worship in spirit and truth, not with sacrifices.
The other point relates to what Tanya pointed out – Jesus offers Living Water – and a chapter earlier, He tells Nicodemus that we must be born of water and Spirit. Jesus offers Living Water – Himself – which is what we’re baptized into when we believe.
Also, an update on my friend’s 9-year-old son Andrew, who has the diffuse brain tumor we were praying about in the spring. We caught up yesterday and he is doing well right now. Two scans since spring show no tumor growth. He’ll have another scan in January. He did have a few problems in summer, involving hospital stays, because the shunt was allowing too much drainage; now that that is straightened out, he is doing well again.
I am glad he is doing well now… PTL!! ❤️
This woman didn’t want to keep returning for water. (I’m sure that was partially because of the times she would go, so as to avoid the others.)
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Jesus saw HER (even though she was a living-in-sin-Samaritan WOMAN). He gave her so much more than the plain ‘ole water she came for.
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He sees me too. What comfort… even though He also knows “all I ever did”. Ooof! What love He has for me! Thank you, Lord, for that!
Thank you Shes for your continued prayers. They are still needed and greatly appreciated ❤️
I love how Jesus always sees the “unseen”, He is willing to touch the “untouchable” and He fills those who are empty.
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It didn’t matter to Jesus that this was a Samaritan, that she was a woman or that she was living with a man she wasn’t married to. He looked beyond all of that and saw a woman who was empty, who carried burdens and had a great need.
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“Here, Jesus illustrates that true compassion transcends social and ethnic boundaries, calling His followers to love their neighbors as themselves.” (Bible Hub)
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Jesus compassion goes far beyond what I could ever imagine. He loves so deeply, He has such a heart for those who are lost – for those who are searching…and this Jesus, this same Jesus had such compassion on me that He offered me the same living water that He offered this woman. Oh how I love Jesus! He took the time and made the effort to seek me out, even when I rejected Him – He never gave up, praise God!
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And this, “He sees us too. He sees our hearts for Him, and He sees where we fall short. He sees the load we carry. He knows everything we’ve ever done, and He still provides more than we could imagine.”
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Exodus 34:6 – The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness…
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Lamentations 3:22-23 – Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
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Matthew 9:36 – When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
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Psalm 103:13 – When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
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This same Jesus who saw the woman at the well – sees me too. He knows my deepest needs and desires, and that gives me comfort.
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@Maria J
@Tricia C
@Indiana Elaine
@Rebecca W – praying for your prodigals that you mentioned yesterday, and Rebecca – for their trip to Japan!
@Lisa H – praying for your unbelieving daughter
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Thank you all for your prayers for my 2 sons, they did arrive safely in Japan!..continued prayers for their trip.
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Happy Friday She’s – have a blessed weekend!
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Thank you! And yes, continued prayers for your sons in Japan! What globetrotters you all are! ♥️
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Jesus doesn’t just patch up our lives — He fills them. He offers living water that satisfies the deep places nothing else can reach. When we drink from His presence daily, we don’t just get by… we overflow.
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Amen!
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We serve such a personal God. He knows our every need and meets us where we are at.
From HRT:The love of Christ is often revealed in not only what He says but to whom He speaks. No person is out of bounds for His redeeming love. … So today, let our prayer be that of the sixteenth-century missionary, Francis Xavier: ‘O God, grant that we may desire you, and desiring you seek you, and seeking you find you, and finding you be satisfied in you forever. Amen.’”
Jeremiah 29:13 (Amplified translation)
Then [with a deep longing] you will seek Me and require Me [as a vital necessity] and [you will] find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.
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When I read this passage, I always think of the old hymn Like the Woman at the Well
Like The Woman At The Well I Was Seeking
For Things That Could Not Satisfy;
And Then I Heard My Saviour Speaking:
‘Draw From My Well That Never Shall Run Dry.’
Fill My Cup, Lord, I Lift It Up, Lord!
Come And Quench This Thirsting Of My Soul;
Bread Of Heaven, Feed Me Till I Want No More;
Fill My Cup, Fill It Up And Make Me Whole!
There Are Millions In This World Who Are Craving
The Pleasure Earthly Things Afford;
But None Can Match The Wondrous Treasure
That I Find In Jesus Christ My Lord.
So, My Brother, If The Things This World Gave You
Leave Hungers That Won’t Pass Away,
My Blessed Lord Will Come And Save You,
If You Kneel To Him And Humbly Pray:
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Love, hugs, and prayers! ❤
Cee Gee – this song also came to my mind!
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Jesus did not have to go through Samaria.However, he came to seek and save those who are lost.
Jesus did not have to go to the cross. He came to seek and save those who were lost.
Living water- could this be the Holy Spirit? A book i am reading says:” The Gift of God is The Life of God in the Soul of Man”, to borrow the title phrase Henry Scougal’s classic work. The gift of God is nothing less and nothing more than the Holy Spirit.”
I love how G-d employs women. She went and shared the good news in her town and other people believe because of her testimony! I feel in the New Testament God is redeeming Eve. The Mary who gave birth to him, the Mary who went and spread the good news after his resurrection!
Pray for me Shes: I want an exhibition. This for my work venue. I met the photographer who is world famous at an event at a local university.He said it was meant to be that we met. It was an amazing experience how we met. The exhibition will cost 20,000 which exceeds my work budget. However, this would be an excellent exhibit and it would draw a lot of people. It would so wonderful and so appropriate! I actually thought it was going to be anywhere from 80,000 to 100,000.
Praying ❤️
Praying God’s will be done!
I pray that God will give you the desires of your heart❤️
Well (lol, pun intended I guess!)
I had a long comment, and then my laptop decided to not cooperate and it was lost! boo. Because I LOVE the Woman at the Well passage.
Clever lol.
All the observations have been a blessing! Praising God that Jesus saw this woman and kept talking to her after she kept deflecting what He was trying to tell her either more questions. He was patient! He saw her deepest need!
I love how God does that for us. We may feel off but not sure what it is but every time I take this feeling to Him, he gently leads me to what I really need! He understands our heart better than we ever could!
Praying for all! Have blessed day!
Love this …lay down our jars and receive ,listen to what He’s teaching and saying.
You met the Samaritan woman in her weariness,
not with condemnation, but with compassion.
You saw beyond her shame and offered her Living Water—
water that quenches the thirst no one else sees.
You met her not at the temple, but at the well—
in the heat of the day, in the place of her routine,
in the middle of her brokenness.
You met her where she was…
and she left transformed.
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Meet me there too.
In my tired places.
In the hidden corners of my heart.
In my daily routines where I’m just “getting by.”
Speak to me with truth that frees,
and grace that invites me to more.
Give me the courage to lay down my “jar”—
the things I carry to fill the void.
Let me leave them at Your feet
and run to share the joy of being known and loved by You.
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And like the royal official, Lord,
help me to trust You at Your word.
When I come to You desperate for healing,
for answers, for hope—
remind me that You don’t always move in the way I expect,
but You always move in love and power.
When You say, “Go, your prayer has been heard,”
let me walk away in faith—
even if I haven’t seen the answer yet.
Let me believe before I see,
trust before I understand,
and rest before the healing comes.
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Lord, turn my desperation into deeper faith.
Let my story—like theirs—be a testimony
that You are the Savior of the world,
and the Savior of my soul.
Beautiful Kimberly!!
Can I share this on our Facebook SHE’s page?
Yes, of course
He sees us. He knows our hearts. I find much comfort in those words. All we need to do is seek Him and receive.
My comment actually posted to you! What I wanted to say to you was how beautiful your comment is!
Thank you, Kimberly for your beautiful words. What a gift you have been given.
Love this!
Thank you Kimberly. As always, this is so beautifully written ❤️
Thank you for this! ❤️
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I pray that God will give you the desires of your heart❤️
Posted in the wrong place
❤️ this moved me so much. Thank you for sharing!
I love the statement from Cathy about faith deepening. Yes! I never saw that before. The deep well and the deeper faith of the woman, the villagers. When we spend time daily in The Word our faith will deepen.
And I am seeing The Word as being Jesus! He is the living water.
I often wonder if we got to encounter Jesus in the way the woman at the well did if we would immediately recognize Him. Would something deep within our souls recognize that this is the Messiah or would we also be clueless?
I would hope I would recognize Him, but as you said… maybe I would be clueless.
Father I receive! Amen
John 4:4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
He didn’t have to, He could have gone another (longer) way. But He needed to meet this thirsty soul, even though she didn’t realize Jesus would quench her thirst and change her life, and would spread the truth to others.
She knew she and others of Samaria were avoided and look down upon – their Jewish ancestors having intermarried with foreigners – yet here was Jesus, revealing Himself to her and offering her the same thing He offers us.
All who believe are welcome, for God so loved the world that whosoever…
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John 4:35b (Jesus speaking) “Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!”
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HRT says about the Samaritan woman that “her greatest need wasn’t from the desert around her but the one within (Collin Ross). And even more so now as everywhere we look, there are people who need Jesus – in our families, friends, neighborhoods, churches, the highways and the byways. Praying for the lost, the prodigals, those who have rejected the truth and those who have never heard the truth. Lord, may their hearts and minds be open to You.
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B – praying for healing for your son’s friend and salvation for him and those around him
MARI V and MARY – praying for quality, rejuvenating sleep
MERCY ❤️ thankful for progress made with your son in his cooperation with reading. And yes, I’ve faced flat out rejection of the truth of God, from those I love dearly as well as people who say they’re seeking but aren’t really. As RHONDA J said, walk by the Spirit, listen, obey.
LINDAK ❤️ thankful for successful surgery and praying for daily improvement!
CHLOE – praying for your requests in your workplace interactions and dealing with transition, your health and peaceful sleep.
TANYA – amen, enough of Jesus for all!
SEEKING UNDERSTANDING- yes, HRT was good yesterday, and today too. I try to read it daily.
RHONDA J – praying for your nephew to realize his need for Jesus, and that knowing Jesus will change his life for the better. Also praying for relief from your back pain, and that the Lord continues to guide you and bless the jail ministry.
SHARON JERSEY GIRL, REBECCA W, MARIA J, TRICIA C, LISA H – praying for your prodigals
INDIANA ELAINE – thank you for sharing that beautiful memory of a beautiful song ❤️
CEE GEE ❤️
Thank you Searching, you are a gift for giving us updates and a blessing for your prayers and wisdom!
You prompted me to pray for Victor. I will seek out an update on our She’s page.
She certainly is! ❤
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“even more so now as everywhere we look, there are people who need Jesus” amen.
Thanks for praying!❤️
Love your post and thought I replied this morning! Arrrrgh
Still praying for the prayer requests you mentioned! ❤
Amen❤️
A couple things stood out today in John.
1) When the woman tries to change the subject to where one should worship God, Jesus’ response, “You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know, because salvation is from the Jews.”
Jesus emphasizes it is not WHERE but WHO you worship that is important to God.
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2) The woman returned to Sychar and told the people there, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” (Another “Come and see”) and after Jesus stayed with them a couple of days the people declared, “We have heard for ourselves and know that this really is the Savior of the world.”
Jesus came into the world of the Samaritans and unlike the Jews (John 1:11), they received Him not just as the Jewish Messiah, but the Savior of the world.
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B – thanks for the update on your son’s friend. Continuing to pray this trial brings him to Jesus.
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LINDAK – thanks for checking in with us. Praising God for the progress thus far in healing. Continued prayers for pain management and strength.
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CHLOE – praying for your requests ❤️
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ALEIDA POLANCO – lifting up Victor today, that he may find and drink deeply from the well of living water.
Good points, Kelly, thank you ❤️
Joining you in prayer for ALEIDA and VICTOR.
Thanks for those highlights, Kelly! Aleida/Victor were on my mind last night!
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Kelly – I too noticed that “come and see” moment! :-)
Thank you for your prayers!❤️
Vs 39-41, remind me of 2:11,22. It has been striking me during these readings, how there seems to be an emphasis on how, as we continue in relationship with Jesus, he reveals himself to us in new ways and it deepens our belief. In chapter 2, when John stated a couple times that the disciples believed, it wasn’t that they hadn’t already believed – but believed anew, more, deeper. The same is here in this story. The village believe said, they believed not just because of her report but also now because of their experience. They believed, but now they believed deeper, after time spent with Jesus.
Yes, all that John highlights are on a spiritual journey to deeper belief. Great observation on the reoccurring theme.
Love this!!
Thank you Jesus for salvation that is available to everyone.
This passage in John has made me wonder how I would have reacted if I had arrived somewhere where there was someone with today’s “taboos” (whatever I might perceive them to be). Would I speak to, engage with, listen to, care for, or would I ‘other’ them and keep my distance? It’s easier to be like Jesus with people who are like me, but I’m not sure I make the grade with people ‘not like me’. I’m going to be mindful of this as I go about my day today.
And, as always, so very grateful that Jesus never keeps His distance and always speaks, engages, listens and cares. ♥️
Sorry – this posted twice!
❤️ Joining you in gratefulness, Helen. Thinking about whether I make the grade … sadly, many times I don’t.
This John passage has made me wonder how I would have reacted if I had arrived somewhere where there was someone with today’s “taboos” (whatever I might perceive them to be). Would I speak to, engage with, listen to, care for, or would I ‘other’ them and keep my distance? It’s easier to be like Jesus with people who are like me, but I’m not sure I make the grade with people ‘not like me’. I’m going to be mindful of this as I go about my day today.
And, as always, so very grateful that Jesus never keeps His distance and always speaks, engages, listens and cares. ♥️
Very good point, especially with how polarized everything is right now. Thank you. I will also work to be mindful of this. ❤️
This is so true Helen, it’s a good thought to ponder – how would I react. Praying that God grows me in this area and that I freely extend grace as Jesus did.
❤️ May we be fully present and constantly be reminded we are His ambassadors – building His kingdom not our kingdom. Let us be Jesus in the flesh wherever we are. Give us His heart for those who are different from us. Give us courage to engage when we would rather withdraw.
And when I say “we” I mean “me!”
So good. Amen!
Good morning, precious sisters! I am praying every day for each of your requests and especially praying for all the prodigals. How your mother’s heart must ache for them! ❤️
I am asking prayer for my daughter and a team of ladies from her church as they leave for a 10 day mission trip to Croatia this morning. This is a very long time to be away from your family. May God use them in a powerful way!
Also asking for continued prayers for my sister and niece as they deal with their grief and navigate all the decisions that need to be made with my BIL passing.
Love you all! ❤️
Praying ❣️
Praying, LYNNE, for your daughter and her church team in their travel and reaching those in need. And especially praying for your sister and niece – so much to deal with in the midst of grief ❤️
Lynne, it’s so good to see you commenting again! Praying over your requests!
Praying for your daughter and the team going to Croatia.
Also for your sister and niece in their loss.
Praying for you and your precious family, Lynne. Yku were on my mind this morning! ❤
Lynne, I will be praying for your daughter as she embarks on this 10 day mission trip! Prayers for your sister and niece in their loss. ❤️
I love the Isaiah verses today. Had to contains read the whole chapter. Why do I rely on my own strength when I have a loving, Heavenly Father to give my burdens to? Why don’t I turn my ear to him and enjoy the feast of life he has for me? I am blessed in so many ways, but he is the true treasure. Even if everything else was gone, he is still good and still gives good gifts. Thank you Lord.
Amen
Amen!