Rise Daily: March 11

Rise Daily: March 11

THIS WEEK’S THEME & PASSAGE

Changed Lives – John 4:1-26

This week’s sermon from the series “Where We are Going: The City and the Mission“

THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE

Memorizing scripture is a way to keep God’s word close to our hearts. Each week we will select one verse of scripture to remember as a community.

John 4:14a
Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again.

THE WORD

Each day’s devotion will focus on one part of the week’s passage.

John 4: 7-15
7 A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” 8 (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) 9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” 13 Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” 15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”

MEDITATION ON THE WORD

In our busyness and distraction, it is easy to skim through our reading rather than taking it in. Yet we believe this is the inspired word of God. Take a moment to pause, thank God for the scriptures and ask him to speak to you through them today.

When Jesus offers the Samaritan woman a water that will forever quench her thirst, he is offering the blessings of union with God: eternal, new life, communicated by the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit engages with our minds in every aspect of communicating new life to us. He breathes life into us who were spiritually dead (John 3:6-8), makes us aware of our sin and our inability to save ourselves (John 16:8-9), imparts to us faith (Galatians 3:2, 5:5), confirms to us our adoption as children of God (Romans 8:16, Gal. 4:6 ), instructs us, comforts us, and empowers us in the gradual process of growth into the character of Christ (John 16:13, Galatians 5:16-23), empowers us to serve (1 Corinthians 12:4-11), and will one day resurrect us into new glorified bodies (Romans 8:11). This is why Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 4:7, “What do you have that you did not receive?”

This is whom Christ was referring to in this passage when he described the fountain of living water, the source of eternal life. In the same Gospel, Christ will identify The Holy Spirit as the one who gives this life, (John 6:63). The fountain of water is the metaphor for what God will do through the Spirit. Our only work is to drink.

“The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.” (Revelation 22:17).

THIS WEEK’S RISE REFLECTION

Throughout the Bible, when we see God move in people’ heart with a new sense of resolve and calling, he or she is described as rising in response.

Abraham rises in response to God’s call; Hannah rises from despair to a new purpose; Samuel rises to anoint a new king; David rises after the death of his child, and we see Jesus command the paralytic to “Rise, take up your mat and walk.”

To rise is an act of both obedience and faith—a response to a calling and a step toward a future not yet seen. Now is a time to pray fervently, to seek God’s help, and to discern how the Spirit is leading you to rise and serve where He has placed you.

TODAY’S PRAYER

For your Heart: Praise and thank God for bringing you into new life!

For your Church: Pray that the cleansing and rejuvenating power of the Holy Spirit will sweep through all of God’s churches.

For our City: Pray that all the believers of our city would bring the fruit of our new life (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control) into all of our respective homes and workplaces.