John 4

Andy and I standing outside of Cinderella's castle
(where Walt Disney got his idea for the palace.)

GREETINGS FROM GERMANY! :)

hello my fellow friends, I hope all is doing well. Andy and I just got back from our trip down to Garmisch where we got to go and travel to Munich, see Hitler's Olympic stadium, Dauchau concentration camp, visit a gorge, see Cinderella's castle and so much more!! You are all greatly missed and I wish you were all here to see the beautiful sites with us! Although, it has been very rainy here the whole time we have been here.

Alrighty... John 4:

Ahhh the infamous parable of Jesus with the Samaritan woman- Jesus went through the town of Samaria and sat down by the well to grab a drink of water. As he was sitting a Samaritan woman approached to draw water from the well. He turned to her and asked for a drink of water. she replied, "you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" v.9 (And if I can remember correctly, Jews do not affiliate with Samaritans because Samaritans were products of interracial marriage, and back in those days- it was highly looked down upon.) Jesus then proposes the question to her and asks that, "if you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water." v. 10. The Samaritan woman then questioned where she could get this living water and questioned if Jesus was greater than Jacob and his sons. Jesus then replied with such wisdom and said that whoever drank water from the well will be thirsty again and whoever drinks the wate that Jesus gives- "...in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." v 14. Then Jesus provides truth and tells the Samaritan to bring her husband but she said she had none, Jesus said she was right because she had 5 husbands.

Jesus preached to this Samaritan woman and told her of the Messiah coming and she said that she will believe when He comes and explains everything to her, Jesus throws in the kicker and says, "I who speak to you am He." To me, this really spoke out the gospel of truth and that we cannot hide from it. The following passages, Jesus expalin and describes to the Jews and even his own disciples that the time is NOW! There is never a wrong time to spread and share the gospel. We have been given the fruit and they are all ready for harvest, " Do you not say, 'For mounths more and then the harvest?' I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest." v. 35 Jesus shares with us the time to share the good news is now, there is never a momnt too soon. One verse that really stuck out to me was, "I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefts of their labor." v. 38.

Throughout the rest of the chapter, it explains the good deeds of Jesus and His miracles. It exempifies to me the abudance of God's love and how it overflows, we shoud not keep it all to ourselves but instead to grow and harvest more in God's abundance we need to reap others and share the love and good news. Perfect timing for the holidays, I think we can really learn from the words of this passage an apply it in our lives- even if we find it hard to do; you never know God can provide miracles. I hope I provided some insight, I know it's not everythig but let me know what you guys think!!

Miss you all! Love,

Debbie