Devotionals

Jesus, The Interrupter 

ReRead:  John 4:16-18

Tuesday 3/17/15   Day 24  

Ponder:  The woman at the well found that Jesus interrupted her ideas of what constituted her worth and value.  It was not her husband who made her valuable; it was not the five husbands she had or the man she was living with at the time who made her valuable. None of them were able to communicate her value to her. Jesus came to the well to interrupt her life and to help her see how much she was loved for who she was to God; to see herself anew.  Do you need to know you are valuable to God not because of what you do or don’t do, who you know or don’t know,  but just because you are His lovely and treasured creation?

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Jesus, the Interrupter

ReRead:   John 4:9-10

Saturday 3/14/15   Day 22

Ponder:  Jesus is a pro at answering a question by requesting an action that interrupts the human status quo. This surprised woman responds to Jesus’ request with a question.  His request makes her head spin; he is asking her to break the cultural rules and serve him. At this moment, the woman merely sees a Jewish man not the Messiah and Lover of her soul. I can just hear the calmness is the voice of Jesus saying, “Daughter, if you only knew who I Am and the riches of heaven at my command, then you would ask me to bring great and satisfying things into your life.” Why doesn’t Jesus just tell her who he is from the start?

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Jesus, the Interrupter

ReRead:   John 4:7-8

Friday 3/13/15   Day 21

Ponder:  Jesus says to this Samaritan woman, “Give me a drink.”  He is alone because the disciples have gone into the village to buy food. Jesus breaks the rules or “norms” of Jewish culture; Messiah speaks with a woman in public, engages in coversation with a Samaritan (Samaritans are dispised by Jews), and asks her for a drink from her jar which would make him ceremonially unclean by Jewish Law.  Have you ever noticed Jesus is indifferent to cultural “norms?” 

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Jesus, the Interrupter

ReRead:   John 4:6-7

Thursday 3/12/15   Day 20

Ponder:  Jesus is thirsty.  Even though he is sitting by the well, he has no bucket with which to draw water.  A Samaritan woman comes to the well in the hotest part of the day to draw water. This woman has been shunned and shamed by others; her lifestyle is unacceptable to them. She comes to the well at a time when the fewest people will be there; she does not want to be seen.  She would rather brave the heat, then deal with judgmental people. Jesus interrupts her plan to avoid community and asks, “Give me a drink.”  Does Jesus interrupt your plans?

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Jesus, the Interrupter

Read:  John 4:4-23

Wednesday 3/11/15   Day 19  

Ponder:  The desert that led to Jacob’s well has made the Master fatigued and thirsty. It’s the hottest part of the day; twelve noon.  Jesus is tired from the walk, overwhelmed by the heat, and interrupted by thirst; a human experience. In the Samaritan village called Sychar Jesus positions himself by the well and hopes for a drink of fresh cool water.

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Interruptions are Messy 

ReRead:  Mark 2:12 

Tuesday 3/10/15   Day 18   

Ponder:  The crowd witnessed the restorative work of Messiah in their midst and praise filled the house and beyond.  Their testimony, “We have never seen anything like this!”  When we recognize the work of Christ manifesting in another person, it should fill our hearts with gratitude and our mouths with praise.  Celebrate what God is doing in other people.  Every life that is changed by Christ, is a life saved for eternity.  Do you celebrate God’s work in and through others?

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Interruptions are Messy

Monday 3/9/15   Day 17

ReRead: Mark 2:10-11

Ponder: Jesus, Son of God, refers to himself as the Son of Man in this passage.  In other words, Jesus wants us to understand he is fully human and fully divine.  Jesus is able to connect with our humanness and understand our deepest needs.  He can relate to our suffering to make us overcomers against sin in the world. Are you an overcomer?

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Interruptions are Messy

ReRead:   Mark 2:5-9 (again)

Saturday 3/7/15   Day 16

Ponder:  Have you ever questioned why bad things happen to some people?  Maybe they suffer a tragic accident, suffer extreme injustice, lose a child or mate at a young age? During Jesus’ ministry, some people had the mindset that all bad things happened because of sin in a person’s life.   We live in a fallen and sinful world, and pain is simply a part of living here.

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Interruptions are Messy

ReRead:   Mark 2:6-9

Friday 3/6/15   Day 15

Ponder: Have you ever sat back and listened to the way people talk sometimes.  Some folks are timid to share things; others way to harsh.  Some folks are good listeners; others just want to talk.  Well, our lesson picks up with some folks who feel they are always right with how they say things, and what they say is the only Truth because they interpret for God. If you doubt this summation, read the passage again.

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