John 4:13-14 Jesus Gives Eternal Water
“Jesus answered and said to her, ‘Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life’” (NKJV).
The woman was pleased and asked for this water so that she wouldn’t have to keep coming to the well every day to draw water. Jesus didn’t correct her, but instead told her to go get her husband, which resulted in Jesus’ revelation that He knew that she had had five husbands and was living with another man not her husband. She believed Jesus to be a prophet. She replied that she knew that the Messiah, who knew all things, would be coming sometime. Jesus then dropped the bombshell, “That’s me. I am the Messiah.” She dropped her water container and ran back to tell everyone that she had met the Messiah. They followed her back to the well, met Jesus, and He spoke with them. Many of them believed because of what Jesus had told the woman, but after He spoke to them, many more believed. They asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two additional days. The result of this “chance encounter” was the salvation of a large number of Samaritans.
How many “chance encounters” have we had that we didn’t recognize as opportunities to speak the Word of the Lord and bring salvation to a non-believer. It is important for us to recognize these “chance encounters.” Important for us, but vitally important to those whom God brings to us. I might be, or you might be, the one voice that the person would really believe and accept Jesus as Savior. That’s a “chance encounter” that could affect someone throughout eternity. I know that I have had “chance encounters” that I didn’t recognize or didn’t choose to recognize. My prayer is that the person I encountered was blessed enough to have another “chance encounter” with someone more willing or able to express the love of God. Romans 10:14-15 makes clear our responsibility: “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘how beautiful are the feet of those who being good news!’” You might say, “But I don’t know how to speak. I wouldn’t know what to say.” The Word tells us in Luke 12:12, ”…for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.” Even if we can’t speak, we can be effective by doing as Romans 10:15 tells us, and send others. There is need from the local church to the farthest missionary field for funds to support the furtherance of the Good News.
I need to be more attentive to the Holy Spirit and watch for those “chance encounters” that he arranges.