ECWA Divine Daily Devotions for our Day

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

TEXT: John 4:27-38

27. Right then the followers came back and were surprised and wondered about finding Him talking with a woman. But no one said, “What do You want?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”

28. The woman left her water jar and went into the town. She said to the men,

29. “Come and see a Man Who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Christ?”

30. They went out of town and came to Him.

31. During this time His followers were saying to Him, “Teacher, eat something.”

32. He said, “I have food to eat that you do not know of.“

33. The followers said to each other, “Has someone taken food to Him?”

34. Jesus said, “My food is to do what God wants Me to do and to finish His work.

35. Do you not say, ‘It is four months yet until the time to gather grain’? Listen! I say to you, open your eyes and look at the fields. They are white now and waiting for the grain to be gathered in.

36. The one who gathers gets his pay. He gathers fruit that lasts forever. The one who plants and the one who gathers will have joy together.

37. These words are true, ‘One man plants and another man gathers.’

38. I sent you to gather where you have not planted. Others have planted and you have come along to gather in their fruit.

(New Life Version Holy Bible)

TOPIC: DIVINE ENCOUNTER THAT BREAKS BARRIERS

There are diverse barriers that hinder man’s fellowship and cordial relationship with fellow human beings. Such barriers are created by myths, prejudice, hate, selfishness and the holier than thou attitude.

All of these were prevalent among the Jews and Samaritans for decades and were passed over to succeeding generations without knowing why. That attitude had made them miss the real love the ‘awaited Messiah’ brought to human kind until the divine encounter between the Samaritan woman (a social outcast) and Jesus at the well (John 4:7 ff). When the disciples returned from searching for food, they were shocked to see Jesus all alone with a woman.

And when they realized that she was, moreover, ‘a Samaritan’, their prejudice and holier than thou attitude came to play (v. 27). As for the woman, her low self-esteem was removed by just an encounter. A single soul won can reproduce greater harvest. No wonder, Jesus referred to soul winning as His primary food (vs. 32-38). We are saved to serve in soul-winning.

QUESTION: Have you truly had an encounter with Christ?

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, deliver me from prejudice and the holier than thou attitude that hinders me from undertaking the harvest richly waiting in the field, in Jesus name, Amen.