Good Morning! My name is Mark Ritter and I was asked to give you a devotional thought from the book of John, chapters 4-6.
KEY VERSE:
JOHN 4:4, "And He must needs go through Samaria."
REFLECTIONS:
This short yet powerful verse captured my attention. What this verse literally means is that Jesus needed to pass through Samaria. The Samaritans were hated by the Jews and were considered "half breeds," if you will, because of their intermarrying with the gentiles and their worshipping on a different mount. Custom had it that they were to be avoided. The Jews would go out of their way, travelling farther than necessary, to go around versus through this area. Jesus, out of His love for all people, even the hated Samaritans, would not be deterred by human traditions from His mission to reach the lost -- in this case, the Samaritan woman at the well. Luke19:10 tells us, "For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost." Jesus graciously dealt with the Samaritans (as He does with us all) -- the woman at the well, the parable of the good Samaritan, and the Samaritan leper (the only one that came back to thank Him for His healing of his leprosy).As Christ actively and purposely sought out this woman because of her need of salvation, so must we do the same with those around us as we are led by the Holy Spirit, no matter where that may take us and no matter with whom that may be. James so plainly states in James 2:1, "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons." In other words, we are not to pick and chose with whom we share the precious Gospel truth based on anything that that person might be or might have. The Holy Spirit guides, and we are to follow His lead. There are numerous occasions in the Bible where Christ purposes in His heart to meet a need and always follows through – the ultimate example being His sacrifice of Himself on the cross for us all!
APPLICATION:
We all need to ask God to lead us to those in need, whomever they are. We also need to be clean vessels that He may use us. May the Lord help us to purpose in our hearts to do His will, show His love, and share His life-changing message of the Gospel! May we ever have the attitude, as did our Lord, "I MUST NEEDS GO THROUGH…!"
Thank you for being a part of THE 40 Day Challenge. Thanks for reading, and you have a blessed day!
In Christ, Mark Ritter
Dr. Mark Ritter
Areas of service at VBC: Chairman of Deacons, Head of Ushers
Hobbies: Watching the Colts & IU
Family: Jennifer, Anthony, Austin, & Ashley