verse for today

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The Whole Village Believed

9th December

“Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” When they came out to see Him, they begged Him to stay in their village. So He did for two more days. . . . . They they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard Him ourselves.””

John 4:39-42

Yesterday we learnt of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and how Jesus loves reaches us too, even in the deepest darkest places in our lives. We learnt how Jesus the Samaritan woman where she was at in her life and ministered His love and grace to her. We learned how He spoke a prophetic word to the woman revealing her sinful lifestyle, yet He did so in a loving and kind way, not in a condemning and judgemental way. So great was this word from Jesus, that the woman ran back to the village with great joy, telling her fellow villagers about Jesus.

We then pick up the story again in verse 39. Amazingly, because of the prophetic words of Jesus to the woman, many believed. Even more amazing, was that Samaritan people where begging Jesus to stay in Samaria to continue to teach and share His message with them. So great were Jesus’ words to the Samaritan woman, that not only did it radically change her life but the lives of so many others.

One of the key passages in this whole story is found in verse 42, “Now we believe, not just because of what you told us, but because we have heard Him ourselves. Now we know He is indeed the Saviour of the world.” How incredible; that Jesus’ few words to the Samaritan woman had such a big impact. Furthermore, Jesus’ own words to them, revealed His true identity as the Saviour of the world.

The power of a testimony and the power of a prophetic word can only lead people to Jesus. It is when they meet Him and hear Him for themselves, that their lives are completely changed. The Samaritan’s woman’s words only led the people to Jesus. It was Jesus’ own words, that radically changed their lives, ‘because we have heard Him ourselves‘. When we too encounter Jesus’ love for ourselves, we become a beacon of His grace and His love. It is then our privilege is to lead other people to Christ and let the Holy Spirit fully reveal the character and person of Jesus to them personally.

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God Knows It All

8th December

“The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, “Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could He be the Messiah? So the people came streaming from the village to see Him.”

John 4:28-30

A few days ago we looked at the most famous passage in the Bible, John 3:16-17. As we mentioned John 3:17, the important continuation of verse 16, really sums up Jesus’ character and God’s intention for mankind. The story of the Samaritan woman and Jesus completely highlights the point that Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world, but to save it.

Jesus, after meeting the woman at the well, confronted the woman about her five previous husbands and her current living situation; living in sin with a man that was not her husband. Yet instead of judging her and condemning her for her sin, Jesus sees the need in heart for love and meets her where she is at. He reaches out an arm of love and breaks cultural barriers to do it. He knew that the woman for thirsty for God. He knew that she was expectant of the Messiah to come, even though she was a Samaritan. But He also knew that she was a broken and needy soul, who needed loving. Jesus did that and because of her testimony, not only was she saved but a whole village.

Friends, Jesus’ reach is not limited. His love will go into the deepest darkest slums to reach out for the lost. He will invade the enemy’s camp to pull us out. There is no place we can go that will escape His loving hands. If you think that you are not worthy or God’s grace then think again. Just read this story and you will know that you are loved no matter who you are, what you have done and where you are! Jesus saves us, heals us, restores us and re-fills us! That is the work of salvation.

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A Meeting Where You Are At

7th December

“Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because His disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.”

John 4:7-8

The situation so far, in today’s verse, was not ideal. Firstly, Jesus was in Samaria, a no-go place for Jews because of the hostility between the two nations. Secondly, Jesus was alone and talking to a Samaritan woman. Another no no according to Jewish laws and customs; a fact John particularly makes sure he includes in his account of this story. Both actions where extremely un-common for a righteous Jewish person, particularly a Jewish man.

But Jesus broke down all traditional and religious barriers to accept this Samaritan woman and accept her as she was. This highlights an important part of Jesus’ character. It shows us that Jesus was willing to bring shame upon Himself, to be ridiculed and even secluded from society (because He was with ‘un-clean’ people), for the sake of reaching one soul.

This is what we mean when we say for ‘God so loved the world’. God through Jesus, reached into the depths of societies outcasts, the culturally ‘unwanted’, and showered His love upon those who were only treated with hate and malice. Jesus shows us that no-one and no-where is too far out of reach for His love. Today, as you go about your day, challenge yourself to see people as God sees them and ask God to show His love to them where they are at and how they need to receive it: you never know, He might even use you!

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Trusting Although Not Understanding

6th December

“Just as you cannot understand the path of the wind or the mystery of a tiny baby growing in its mother’s womb, so you cannot understand the activity of God, who does all things.”

Ecclesiastes 11:5

There are so many things that we do not understand and so many questions we may have that probably won’t get answered this side of eternity. Does this mean we are to doubt because we do not know or do we simply trust in the One who does?

Take for example the two things the writer of Ecclesiastes wrote about in verse 5: the path of the wind and a baby growing in its mother’s womb. Both of these examples, helped by modern technology, are better understood now than when this verse was written, yet even with the technology we do have, they are both still great mysteries. Yes we can roughly plot where a heavy wind storm might come, but can we really tell exactly where it will flow and navigate its path. Well clearly the answer is no, because we can’t see the wind. We can only see the effects of it. Much is the same with child birth. Of course we can see the growth with modern ultrasound technology, and we can even video its growth in the mother’s womb. We can even understand biologically what happens when it grows. Yet it remains a mystery, how this all happens and astounds doctors and biologists alike as to the exact detail and precision involved in a baby’s growth.

If we are to dismiss these things as foolishness because we can’t fully understand them, then we are never going to appreciate the wonder of them. The same is with God. We might not be able to physically see Him or understand how He works or what He is doing, but we can learn to trust Him because of the evidence of His works. It is because of God that the wind blows, that babies are birthed and that the world spins in orbit. It is faith in Him, that we can find peace in our storm. It because we know He is a great God, that we can fully trust Him, even when we don’t understand everything.

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The Born Again Life

2nd December

“Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth, unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God.””

John 3:3

A Pharisee called Nicodemus came to Jesus late one night. As he approached Jesus, Nicodemus declared that the religious leaders knew that He was sent from God because of the evidence seen in His miracles, (although all were not be bold enough to say it; probably the reason why Nicodemus came at night). Yet Jesus’ reply was not one of gratitude but one of warning. Jesus said that ‘unless you are born again, you cannot see the Kingdom of God’! Jesus was basically saying, ‘that it is no good to just know about Me through my miracles and believe I am sent from God. If you really want to see God and enter God’s Kingdom, you need to be born again.’

Of course Nicodemus was stomped by this and couldn’t understand how a human could be born again of his mother’s womb. Yet Jesus was not talking about physical re-birth but spiritual. He was talking about the death of our old sinful self and a new birth through the Holy Spirit, cleansed, forgiven and made whole as a new person.

Today as we read this story, we too are reminded that a belief in Jesus’ miracles or even in the supernatural is not enough to save you from your sins. In order to be saved we need to be born again by allowing the Holy Spirit to renew us, cleanse us and purify us. We need to die to our self and be born again in the Spirit. It is only then, we can know we are saved and that we live as part of God’s Kingdom and as part of His family.

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The Angry Jesus….?

30th November

“Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers’ coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, He told them, “Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father’s house into a marketplace!””

John 2:15-16

Soon after the wedding in Cana, after Jesus had turned water into wine, Jesus headed toward Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. As He entered the temple, His heart was filled with anger towards what faced Him: He saw scheming and conniving people trying to profit from the large crowds that had gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover; Money exchangers ripping off foreigners by most probably charging a ridiculous handling fee to change their own currency into money fit for the temple offering; Cattle and sheep probably being sold at extortionate prices for monetary gain; Holiness for God’s house non-existent.

Jesus was filled with anger and made a whip to drive out the defilers of His Father’s house. Jesus didn’t just want to give a lecture about what wrong with the situation. He got mad and wanted to drive them all out. He wanted purity and holiness in His Father’s house.

Sometimes we overlook this story and don’t see the personal reflection and application for our own lives. Jesus was angry because people abused and mocked His Father’s house. If we believe that Jesus lives in us and our bodies are the temple of God, then what do we think Jesus feels about our temple? This is not to say that Jesus will make a whip to beat the sin out of us when we stumble. But it does mean that God doesn’t tolerate sinful, disrespectful and God neglecting lifestyles. He wants our lives to be a reflection of Him in purity and holiness. If they’re areas of your life that are not that, then reach out to our loving, gracious Father and ask Him to help you deal with it. God’s grace is sufficient in our weakness. God is love and that is why He wants to make us holy!

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Behold… The Lamb Of God

26th – 27th November

Weekend Edition

“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward Him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! He is the One I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for He existed long before me.’”

John 1:29-30

John’s two fold prophetic statement are words which echo throughout eternity. John’s statement not only implied that somehow Jesus would forgive the sins of the world, but also that Jesus was greater than John because He existed long before him. We know both to be true and both are foundational in our belief and our salvation.

Firstly, Jesus truly was the Lamb that was slain for the sins of the world. He humbly went to the cross, knowing what awaited Him, knowing the pain and suffering, and gladly become the unblemished sacrifice for us, taking our sins upon Him, forgiving us and showering His love upon us. That is foundational to our re-connection with God, as it is through Jesus, that we can commune and have fellowship with the Father. He is the bond that sets us free.

Secondly, is the knowledge that Jesus existed long before humanity. John’s terminology may have simply been to imply that Jesus’ ministry started before his, yet the underlying truth is that Jesus truly was around longer than John. In fact Jesus was around longer than the earth itself. He created the world. He was there from the beginning and will be there at the end. He is beyond time. It is this fact that shows us that Jesus and God are ONE; an absolute truth that cannot be comprised on. It too is foundational for our faith and salvation.

This is why John’s words still ring true today. They are a prophetic picture of salvation in the King of Kings and the Creator of all things. Do you echo John’s words in your heart? Can you stand in agreement with John and welcome the Lamb of God into your life?

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Your Way

25th November

“Show me the right path, O Lord; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by Your truth and teach me, for You are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in You.”

Psalm 24:4-5

Teach me Your ways, O Lord, that I may live according to Your truth1

The Psalmist often spoke of the necessity of God’s guidance throughout his life because he knew that without it, he would be lost. Moreover, there was no plan B for his life. It was God’s way or nothing. He knew the importance of being led by an all seeing and all powerful God. If we too could just trust God more, imagine how much more at peace we would feel in our lives; the release that we don’t have to have all the answers or know every step we have to take in our lives because we are being led by our God whose ways are higher than ours.

Isn’t interesting when you view things from a higher perspective it changes your perception of those things. For example when you go to the top of a high rise building or climb up a tall mountain, everything beneath you seems so small and even toy-like. God has the same perspective over not just a period in our lives, but all of it. He knows our beginning and our end. He knows the next step and one hundred steps from now.

Today, just take a step back from your worries, concerns and stresses for the future and trust in God’s way. Not just for ‘life’ but in order that we might live for the Lord in all we do; as the Psalmist says, to live in God’s truth for all of our lives. May we too, all day long, put our trust in Him.

1Psalms 86:11a

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Use What You Have Well

24thNovember

“If you are faithful in the little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be be honest with greater responsibility. And if you are untrustworthy about worldly wealth, who will trust you with the true riches of Heaven?”

Luke 16:10-11

in Luke 16, Jesus tells us an interesting story about a rich man who was unhappy with the way his manager had been dealing with his wealth. The rich man told his manager that he was going to be fired because he had been wasteful with his money. With no other options for a new job after being fired, the manager sought to make alliance’s with his master debtors, so shrewdly discounted their debts, and sent them on their way. Much to our surprise, and probably to the disciples and Pharisees surprise, who were listening to this story, the rich man commends his shrewd (wise, prudent) manager! So what does this ironic story mean for us?

Well, Jesus in verse 9 partly reveals the lesson in saying this, “Use your worldly resources to benefit others and make friends. Then, when your earthly possessions are gone they will welcome you to an eternal home!” In verse 8, Jesus too affirms the managers actions and says that the ‘children of light’ (a phrase referring to His disciples), could also learn from the managers shrewdness. Perhaps what Jesus is simply saying is that the master, “instead of simply being a victim of circumstance (although brought upon himself) transforms a bad situation into one that benefits him and others”1; Perhaps he was making amends for his foolishness and wanted to honour his masters business by pulling back the debt.

Yet the key verses in understanding what this really means is found in verses 10-11. Jesus goes on to say that in everything we have or do, we should be faithful and make the best out of it in order that we might gain greater responsibilities. In other words, use what you have (both worldly and spiritual resources), in whatever circumstance you are in, however large or small, to benefit and extend the Kingdom of God and honour Him in all you do. In all things, we should make God and His Kingdom our priority and not worldly wealth for self gain.

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Turn The Light On

23rd November

“..God’s Light came into the world, but people loved the darkness more than the Light, for their actions were evil. All who do evil hate the Light and refuse to go near it for the fear their sins will be exposed.”

John 3:19b – 20

According to some, the scientific definition of darkness is the ‘absence of light’, rather than darkness just being the opposite of light. This can be demonstrated when in a room, which has no light, a match is lit and the brightness begins to dominate the darkness and bring light to the room. Moreover, light exposes the darkness, reveals what is hidden and shows what cannot be seen when there is no light.

Interestingly, have you ever tidied your desk under the watchful eye of a desk lamp? You will soon realise that the desk is more dusty than you first imagined. As you begin to move things around, the dust particles are exposed by the light and it is revealed that.. you have a lot of cleaning to do!

The same principle can be adopted into God’s Kingdom. In fact, it is actually rather a principle we have adopted from Jesus’ teaching. Jesus, the Light of the world, came to this earth and through His teaching, acts and deeds, exposed man’s sinful nature by bringing light into what was and is a dark world. However, Jesus’ light wasn’t to tell us how bad we are and to point fingers at us but rather it was a way to get back onto the right the path, almost like a lighthouse protects boats from crashing into mountains and rocks.

Unfortunately many avoided the Light, not wanting their dark deeds to be exposed and for that reason, continue to live in darkness, headed towards danger. However, there are many that accepted the Light and now follow the path to eternal life. For those of us who have accepted the light, we now also stand as a beacon of Jesus, bringing hope and light to the darkness that we see around us everyday. Let your light shine bright for the King.. May we sing together ‘Shine, Jesus Shine’, ‘Blaze, Sprit Blaze’, let our hearts be set on fire for YOU!