Janice Gaines - The Overflow DevoSample

Please Take My Love

My husband tells me that his favorite gift from me was a trip with friends to the best zoo in the US—the San Diego Zoo. One of the things most adorable about my husband is his love for animals. If you know him and how serious his work ethic is, this is unexpected whimsy, and that’s exactly what makes it special. So, I worked secretively to plan a trip with friends who are like family to a place I knew he’d want to go. We bunked in their bungalow on the beach, and we had backstage access to the animals and their daily care that would make any animal lover jealous. It was the trip of a lifetime. Can you imagine how heartbroken I would have been if he rejected this gift?

John 4 is about the Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus left Judea (south) to go to Galilee (north). The shortest distance was to travel through a region called Samaria, but this was a region where Jews did not go. Jews had no dealings with Samaritans, and Jewish men wouldn’t normally hold in depth conversations with random women. Still, Jesus went where He shouldn’t to speak to someone He wouldn’t, in order to offer her real life through Him.

Jesus knew the sins of this woman, and He knew that her whole town knew her sins. She was at the well when no one else would be there, avoiding the condemning glares. He didn’t let her believe her sins were ok, but he offered her real love and true life in spite of them. Her response? She went back into town to the people she had been avoiding to testify of this One who knew her worst and offered her His best. In light of these facts, why wouldn’t she accept His gift? He proved His love for her by coming to her. And He’s done the same for us all.

Maybe you have felt exempt from the offer of salvation through Jesus. This story proves that Jesus, even by this devotional, has gone out of His way for YOU. Maybe you accept Jesus for yourself, but you can imagine others that must be exempt from real life in Jesus. I’m here to remind you, friend, that there’s actually no one in that category. Jesus has offered redemption to all of us alike!