The Devotional - Jhn12

The Devotional

Comment: Why should I feel discouraged, why should the shadows come, Why should my heart be lonely, and long for heaven and home, When Jesus is my portion? My constant Friend is He: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Refrain: I sing because I’m happy, I sing because I’m free, for His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. “Let not your heart be troubled,” His tender word I hear, and resting on His goodness, I lose my doubts and fears; Though by the path He leadeth, but one step I may see; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; Refrain: His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Whenever I am tempted, whenever clouds arise, When songs give place to sighing, when hope within me dies, I draw the closer to Him, from care He sets me free; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me; His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me. Refrain: I have not heard or sung that hymn in years.

Excerpt from Wike-pedia: Early in the spring of 1905, my husband and I were sojourning in Elmira, New York. We contracted a deep friendship for a couple by the name of Mr. and Mrs. Doolittle—true saints of God. Mrs. Doolittle had been bedridden for nigh twenty years. Her husband was an incurable cripple who had to propel himself to and from his business in a wheel chair. Despite their afflictions, they lived happy Christian lives, bringing inspiration and comfort to all who knew them. One day while we were visiting with the Doolittles, my husband commented on their bright hopefulness and asked them for the secret of it. Mrs. Doolittle's reply was simple: "His eye is on the sparrow, and I know He watches me." The beauty of this simple expression of boundless faith gripped the hearts and fired the imagination of Dr. Martin and me. The hymn "His Eye Is on the Sparrow" was the outcome of that experience — Civilla Martin

Challenge: John 4:12-26 – Today in our lives is a like the day in which this Samaritan woman lived. You may think otherwise since we have so much technology. Yet in truth, when it comes to spiritual wisdom and understanding we are as religiously ignorant as the lady at the well. While the wisdom’s of this life increase at rates that are overwhelming our awareness of God is being depleted at the same rate, being replaced with the gods of the universe.

Jesus uses the water in the well to express Spiritual Truth, the woman’s response is based on what she knows from a human perspective and her religious upbringing. John 4:11-26. Drawing from the well of the earth will only produce a need to draw again. Drawing from the Water offered by God/Jesus will not only satisfy the hunger in the soul, but it will also produce everlasting life for those who by faith are willing to drink from the river that never runs dry – Revelation 22:1-5.

The woman who is not identified, partially understands Jesus, yet she needs more. She says give me this water, sort of a command, she is looking for the easy way, no more need to drink, fetch or provide water. With this statement, Jesus provides one of His own. “Go, call your husband, and come back!” This is a statement of God’s Omniscient Character. Jesus knew more about her than she knew about herself. This if you think about it is true of us today. Our Creator KNOWS more about US, than we know about ourselves.

The condition of our lives today is very much like that of the woman standing in front of the Creator: Her reply, is so like many of us. Respectfully the woman has answered Jesus by saying “Sir” and this time she now understands that the “SIR” in front of her could be a prophet of God, so at this point she is moving closer to the truth. Now Jesus is getting to ready to reveal the woman’s past. John 4:17-19. Still unwilling to give up her religion she attempts to attack the Jewish religion in verse 20.

Religion does not worship God or the Truth of God; like the woman, religious people worship what they (see Acts 17:22-34) do not KNOW. Even Jewish worship in the LORD’s day missed the mark of worship, still the salvation of God would be revealed to the Jew and the Gentile through nation of Israel by the Person of Jesus Christ, a Jew. The message to the woman has nothing to do with the religion of the Jew or any other religious practices known to man.

His message to the woman and to all who will hear is this: The hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father is Spirit and in Truth, for the Father is seeking such to worship HIM (not religion). God is a Spirit, and those who worship Him, must worship Him in SPIRIT and TRUTH. The woman is beginning to understand, she like all Samaritan’s are a broken branch off of the Jewish religion (Jacob’s Well). If you are student of the Bible you know this. Her reply to the LORD is correct and directly from Deuteronomy 18:15 referring to the coming Messiah. Jesus reply to her is – “I who speak to you am He”. The Messiah was crucified by man, but by the Power of God the Messiah was raised up from death to live again. He lives today and He is patiently waiting for those who know, but have refused to believe that He is Jesus Christ. More tomorrow, seeing that tomorrow is just a day away.