FAITH CAPSULE: “…we often fail to bypass the way of the world in order to minister the message of God’s kingdom.”

John 4
It is written about Jesus, “He left Judea and departed again to Galilee. But He needed to go through Samaria. So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar…” (John 4:3-5) Samaria is not the place for a Jew to think of going through from Judea to Galilee but it is the shortest route. The Jews often avoided Samaria by going through another route. Jesus did not avoid the short route. For Jesus to get to the Samaritan woman, He took an uncommon route. Bitterness and rivalry did not deny Jesus from fulfilling one of His divine assignments on earth. It is not important how many of our assignments were executed but how many were not executed because of worldly ideas. Jesus bypassed rivalry, bitterness, enmity, worldly ideas because He wanted to get to the Samaritan woman. As a believer, we often fail to bypass the way of the world in order to minister the message of God’s kingdom. Jesus repeatedly proved how wrong the roles that the world often plays to deny salvation. When He came to Samaria, He ministered to a woman who had never heard the gospel message. Jesus stated, “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.” (John 4:13-14) Having ministered to the Samaritan woman, He told her about her past relationships with husbands. To the Samaritan woman, her encounter with Jesus was evidence that  Jesus was a prophet. After she listened to all that Jesus had told her, “The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him.” (John 4:28-29) The Samaritan woman left what she carried with her and went on to carry out a great evangelism. For Jesus to get to the Samaritan woman, He passed through Samaria. The Samaritan woman’s evangelism caused many Samaritans to give their life to Christ just as it is written, “And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word.” (John 4:39-41) Bypass the way of this world for the word of God to have its way.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the grace that will enable you to live a fulfilled life to the glory of God.