07 14 08 Free to Worship….Free to Live…..Free to Serve

“Jesus said, ‘Believe me, woman. A time is coming when you will not worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know. We worship what we do know. Salvation comes from the Jews. But a new time is coming. In fact, it is already here. True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. They are the kind of worshipers the Father is looking for. God is spirit. His worshipers must worship him in spirit and in truth’.” (JOHN 4:21-24 NIrV)

As Jesus approached the Samaritan woman, there were many special things going on. First, the Jews would prefer not to travel through Samaria and engage a people they simply hated. Secondly, a Jewish man would not be speaking with such a woman in public. On top of that, He asks her for a drink of water! Isn’t that just like Jesus?

He doesn’t care what the tradition says. He ignores the popular prejudices of His people. He is not politically correct. His whole motive is to reach the heart of the sinner…meet the needs of the hurting…give liberty to those who are bound. He does it with compassion, truth, and gentle and loving honesty.

Jesus knows all about the woman’s personal life and her failures in relationships with men. He knows the attitudes of the Samaritans and Jews. He is fully aware of the worship styles of both people groups. However, His concern is with the relationship the woman has (or doesn’t have) with the God of the universe. Does she know the man she is talking to is the ONE with the living water? Here is the One who offers total freedom. He overcomes racism, prejudice, relational failures, economic troubles, and physical liabilities. Personally knowing the Lord and Savior makes us FREE TO WORSHIP…FREE TO LIVE…FREE TO SERVE.

Jesus simply introduced Himself to the woman and engaged in conversation. What if we did the same in every day life? What if we stopped avoiding certain types of people and engaged them? What if we stopped ignoring folks as we walked past and actually introduced ourselves? How many more opportunities would we have to introduce Messiah to those who are still searching? As Jesus told the Samaritan woman…the time is already here! We are FREE TO WORSHIP HIM…FEE TO LIVE FOR HIM AND FREE TO SERVE HIM! So let’s do it!