John__4

Scripture

John 4:42

“They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

Observation-What does it say?

The woman at the well, a Samaritan woman, shared her encounter with Jesus with her people. First of all, Jesus came to her even though Jews and Samaritans do not associate with one another. Second, He knew the intimate details of her life....details that would be impossible for any stranger to know. Third, He knew she was thirsty for something more than what this world had to offer her, as He said that He can give her water that would cause her to never thirst again. The woman was amazed and Jesus eventually revealed to her that He was the Messiah that she was expecting (vs.25). The Samaritan woman could not keep this information to herself, so she told the other Samaritans in her town about Jesus. As a result of her testimony, many Samaritans believed in Him and chose to seek Him out for themselves. 

Understanding-What does it mean?

Our faith in Jesus Christ is not meant to be hidden. 

Keeping our faith to ourselves only benefits us, but we must share it with those around us too. As the Samaritan woman shared her encounter with Jesus (her testimony), it caused the other Samaritans to believe in Jesus and seek Him out for themselves. They had faith that became their own and it was no longer her faith alone (vs. 42)

Life Application

Freely share Jesus' testimony and our testimony of faith.

Jesus' testimony is His death and resurrection. His testimony has enabled us to be saved from hell and not have to live a life apart from a Holy God. (John 3:16). 

Our testimony is our personal experiences/encounters with Jesus. Some of us have an initial testimony that led to us accepting His invitation for our salvation. But, we are given testimonies all the time as we are with Jesus everyday.  It is meant to be shared with those who don't know His goodness so that they can taste and see for themselves that He is good. 

Psalm 34:8- “Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.”

The water He gives is truly living water and is the only thing that can satisfy our thirst for eternity.

I am grateful for my parents who laid this foundation for me. Although it was their faith that I followed in the first half of my life, because of their example and testimony and the way they raised me, it became my faith as well in the later part of my life.

Dear Lord, thank You for the people You placed in my life to plant the seeds of faith in my life. Now that I have been adopted into Your family, I pray that my testimonies with You would not be hidden, but rather shared with joy in order to draw others to Yourself, so they can taste and see that You are good too. Thank You Jesus that it doesn't matter what we've done or who we once were, but that we are now seen through the eyes of Christ.  Thank you that I will never thirst or hunger again. May more people be drawn to that truth as I am obedient to share it with them. Amen.

-Michelle Gaddi

Psalm_65

Scripture:Psalm 65:5-8⁵ You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,    God our Savior,the hope of all the ends of the earth    and of the farthest seas,⁶ who formed the mountains by your power,    having armed yourself with strength,⁷ who stilled the roaring of the seas,    the roaring of their waves,    and the turmoil of the nations.⁸ The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;    where morning dawns, where evening fades,    you call forth songs of joy. Observation:Words borrowed from https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-65/, italics mine.By awesome deeds in righteousness You will answer us, O God of our salvation: This was an ongoing confidence in the continuation of God’s goodness. God had answered prayer and provided atonement; David expected such awesome deeds in the future also.You who are the confidence of all the ends of the earth: David again lifted his vision from beyond Israel to the ends of the earth, to the far-off seas. He understood that though Israel belonged to God in a special sense, He was and is the God of the whole earth.You who still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves, and the tumult of the peoples: God’s might is shown in His ability to quiet not only the oceans but also the noise of the peoples of the world. His authority extended far beyond Israel, to the farthest parts of the earth.

1. Stormy and noisy seas put forth enormous energy. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an average hurricane releases energy equivalent to 6×10¹⁴watts of electricity. This is 200 times world-wide electrical generating capacity. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) says that in its lifetime an average hurricane can release as much energy as 10,000 nuclear bombs. Yet God can and does still the noise of the seas, the noise of their waves.
2. Knowing this great power of God should build our faith when we see the tumult of the peoplesand are concerned for God’s salvation to reach the ends of the earth. We can think of those at the ends of the earth as those who are farthest off, least known, least thought of, most afflicted, and the hardest to reach.
3. “The child of God in seasons of trouble should fly at once to him who stills the seas: nothing is too hard for him.” (Spurgeon)

…You make the outgoings of the morning and evening rejoice: The exercise of God’s authority over the earth does not bring it fear and oppression; it brings rejoicing to the day. Understanding:This is another chapter where I just love the visual of the God we serve, the power He holds, the stretch of this authority to the very ends of the earth.  Life Application: Like David, let’s live in expectancy – expecting awesome deeds.  God is powerful and still wants to unleash that power…just wants willing hearts.  May we be willing and expectant today.May we take time to recognize and remember God’s hand at work.  May that build our faith today.May we take time to be still, seek the God that can still the noise – whatever that “noise” looks like in our lives today.May we take time to be in awe at the power and magnitude of the God we serve.And, finally, may we take time to rejoice!…and may our willing, expectant, full-of-faith, peace-full, in awe, rejoicing hearts create interactions that leave people feeling calm, seen, heard and loved…in a way that leads hearts to Jesus. <3Rei

Psalm 65

Scripture  Psalm 65:1&9  “Praise awaits you, our God, in Zion; to you our vows will be fulfilled...You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly.  The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain, for so you have ordained it.” Observation-What does it say?  This psalm is ascribed to David.  There is no specific event this is tied to, but it could have been written at the end of a drought or maybe even a famine.  The psalm was most likely written when the tabernacle was on Mount Zion, before the temple was built in Jerusalem.  “The word translated ‘waiteth’ [awaiting] comes from a root meaning to be silent…. This does not mean that there is no praise, but on the contrary that praise is so complete that at first it can find no utterance.” (Morgan)  This silence gives the impression of being speechless because of the Lord’s greatness.  Later in the chapter, David praises God for the abundance of provision he lavishes on the earth.  The earth is barren until the rain that God helps to bring about growth. Understanding-What does it mean?  I recently went to Zion National Park.  As we were driving to the park, the only thing I could say was, “This is AWESOME!!!”  I mean once we got to the park, I also said, “It’s so hot,” quite a bit.  But that’s what happens when you visit the desert in July.  On the shuttle, I got a chance to just sit and enjoy the amazing scenery.  It’s hard to describe how the great walls or red rock inspire a sense of connection to our creator.  The contrast between the lush valley, which holds the life bringing water, and the desert up above.  The whole time we were there, the words just seemed to escape me to offer as a praise for the grandeur around me.  I was speechless. This brought new meaning to being silent in praise.  God’s word says, “Be still, and know that I am God”(Psalm 46:10).  God’s goodness and creation often inspires awe and speechlessness.  But, we are told this is praise enough.  Similarly, God tells us to look to him to learn how to pray.  “In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.  And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God” (Romans 8:26-27).  Changing our perspective can point us towards the Spirit, giving us direction in prayer.  Even Jesus took time to go into the wilderness to pray (Luke 5:16).   Life Application  God, help me to not fear when you are silent.  Thank you for providing me with places to see you.  Thank you for teaching me about you in the silence.  Help me to lean on the Holy Spirit when I don’t know what to pray.  -Tyler Galloway