Where Jesus met you ...

Hear the word of God:

Jesus knew the Pharisees had heard that he was baptizing and making more disciples than John (though Jesus himself didn't baptize them—his disciples did). So he left Judea and returned to Galilee.

He had to go through Samaria on the way. Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was there; and Jesus, tired from the long walk, sat wearily beside the well about noontime. Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink." He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, "You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?"

Jesus replied, "If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water."

"But sir, you don't have a rope or a bucket," she said, "and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water? And besides, do you think you're greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?"

Jesus replied, "Anyone who drinks this water will soon become thirsty again. But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."

"Please, sir," the woman said, "give me this water! Then I'll never be thirsty again, and I won't have to come here to get water."

Do you remember the first time you met Jesus? The first time you felt that urge to give everything you have to the Son of God? How did Jesus meet you? Were you sitting in a pew in worship? Were you at a church camp? Were you at college, alone and searching for the first time on your own? Were you just sitting in your room asking for God's help and felt his warm, comforting presence? For each one of us, the place we met Jesus is important. It is the place where we first made a decision. We made a decision to seek God, or at least pursue that relationship.

I want you to remember this, because I am challenging you over the next few days, to share that moment with someone. We have gone over several disciplines and focused our hearts by being silent, praying, studying, and worshiping. We will go back to learning more disciplines after this little break. I am challenging us all to practice these disciplines. Take that time to build up your spiritual muscles, and then share that meeting time with God with someone. For those of you who are houseparents, share that with your boys, or at least one of your boys. Be open with them about your time with God. Tell them how you first met Jesus. Share this passage of scripture with the person you talk with. Use this as an opportunity to discuss Jesus meeting with people. Use this passage to challenge yourself. Here are some thoughts that have been going through my head this week concerning this passage.

Did Jesus go and sit at that well to purposefully meet with this Samaritan woman? He already knew her heart. Did he know that in this conversation, he was going to change her heart and challenge her to speak about him to her entire village? Jesus used a thing as small as a drink of water to start a spiritual discussion. What can you use to start your discussion? Think about the time you first had that encounter with Jesus. Did you drink that living water or did the drink come later? Can you see that the person you are sharing your faith with, has even the slightest feeling about wanting a drink of that living water? That is something we should be on the lookout for every day in our ministry here at Westview. Not all of our boys have made that decision yet, and some have no idea why they made the decision in the first place. Some of them are like the woman. They are just worshiping like they worship because someone taught them that way. It is just something they do. It hasn't become real to them. This woman had come to this same well several times a day for years. She came there through each of her husbands. When Jesus made the comment, "But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling stream within them, giving them eternal life." She wanted that water. Just like we wanted it when we decided to follow Jesus.

The point of giving you the spiritual discipline tools we have already discussed, is to help you have this passion for the Lord, overflowing out of your life. It is overflowing so much that opportunities and conversations just happen because the Spirit is moving in amazing ways in your life. Have you seen it happen yet? Keep your eyes open. You might have a "woman at the well" moment happening today. Don't think you are too busy to share what God has done in your life. Get ready for the overflow.

Jason