John 4:10
“If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water."
John 4:23-24
John 4:23-24
“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit
and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Hello again! Today, we dive into part of Jesus' conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well, found in John chapter 4. This particular conversation can be confusing for some, and I want to give you a heads up that, if you are looking for clarification as to what is going on with the Samaritan woman and her obscure answers, we aren't going to be discussing that in this post. Instead, we are looking into what Jesus taught the woman at the well, and considering how His instructions impact our faith.
Firstly, let's take some moments to consider something really marvelous that Jesus freely gives to those who ask it of Him. Jesus says that God has a gift which He is ready and willing to give, something Jesus called "living water." What is this "living water"? I think we can gather from what we know of Jesus' promises that this living water, this gift of God, is primarily three things:
1 - The forgiveness of, and freedom from, our sin.
2 - Citizenship into God's eternal kingdom (starting now in this life).
3 - The gift of God's indwelling Holy Spirit.
Which culminates into what every human spirit thirsts for: a healthy, strong, intimate relationship with our Creator, God. Jesus gives freely that which will satisfy us, so much so, that we are changed to live this temporary, fleeting life with abandon, as sojourners, because we confidently rest from our search for meaning and life. It is found in Jesus, and he gives it freely.
A wondrous work of being given this gift of life from God is that our very souls are awakened from death. Everything in our lives that is of death and darkness is being swallowed up by life as we live by the law of the Spirit, which is truth (Romans 8:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54). We are awakened to how truly dull and dead we were, and our new life in the Spirit causes our soul to do something which we all are meant to do: worship. I speak not of worshiping in song, though that is good and well, but worshiping with our entirety; to worship God from the spiritual depth of our being, so that all of our mind, our strength, our emotions, all that we are is postured in worshipful surrender and agreement with the One who made us and saves us.
Jesus said it plainly; we must worship in Spirit and in truth. Living out the truth from a genuine heart for God is an act of worship. But, how do we know if we are really living by truth? There are many theories, philosophies, and schools of thought which contend for our attention and obedience. The enemy of our souls aims to use these as distractions to confuse us, and lure us away from God, so that we, as individuals and the collective church, lack peace and rest in God, and are thus rendered ineffective for God's kingdom. Remember this: God is the author of life, and in Him alone is truth found. His ways are the way of life. Everything else we try in this life, no matter how temporarily satisfying, no matter how comfortable, no matter how momentarily exhilarating, all will leave us thirsty in the end, because all else was made not by God, but was concocted by the corrupted mind of man.
God offers us the straightforward truth of life. He gives us the Holy Spirit, dwelling in each and every person who is surrendered to Him, to guide us in truth. Let us praise Him that He has also overseen that humanity maintains the records of scripture, which He uses to guide and direct us as well! And let us praise God further that He cannot contradict Himself; His ways are always right and perfect, and we can trust Him entirely in His instruction and guidance. Between the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and leaders in the church who proclaim truth in agreement with God, we have abundance of direction as to what it is to live in truth.
Maybe you, like me, are prone to complicating a good and simple thing. I'll look for gimmicks, mistrust simplicity, expect the road to be more difficult than it really is. I feel like I must earn it, even if there is really nothing I can do to earn whatever "it" is. I've learned over the years that I tend to bring that mentality into my interactions with the Lord. Jesus isn't interested in me jumping through hoops to get to Him, because there are none. I can't earn anything from God. My right relationship with God is a result of God's simple and profound grace, mercy, and love. All I ever did to "earn" this gift of living water from God, was admit that I needed Him, that I was powerless on my own, and I ask Him to change me (in other words, I repented!). He does all the work of change and impact, I am simply a happy and thankful recipient of His free gift.
So, as you go about your week, be in prayer and thought about how you might be able make changes in your life that will lead you into a deeper relationship with God, so that you not only experience moments of worship, but so that you live in a manner that is worshipful to God in your Spirit (from your inner being - out), and in truth (which God leads us in, absolutely).
Until next time beloved, Pastor Andrew
A wondrous work of being given this gift of life from God is that our very souls are awakened from death. Everything in our lives that is of death and darkness is being swallowed up by life as we live by the law of the Spirit, which is truth (Romans 8:1-2, 1 Corinthians 15:53-54). We are awakened to how truly dull and dead we were, and our new life in the Spirit causes our soul to do something which we all are meant to do: worship. I speak not of worshiping in song, though that is good and well, but worshiping with our entirety; to worship God from the spiritual depth of our being, so that all of our mind, our strength, our emotions, all that we are is postured in worshipful surrender and agreement with the One who made us and saves us.
Jesus said it plainly; we must worship in Spirit and in truth. Living out the truth from a genuine heart for God is an act of worship. But, how do we know if we are really living by truth? There are many theories, philosophies, and schools of thought which contend for our attention and obedience. The enemy of our souls aims to use these as distractions to confuse us, and lure us away from God, so that we, as individuals and the collective church, lack peace and rest in God, and are thus rendered ineffective for God's kingdom. Remember this: God is the author of life, and in Him alone is truth found. His ways are the way of life. Everything else we try in this life, no matter how temporarily satisfying, no matter how comfortable, no matter how momentarily exhilarating, all will leave us thirsty in the end, because all else was made not by God, but was concocted by the corrupted mind of man.
God offers us the straightforward truth of life. He gives us the Holy Spirit, dwelling in each and every person who is surrendered to Him, to guide us in truth. Let us praise Him that He has also overseen that humanity maintains the records of scripture, which He uses to guide and direct us as well! And let us praise God further that He cannot contradict Himself; His ways are always right and perfect, and we can trust Him entirely in His instruction and guidance. Between the Bible, the Holy Spirit, and leaders in the church who proclaim truth in agreement with God, we have abundance of direction as to what it is to live in truth.
Maybe you, like me, are prone to complicating a good and simple thing. I'll look for gimmicks, mistrust simplicity, expect the road to be more difficult than it really is. I feel like I must earn it, even if there is really nothing I can do to earn whatever "it" is. I've learned over the years that I tend to bring that mentality into my interactions with the Lord. Jesus isn't interested in me jumping through hoops to get to Him, because there are none. I can't earn anything from God. My right relationship with God is a result of God's simple and profound grace, mercy, and love. All I ever did to "earn" this gift of living water from God, was admit that I needed Him, that I was powerless on my own, and I ask Him to change me (in other words, I repented!). He does all the work of change and impact, I am simply a happy and thankful recipient of His free gift.
So, as you go about your week, be in prayer and thought about how you might be able make changes in your life that will lead you into a deeper relationship with God, so that you not only experience moments of worship, but so that you live in a manner that is worshipful to God in your Spirit (from your inner being - out), and in truth (which God leads us in, absolutely).
Until next time beloved, Pastor Andrew
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