Liz Blog, Faith, Love Series

Love Series | Samaritan Woman (Part Two)

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.

(John 4:39 KJV)

Is there a difference between guilt and shame?

Someone once explained it in a simple way:

Shame says, “I’m a bad person.”

Guilt says, “I’ve done a bad thing.”

So, guilt is conviction. It spurs necessary and vital growth. Without conviction, we would never be moved to change harmful and sinful ways. Others can give godly wisdom in our lives that inspires this type of conviction. Now, we often–and when I say often, I mean 9.9/10 times–do not like this. Let’s face it, we don’t want to acknowledge when we’ve done something wrong. But avoiding this is extremely dangerous. Sin has consequences. Avoiding areas of our lives that we know are not God-honoring leads to more and more decisions and more and more sin that can alter our life for the worst. So, when I say guilt, I’m talking about a godly conviction that causes us to recognize our faults and pushes us to be more like Christ.

However, shame, instead of encouraging our heart’s change, scares us into hiding. It makes us feel as though we must push others away, that we don’t deserve community, or that other people are judging us. Shame is where Satan thrives. Through shame, he tries to convince us that God is against us, that He doesn’t love us, that we are unrecoverable. Often times, people blame Christianity for putting “shame” on people. God has nothing to do with shame. Shame has no part in the gospel. Jesus came to set the captives free.

Part Two of the Love Series looks at the Samaritan woman who met Jesus in an unexpected way. Living a life of sin, she was a woman who felt immense shame and had been searching for security in ways that left her empty. Despite the shame she felt due to her own choices and her treatment by others, this woman was offered a second chance. Jesus broke barriers and offered her a relationship with her Savior that changed her life.

INTRODUCING THE SAMARITAN WOMAN

(Reference: John 4:1-42)

Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?”  (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.) (John 4:4-8)

The Samaritan woman’s story tells of a woman’s transformation from shame, to conviction, to a new freedom and love for Christ.

When this woman is introduced in verse 7, notice that she isn’t given a name. The fact that she is anonymous is important, however, as it implies that there is a larger symbol or lesson behind the story for us to learn and apply to our lives.

While the woman is unnamed, she is identified as a Samaritan. The Samaritans were the people of Samaria, a northern region in Israel, located between Galilee and Judea. The Samaritans had a distinct pagan culture that posed a threat to Israel. As a result of cultural and religious differences, great hostility existed between the Jews and Samaritans.

Another significant point is that the woman came to the well at noon. This was an unusual time of the day to draw water, especially because it was hot, so others wouldn’t normally be found at the well during this period. Before we know more about the Samaritan woman, the fact that she was there shows that she was most likely avoiding other people, more specifically other women who would come to the well. As we read the passage, we learn why–that this woman was living in shame due to her sin.

This shame caused division between her and others. There were probably those in the community who knew about her reputation and didn’t want to associate themselves with her, and she felt outcasted and kept herself isolated from others. However, Jesus came into the picture and showed her a love that pushed her to abandon her past and her fear.

An Encounter Motivated by Love

Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans (John 4:9).

Jesus broke two societal traditions by speaking to this woman when he asked her for a drink of water. Notice that Jesus asking for a drink was not offensive but it stirred up curiosity in her. Teachers of the law were not allowed to speak to women publicly, and a Jew wasn’t to associate himself with a Samaritan due to the contempt between the groups.

He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria (John 4:3-4).

These verses express that Jesus had to go to Samaria. What’s also notable is that Jesus is described as being physically weary from his journey–something we hardly ever see in the Bible (v. 6). There is a sense of urgency here. A sense of purpose. Jesus had a reason to be in this Samaritan region at this odd time to speak to this woman–things that a man of His background typically would not be doing, according to society.

The woman acknowledged the peculiarity of the situation in verse 9, asking him why he would be asking her for a drink. Jesus used this as an opportunity to reach a hurting woman.

While the Samaritan woman had been isolated from others due to shame, motivated by fear, Jesus approached her, motivated by love.

The Ultimate Source of Love: Living Water

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.

11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: (John 4:10-13)

Jesus wasn’t at the well to simply draw water–He didn’t even bring anything to draw it with! This wasn’t a mistake. Jesus often uses physical things that we understand to explain spiritual things, and we see this immediately during the exchange in this passage.

The Samaritan woman didn’t know she was speaking to Jesus (in verse 12, she asks if He is greater than Jacob), but she knew the “living water” He spoke of was one that she wanted. If whoever drank this water never would never thirst again as He claimed, it had to be another type of “water.” There was something the woman was thirsting after. Nevertheless, her curiosity sparked a willingness in verse 15. After Jesus told her the water He offered guaranteed eternal life, she asked Him for it.

However, before the woman could receive this water, she had to come to a point of acknowledging her sins. Face to face with the object of her shame. Why? She had to understand that she needed this water. She needed conviction.

Jesus addressed her about the way she had been living, but He did so in a way that showed love:

16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.

17 The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:

18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly (John 4:16-18).

The Samaritan woman didn’t hide the truth from Jesus. When He asked her about her husband, she admitted that she had none–and Jesus didn’t condemn her. Instead, He acknowledged that she was telling the truth. This woman previously had five husbands (perhaps they had died in the past, etc.), and now she was living with a man she wasn’t married with.

Now, there are still consequences for sin. Jesus welcomes us with open arms, and He wants us to come to Him with our sins and turn away from them. He gives us a new life. However, sin does have consequences. Emotional, physical, spiritual consequences. Fortunately, when we turn away, Jesus gives us a new life and freedom from shame.

The Samaritan woman’s life perfectly illustrates the fact that sin has negative effects.

Let’s recap: She was living in shame, fear, and loneliness. Before she even spoke, we see this based on her actions. Maybe she was looking for intimacy in her relationships with men in the past or the affair she was having now. She never found it there or in any of her attempts to find fulfillment. She was thirsting for  something that would finally quench her thirst.

Nevertheless, the woman still didn’t realize who she was speaking to. First she asked Jesus whether He was greater than Jacob, and now she stated her belief that He was a prophet (v. 19). Little did she know, Jesus was much more than a prophet.

Next, Jesus again broke religious tradition–barriers–man had set up that had no eternal value. The woman mentioned that the Samaritans believed that a certain mountain was the place of worship, while Jews believed Jerusalem was (v. 20). This had caused major tension between the Samaritans and the Jews. Jesus pointed out that they didn’t even know what they were worshipping (v. 22). It seemed that they loved tradition (where to worship) than they loved who they were worshipping. This was a tradition that brought division. Jesus explained that true worship of God was a matter of the heart:

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (John 4:24)

By bringing up this new topic of conversation, perhaps the woman was trying to steer the focus away from herself–now that her secret life was out in the open–but this becomes a great opportunity for Jesus to reveal to her who He was–and that through Him, she could receive the living water she had been searching for. And that love (a mindset and an action, which we will see later) was the only way to honor Him.

The Reveal: Love and its Legacy

The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things (John 4:25).

The Samaritan woman showed a willingness, and this is key. She believed that a Messiah was coming, and she believed that whatever He says will be the truth–He will set things straight in this world.

In this moment, knowing already that this woman was now convicted and she was willing to change, Jesus reveals Himself to her.

Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he (John 4:26).

He was the Messiah she was waiting for. He was the answer. He was the living water.

And right away, the woman had a remarkable response:

The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? (John 4:28-29)

She went into the city and told men–who she once avoided–about Jesus. She even left her waterpot at the well, which implied that she meant to return. In fact, those she spoke to returned to the well to see Jesus (v. 30).

Remember who this Samaritan woman was. A woman who never had true intimacy with those around her. She was outcasted, and she wasn’t living God’s way. Living in sin will never bring contenement. We see that in her shame alone.

However, with a relationship with Christ, she experienced a relationship with the only One who knew her so deeply, who could tell her everything she ever did (v. 29).

Her love, faith, and obedience to Christ first opened this new relationship with Him. Now, this led to new relationships and restored contact with others who she could bring to Christ.

It’s amazing to study the legacy the Samaritan woman’s love allowed. Her love for Christ allowed her to love others, as she saw they had a great need that could only be fulfilled through Him. Perhaps living an isolated life became a stronger testimony for her to understand humanity’s great need for a Savior.

She had a tremendous impact on others. Afterwards, Jesus’ physically remained in that region, as He stayed two more days with these people (v. 40), and many accepted a new relationship with Christ because of the woman’s testimony (v. 39, 41-42). Clearly she was following Jesus’ lead by breaking boundaries through love and leading others to ultimate freedom.

“WHAT ABOUT ME?”

We are quite similar to this Samaritan woman. Before Christ, we search for intimacy in wrong ways. However, anywhere you look outside Christ, you will end up empty.

It’s interesting that Jesus remained with the people of the city for two extra days. What a great reminder that He is faithful to His promise of coming to us when we seek Him.

On the topic of love, conviction from the Holy Spirit brings us closer to understanding God’s love and grows our love for Him, but shame does the opposite. While nothing can separate us from the love of Christ (Romans 8:38-39), shame puts a wedge between us and our relationship with God. Although He is near and His love is still unending, we, ourselves, can become resentful towards Him and make choices that distance ourselves from God. Note that this is a choice that we make. This is what Satan wants, but we can fight back. We cannot fight this battle alone, however, especially when it comes to dealing with spiritual matters.

God is there to help us in this fight.

What happens when this shame, this hiding, drives us away from God? As I mentioned in the introduction of the Love Series, we have a natural desire for love. So, when we are separated from the source of all love, God, we turn to other things and people that cannot fill this longing.

God has plans to make all things new, work things together for good, and you can be part of this great plan. God has plans for our relationships with others, but it has to start with Him. It won’t be right any other way. You can’t follow a God you don’t know!

He had a plan for this hurting woman, but Satan did, too. Imagine how many lives would not have known Christ if she had followed Satan’s plan to remain in sin and not live for her Savior. If we don’t live for Christ, imagine how many people we can impact negatively, how many people could miss out on eternal life, how many opportunities we can miss out on. It’s scary to think about. But think about this.

Just as the Samaritan woman discovered Christ’s love, we can as well when we choose to have a relationship with Him. Who knows where this love will take us. If we love God, we will live for Him. And when we live for Him, the possibilities are endless.

And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

(John 4:42 KJV)

Liz Blog, Faith

The Truth About Praise

O sing unto the Lord a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory. The Lord hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed in the sight of the heathen. He hath remembered his mercy and his truth toward the house of Israel: all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth: make a loud noise, and rejoice, and sing praise.

(Psalm 98:1-4 KJV)

I look forward to looking back. I love to understand what I’ve learned in the previous months, what God has been doing throughout the whole process and how my faith has changed. One thing that became more apparent to me recently was the significance of praising God.

At the beginning of the summer, I wrote a blog post called “The Choice,” which you can read here. In that blog post, I spoke about the nervousness I felt starting a new internship but how I was deciding to make the choice to trust God through it, even though I didn’t know what the outcome.

What I learned is that through discomfort God often grows us the most.

I can happily say that I’ve had an incredible experience this summer, and I can only attribute that to Him. The funny thing is that I had a positive experience not because it was easy but because I realized that God was pushing me to grow. I realized that God was in the process of opening doors in my life with new opportunities and relationships. Yet if I hadn’t focused on what He was teaching me, I probably wouldn’t be satisfied in the way that I am. I probably wouldn’t have been able to clearly see the ways in which He was moving in my life.

I learned that I wasn’t supposed to simply sit through any initial discomfort and let it pass. Instead I was to lift up God and understand that He was truly working things together for good. I challenged myself to praise God everyday, especially in situations that were daunting. No matter how I was feeling, I wanted to hold onto one true fact: God is good, and because of that, there is hope, and I am taken care of and watched over.

Reflecting on this, I’ve asked myself: What exactly is it that praise does for us?

Praise is such a powerful manifestation of faith.

We are able to acknowledge God’s goodness and authority in our lives. His glory becomes more real to us. Instead of focusing on our challenges and shortcomings, we recognize the truth that He is able. This truth overpowers any hindrances in our lives. Nothing else matters. Nothing is impossible. Because God is good, and this goodness supersedes everything. When we praise God, it is surrender. It is allowing God the space to do everything He needs to do, instead of us fighting against Him in the midst of His work.

Surrender is understanding that we fall short but that God saves us from our weakness and raises us up in strength.

The enemy doesn’t want to see us acknowledging who God is and increasing in faith, so often he attacks us with thoughts of doubt, hopelessness, and despair–these things that gnaw at us from the inside. However, praise is nourishment to our faith.

Proverbs 16:24 says, “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”

When we praise God, we acknowledge who He is, and we believe in His promises. The Bible has so many excellent verses that serve as examples of this in which God is acknowledged for who He is within His promises:

“But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 (KJV)

  • We are given the promise that the Lord will protect us from evil things and stabilize us, in light of His faithful character.

“The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:9 (KJV)

  • What is incredible about this verse is how God is differentiated from men–unlike our nature to be slack, God is accountable. In fact, He is so loving to us that instead of allowing us to perish, He gives us the opportunity to come to repentance.

“For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.” Psalms 33:4-5 (KJV)

  • This verse is similar to the previous one; although the world has fallen, God is so full of truth, love and righteous judgment that He still provides a fallen world with His goodness and mercy–in the form of salvation.

What all these verses have in common is that they display the promises of God that will come to pass–His protection, His goodness, His gift of salvation–and they shed light on who He is: a faithful God, a God who is longsuffering, a God who does things in truth. In a similar fashion, when we praise God, we acknowledge His promises that will come to pass, which we can be confident in because of who He is.

Our eyes open to how God is working in our lives when we praise Him. Praise is a weapon against the enemy’s deception. I once saw a quote that read: “I will see it, when I believe it.” In terms of faith, when we believe God’s goodness–when we decide to come to that understanding and acceptance of what is already true–we will see it in our lives.

You don’t need all the answers to what’s going on. It’s unfortunately in our nature to doubt, to question, to forget what we’ve been delivered from. However, I encourage you to remember that no matter what you’re going through, God is the same, and He is taking care of your burdens.

The first verse in Psalm 98 powerfully reminds us that God has done marvelous things and that He has already claimed victory. As followers of Christ–members of His kingdom–this is victory is for us to claim as well. Don’t allow your emotions to cause you to miss out on what God is doing in your life. Pray and ask God for the faith to trust Him and the ability to surrender everything to Him, and praise Him for all that He has done and continues to do.

You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you,in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.  I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.

(Psalm 63:1-7 KJV)

Liz Blog, Faith

Seasons and Stillness

Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the guards stand watch in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat—for he grants sleep to those he loves.

(Psalm 127:1-2 NIV)

Bad things happen to people. Bad, bad things. Yet we must rise above our circumstances. There is a difference in how we should rise above circumstances as Christians, in which we have accepted the gift of having a relationship with Christ and eternal life in Him. That difference is security. God gives us security. Through Him, we are not lost, and we have hope.

We might find ourselves in seasons of despair–times in which there seems to be no answer, deep confusion, grief, and heartbreak–completely and utterly overwhelming times. If there’s anything I have been reminded of in these seasons, it’s that I am not in control. I have been in situations in which there is nothing I can do but let go. I cannot change things whatsoever, which is uncomfortable for someone like me who likes certainty. I like to know where things are heading. I like comfortability. I like peace. So, when things take an unexpected turn, it’s unsettling.

In times like these, I realize how important it is to be still.

Do not rush things. A lot of times, we like to take matters into our own hands and our solution eventually falls apart. However, we are called to wait on the Lord. We are called to do this simply because He is the only One that can make things work in the way that is best. Even when we make mistakes, He is the One that can fix them. We must be still because it allows God to do what He needs to do. Which to me, sounds amazing that we serve a God who loves us enough to work every detail in our lives in our favor. There’s so much peace in that.

These verses in Psalm 127 explains that anything that is done in haste and that is not of God is done in vain. Whatever “house” we are trying to build–a better financial or health situation, a relationship, a dream–let God build it. Let Him lay the foundation and finish the job. This does not mean to not work towards things. In fact, we should. God honors diligence. However, we can work as hard as we want in order to get something, but if God is not in it, it will crumble. This is simply because we are not God–we are human. We don’t know the future. I think it makes sense to let the One who knows the future handle the future.

In the meanwhile, we can be restored in Him. The Psalm continues to say that the Lord grants us sleep. I believe these times of sleep–of stillness–are purposeful times.

We can use these times to build our faith and to learn to trust Him. It’s sad that even after God has delivered us in the past, we can still doubt His ability to do it again. I encourage you to put an end to this pattern. Use this time to turn your heart around. Give everything to Him. Not just the big things. Even the smallest things you’re still holding onto. Give it all to Him and allow yourself to have freedom. God understands that we are small. We must understand how BIG He is.

We must take joy in stillness, allowing God to work in our hearts while He works in our lives.

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!

(Psalm 46:10 ESV)