woman at the well

Today, after I dropped Miss Neenee off at school, per my usual, I turned on my Bible app. When I turned it on, it was on John 2. WHAT?? I’m supposed to be somewhere in Isaiah. Sometimes I just think these dadgum technological devices have a mind of their own. So, there I was listening to John while I was on track to hear Isaiah. AND y’all, it was King James Version & I listen to the New King James Version. To add to my confusion, it was a different man reading. He had some sort of thick foreign accent & I thought for a minute I didn’t know if I could tolerate the sound of his voice that early in the morning. Now go ahead & tell me how many foreign talking people I just offended there. But y’all, just to balance things out, I myself have a pretty thick southern accent, that some people might not like. So, I suppose it all works out. ANYWHOO, I figured I might as well not fuss with it. I love the book of John. So, I decided not to fight the Bible app & go ahead & listen. You can imagine my delight, when I got to chapter 3 & heard this verse-

John 3:30

He must increase, but I must decrease.

This verse is such a wonderful example of humility. John the Baptist was saying this about Christ. John was sent to be the forerunner for Jesus. An introduction before the big show, if you might. However, once Jesus’s ministry started, John stepped back, to let his cousin take center stage. How many times in life do we find ourselves in situations to be humble? It’s hard. Being humble means you have to forget about yourself. Being humble means putting the wants & wishes of others before your own.

Webster’s dictionary gives the meaning of humble-

as not proud : not thinking of yourself as better than other peopleJesus recognized the importance of being humble and kind. He showed His love & humility toward a Samaritan woman at a well. He could have turned His nose up when He saw her. But my Lord is not like that. He knew who she was & what kind of woman she was. He told her that. Not in a sense of condemnation, but in love, humility, & kindness. Because of that, the woman & lots of people in Samaria came to believe that Jesus was the Savior of the world (John 4:5-42). Jesus changed those people’s lives that day. And thousands of years later, He’s still doing the same thing. Not with an attitude of hate & anger, but of love, humility, & kindness.

Matthew 5:5

Blessed are the meek,
For they shall inherit the earth. (NKJV)

Philippians 2:5-8

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, ⁶who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, ⁷but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.

I have so enjoyed visiting with you today. I love it when you stop by. Sorry for all the new testament drama. Because when it was all over, it was just what I needed to hear. Enjoy the pictures below. These are some clouds I came across on my way from work, the other day. Pretty big fan of the One that put them up there. And some GRAND kids. (Did you see what I did there?) Until next time, I should be washing clothes.

Newlywedded bliss

Some sweet boys by the water.

There was a bird making an awful commotion. My son in law went over to check on it. Mr. Sweetie Pants, or should I say the fearless one, was right on his heels.

photo credits: http://www.thegirlcreative.com & http://www.lovethispic.com

You know life has a funny way of doing things. Sometimes funny in a difficult way. Other times funny in a, “Wow! I wasn’t expecting that!” way. Whatever the way, God has a plan.

This morning, a guy I work with, came to my office. He told me about meeting a driver, that had come in for a load. He said yesterday, he had gone to a local eating establishment for breakfast. While there, he commenced to talking to a guy from out of town. He found out he was in town, because he was picking up a load at our company. After having breakfast together, the new found friends parted ways. As my co-worker walked to his truck, he thought, “I should have invited him to church.” So he turned back around & that’s just what he did.

The driver said, “I don’t have anything to wear.”

My co-worker kindly reassured him it really didn’t matter. He told him he would give him an hour & he would come back & pick him up. The driver agreed & in an hour, they were sitting in church together.

What was so remarkable about that situation is my co-worker was ready. He was presented an opportunity & he acted on it. What happens to a lot of us is we miss our times to present the Lord to people. I know I am at fault of the “I wish I had said this or I wish I had done that,” when it comes to sharing the Lord. And too, there are times we may do our daily Bible readings, go down our prayer list & pray, & may think- is this really doing any good? Well, yeah. We have to prepare ourselves for the times we run across someone who needs our help & encouragement. That’s how the Lord uses us for His will.

Mark 16:15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.

Jesus came across a Samaritan woman who needed encouragement & salvation. It was just a normal day for this Samaritan woman. That is until she met Jesus.

John 4: 7-9

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” ⁸For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.

⁹Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.

¹⁰Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”

This lady was so intrigued. She wanted to hear more about this living water. When Jesus was finished talking to her, she told anyone who would listen to her about her time with the Lord.

How do we know where we will find someone to share the good news of Jesus Christ with? Standing in line at the grocery store? At the convenience store, where we get our gas? At the fast food restaurant where we eat breakfast on Sunday?? God is working. Whether we see it all the time or not. He’s there, making plans, making things happen, for plain, ordinary folks like you, me & other people. People that we may not even know, yet.

Which also brings me to share with you about to an awesome project, I am so excited to be a part of. Melanie over at Only a Breath has started a “Secret Sister” mission. You can read about it here.

What it is , is a way to strengthen & encourage others- like total complete strangers. It’s for ladies only, sorry fellas. We shared our addresses & we are given 2 ladies addresses. We send a handwritten note of encouragement & hope to that person at least once a month. I got my addresses yesterday & I can’t wait to send my “Secret Sisters” a note. This will be such a wonderful way to further the cause of Christ.

I am so proud of my friend for sharing Jesus. He truly blessed someone else,by his act of kindness. You just never know when you will get a chance to make a friend. Now you know what happens when you ask a truck driver to church. Sometimes they will go with you!

I hope you are having a blessed week. We had a busy weekend. Miss Neenee had a friend sleepover. Then, after church Sunday, I got to play with my grandbabies all day long! We had an area wide youth devotional at church Sunday night. There were 269 people in attendance. God is so good to us. Until next time, I have to be going because I should be washing clothes.

photo credits: courtneyaitken.BlogSpot.com & keepcalm-o-matic.comuk