Joseph moved forward in obedience despite the shame it would bring. If Joseph married the pregnant Mary, the community would assume the baby was his. But God had instructed him to do so, and he did. When Mary came back from visiting her cousin Elizabeth for three months, it was evident to Joseph that she …
Changing from outcast to evangelist is possible because of the transformation that takes place through the work of the Holy Spirit. When the Samaritan woman encountered Jesus, she was an outcast in the community. She came to the well to draw water in the heat of the day to avoid conflict with people who looked …
The woman at the well discovered that Jesus is the Messiah. John 4: 26 Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”[1] Jesus will not declare this openly again until the week before His death. The Jewish leadership found this frustrating. John 10: 24 The people surrounded him and asked, “How long are you going to keep …
Jesus stated facts about the woman at the well, which exposed shame. Jesus knew the woman needed to deal with her immoral life to drink His living water. Women usually came to get water in the morning or evening when it was cooler and not in the middle of the day when it was hot. …
Keep us from temptation is part of the Lord’s prayer because the Lord knows our weaknesses. We can better resist temptation when it is far from us. Adam and Eve fell into sin because they relied on their strength and became easily manipulated by satan. Instead of staying away from the tree, they were not …
Do you have a desire to be compassionate? Is the Lord prompting you to grow in compassion for others? If we are honest, I believe this is God’s desire for all of us. “Compassion is a deep awareness of and sympathy for another’s suffering. Jesus is the model of compassion.”[1] No matter your past, the …
Jesus gives grace to believers, but what about those who don’t have faith? The Bible tells us those people will be separated from the Lord in eternity because they have not accepted the free gift of salvation. Jesus’ last words on the cross were, “It is finished.” What was finished? His sacrifice was payment for …
Is hope in failure possible? Failure can be an unpleasant experience but also a time of learning. Failure in a positive way can be humbling and leads to being more teachable. Sometimes, we won’t listen to anyone because we are prideful and think we know better. When failure comes, we begin to realize we were …
Lord, forgive me are the words of a repentant sinner who releases a great weight like setting down a heavy backpack. I remember hiking in the Rocky Mountains; my pack seemed more burdensome over time. It would have been easier if I had dressed like a distance runner with lightweight clothes and shoes. Unfortunately, when …
Praying, “Lord, help me in my shame,” is humbling. Merriam-Webster defines shame as a painful emotion caused by consciousness of guilt, shortcomings, or impropriety.[1] Guilt results from knowing we have done something wrong, but shame tells us we are wrong. When shamed, we think we are not worthy and have trouble accepting forgiveness. Andrew Comiskey …