“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16 (NKJV)
‘To belong to Jesus is to embrace the nations with Him.’ – J. Piper
The account in John 4, shows us the heart of Jesus for all nations of the world. Acts 17:26 declares, “And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth,….”. God created one common humanity from a single source.
In John 4 Jesus met a woman at a well in Samaria. Jesus had broken all the protocols of the Jewish culture. Jews and Samaritans were not friendly toward each other. Jesus should not have been speaking to: a) a Samaritan and b) a woman. How many times do we allow our family or national culture to influence how we interact with persons of a different religious, political or ethnic background? Jesus showed His disciples and by extension, all believers, the best posture to adopt to show love to everyone with whom we come into contact. Jesus, in His conversation, also showed the Samaritan that there were many misconceptions in her explanation of the teachings of the Jews. He did it without being confrontational.
There are many persons who are waiting for someone to tell them about Jesus. To assure them that He loves them and is concerned about every area of their lives. Our relationships within the body of Christ must display the ‘new beginnings’ that Jesus would like us to reflect. Galatians 3:28 tells us, “There is neither Jew nor Greek,…there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
The new beginnings must begin within the body of Christ. We cannot cover it. There is nothing that is hidden that will not be revealed. Believers must allow the example that Jesus exhibited to be so visible that the world can see it. Let the church lead the way. Let us be salt and light to humanity who are suffering because people have not learnt to celebrate differences. God is the Creator of all varieties. Let’s embrace it and clean the slate. We need to leave our past failures behind and cultivate new behaviours. We must find our Samaria so we can be effective to the ends of the earth – (Acts 1:8).
Pray
Lord, today we repent for failing to obey Your laws. Forgive us for not loving our neighbour as we love ourselves. Your Word tells us that You have created everyone in Your likeness and image. Place Your love in our hearts as we seek to heal the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
Read: John 4: 5-10; Matthew 5: 10-17
Bible Reading Guide: Psalms 105:12-22; 2 Corinthians 6:3-18; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Isaiah 3; Isaiah 4; Isaiah 5:1-7
