“Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, “He told me everything I ever did!” John 4:39
She had a reputation of “getting around” she had already been married to 5 different men and was currently living with another man of whom she was not married to. Because of the lifestyle she chose to live it left her with very few friends. To avoid the other women she would go and draw water around noon instead of going in the morning and or at night. She was going down a one-way street in the opposite direction. Until one day she met a man who turned her around and faced her in the right direction.
His name was Jesus! He had stopped to take a break at Jacob’s well after a long morning of traveling. The conversation started when Jesus asked her for a drink. This meeting was of no coincidence and she was the exact woman God wanted to use in order to open the eyes of many Samaritan men and women. One part of the conversation that stands out, of which many do is when Jesus confronted her about her past and current lifestyle. He told her to go get her husband, and she said I don’t have a husband. Jesus responded, that’s right you don’t, you have been married to five different men and are living with a man that you are not married to now. (John 4:17-18)
Many of us try to avoid revealing our past as much as possible so we dodge the question. She did just that, she changed the subject and started talking about worship, of which Jesus responded to because He knew the impact His comment had just made on her heart. But it gets better, after they had finished their conversation she left her jar beside the well and went into the village where she lived and started telling everyone all that had happened.
Being that everyone in the village knew her lifestyle they were intrigued by the change that had taken place within her. So they went to the well to find out for themselves. When they saw and heard Jesus they begged Him to stay so He did for two days, and in those two days many Samaritans came to know Jesus as their personal Savior. To that they looked at the woman and said, “Now we believe because we have heard him ourselves, not just because of what you told us. He is indeed the Savior of the world.” John 4:42
We all have a past and we all have a certain lifestyle we choose to live, we are either going in the right direction down the one-way street to glory, or we are going down the one-way in the opposite direction. No matter what direction we are going in, Christ will, can, and wants to use us. No matter what our past is! That is what is so awesome, God can and will use us to bring Him glory. Isn’t it always so cool to see how the Lord changes us, even those of us who feel like we are horrible and have messed up so badly?
We can be like the Samaritan woman and make use of the change that has taken place inside us. We can go and share it with others so they can come to Jesus and find out for themselves that He indeed is the Savior of the world, or we can keep it all to ourselves and be a hindrance to the Lord. It is our choice! Are you avoiding the street of glory because you like the satisfaction of living in sin and or because you don’t want to be confronted with the sin in your life? What direction are you going in? Either way the Lord can change and use you! He loves you and nothing is too big or impossible for Him.
Jesus may You never stop changing me, for in all this change I know I will be a better reflection of You. Amen
