Faith Filled Fridays From Croley’s Corner of Chicklit Power

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He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:38

Today I’m on a mini-vacation and I’ve wondered why we came to this particular place, nevertheless I know He has an intentional plan, so I need to be ready for whatever the task is He has set before me. Thanks for taking a few minutes of your time to join me today. Grab your journal and favorite coffee and let’s see where He takes us today!

Have you ever had the “need” to go to a certain place? I have, many times and most of my times have been to the Islands, but I’m not talking about the “need” to go on a vacation or a short excursion! I’m talking about being led to go somewhere, yet not fully understanding the reasoning behind it, at least not at that moment.  I can say I have had a few times, not many, that I was impressed to go to a certain destination only to find that I was needed to go in another direction and found that there WAS a reason behind the need!

We read in Gospels, John the 4^th chapter that Jesus left one city, Judea, to head to Galilee but He “needed” to go through Samaria. Jesus’ sense of constraint (“needed”) choice to go through Samaria was not merely a geographical deliberation, but a divine compulsion.

Sometimes life causes us to leave one place with the idea that we were heading to another to find we are “needed” to go through an unfamiliar place of destination to get what our Heavenly Father wants accomplished, by way of us. Many times we struggle with the fact that when change comes, we are head strong not to deviate from our plans, because of fear, our biggest enemy. If fear can conquer us, His need for us to execute His plan can be quenched.

I know my husband is one that has always been head strong when you set a plan in motion then by golly he is going to walk it out till the very end, no deviating; however there has been a time or two or three when interruptions have come and it changes the WHOLE situation...destination and “need”!! You get where I’m going?

When Jesus arrived at Jacob’s well, wearied from traveling, He sat by the well, and a woman came to draw water and Jesus said to her “Give me a drink.”  One would also think because of the distance in traveling He would be hungry, but instead He asked for a drink. We understand the scriptures to say that Jews and Samaritan’s did not interact or share eating or drinking vessels. He knew this and yet He allowed her to question Him, because her “need” of Jesus outweighed the physical “need” of a drink. Not only was she impressed that Jesus knew all about her, but she was also given the opportunity to have her sins forgiven. She believed He was truly the Messiah. She repents of her past wrongs and goes back to tell her family, friends, and neighbors how she met Jesus and how He revealed His knowledge of her sins and His offer of live-giving water. She went on to lead many conversions in this area through her zeal and love for God. John 4:39–42

He reached out with a divine love and a human sensitivity to a woman who was of a different race and whose morals were questionable. Jesus was always reaching. In order for Him to reach others, He has to use you and me. Sometimes we just have to break the mold of traditionally “religious religion”   which is consistent with Jesus’ frequent examples, as we often see Him becoming friends with those of questionable character, those thought to be unworthy of attention.  Luke 5: 27-31

Jesus gave time and energy to relationships which sometimes meant experiencing pain and loss such as Lazarus John 11: 35,38. He provides yet another life quality for us to emulate; He calls you and I to enter intentionally and sensitively into experiences of others and also to other believers in Christ, even if they are different from us ~ culturally, ethnically or denominationally.

In the grand scheme of things He knows the future when we only see the present.

So the next time you’re on your way “somewhere,” He just might take you “elsewhere” to meet the “need” of someone who’s waiting for “A drink of living water!”  John 4: 13, 14. Till next week...and remember keep Him close to your heart! 

Deb