We continued this past week with week 2 of the Hello Mornings study “God. Move. Plan.” Be sure to check it out for yourselves HERE.
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“Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, “Give Me a drink,” you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” (John 4:10, NLT)
Here we find Jesus pointing out three facts to her:
- who He was
- what He had to offer to her
- how she could receive it
Thankfully, He still offers this gift to each of us today.
We try, quite unsuccessfully, to substitute Jesus with other things – relationships, possessions, careers … need I go on?
Always things. Temporary things. And nothing fills nor satisfies the longing of our souls.
“The truth was that Jesus didn’t need water as much as the woman needed Jesus.”
(taken from the full study – God. Move. Plan.)
What have you substituted in your life and heart for living water? Take time today to confess this to the Lord. What can you do to avoid substitutes in the future?
Today may you hear Him gently say to you:
“Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst” (part of verse 13, NLT).
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In Luke 18:1-8 we find the persistent widow.
She kept coming before the judge with her request for justice, and relief from her enemy. Scripture does not tell us how long she kept coming before him, just that she did, and over the course of time, she wore the judge down.
We turned our focus so that it was not on the woman, not on the judge, but on God.
God is not like the judge but is attentive to our prayers. He is concerned about our needs and is ready to answer as we pray.
But there are times, the answer does not come immediately, and this raised the question: Will we remain faithful through the trials and difficulties?
“But when the Son of Man returns, how many will he find on the earth who have faith?” (verse 8, NLT)
What changes do you need to make in your prayer life to be persistent? Will others see an example of faith because we have persistently prayed?
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In Philippians 3:8-16, Paul speaks of his knowledge of Christ. It was not just a historical knowing, or heresay. This was a personal relationship, close like friends.
Becoming a believer should be the beginning of a lifelong journey. It’s traveling together with a Companion, who is constantly with us.
Paul encourages us to “press on”. This means we never take on a posture of having achieved but pursue knowing Christ actively for all of our days.
Can you think of someone in your life who is an example of this? Will you share about them with us all?
I have been blessed with several older people, who have faithfully walked with Christ through difficult losses and pain. Yet they continually encourage me to hold onto Jesus. They remind me to set an example for my children and grandchildren. To make memories and share memories.
We need one another to help us walk steadfastly in our faith;
so we run our race to the glory of our God!
Photo 1: by Carly Jayne on Unsplash
Photo 2: by Diana Simumpande on Unsplash
Today I am joining … Tell His Story and Grace Full Tuesday and InstaEncouragements and Purposeful Faith .
That haunting question in verse 8: I do wonder, and I want to be among those Jesus finds, but fall short in so many ways.
I’m doing a lot of thinking these days about the word “stability,” an old-fashioned word for a spiritual discipline without much zip or zing, but that gets us to the end with faithfulness.
So funny you mention the word, “stability”, Michele. The word that has found its way into my thoughts is “steadfastness”. We need to be reminded of these old-fashioned words as they are God’s words and the means by which we remain faithful for all of our days. So grateful you shared!
I’m so grateful for the reminder of who God is and all He can do! I’m learning more and more to trust Him and the people He puts around me to walk through the ups and downs of life.
Each person is in our lives by His designs, for His purposes, in their lives and ours.
These are great reflections from your study, Joanne! It is easy to turn to other things to satisfy us rather than looking to Jesus and realising that his living water is what we really need. And I love those older people who are such good examples of pursuing God and growing in faith over so many years!
I do too, Lesley. We need those examples so that we may become those examples as well!
Joanne, I love being reminded that God is concerned about our needs. He’s concerned about the little, intimate details of our lives.
I love the story of the woman at the well. I was so that woman! So needy. So seeking. So loved. So forgiven. So redeemed!
Thanks for linking up at InstaEncouragements!
Patricia, it’s so true. Every detail is seen by Him and matters to Him. It is always good to join you!
Interesting reflections, Joanne. Oh, to be found with faith and faithful to Christ when He returns. And I agree, once we come to Christ as a believer, it’s only the beginning of “a lifelong journey.”
Karen, you put it so well >> “found with faith and faithful to Christ when He returns.” Amen!
Thank you for the call to hold onto Jesus first, foremost, and always. Great post.