The cost, cast from the Cross

The woman at the well teaches us more than what is obvious. Jesus was out of place. He would not have been at that well if He were to be a “good jew”. He went to show us how to be great children of God.

If you believe that this is God’s world, then you must believe that it is God’s world. The entire world falls under the salvation of the cross. Jesus died for all of us, not just those that are saved. He died for those that did not know His Father as well, or maybe did not know God yet.

I learned this while reading a devotion from Dietrich Bonhoeffer. 

This devotion was about intercessory prayer. It went just like this - “Offering intercessory prayer means nothing more other than Christians bringing one another into the presence of God, seeing each other under the cross of Jesus as poor human beings and sinners in need of grace. Then, everything about other people that repels me falls away. Then I see them in all their need, hardship, and distress. Their need and their sin become so heavy and oppressive to me that I feel as if they were my own, and I can do nothing else but bid: Lord, you yourself, you alone, deal with them according to your firmness and your goodness”.

If we think of the sun shining down on the earth. Think about who is affected by that sun throughout the course of a day. Now put the cross in between the earth and the sun. Who then is affected by the shadow of the cross.

The cross that our Lord and Savior died upon affects each and every person on this planet, equally. So with that being said, it is easy to see that God does not love any one of us more than the other. He loves us equally. In fact His Son on the night in which He was betrayed made this last request. He requested that we love our neighbor as ourselves. He said in other books or version of the same story, which means the same thing. He said Love your neighbor as I have loved the church. John 13:34 We are the church.

So when we see others not acting according to the way that WE feel they should, should we judge and ridicule them? Should we love them where they are at? What is it that we should do? Should we sit by the well and wait for the town whorelett to come and serve us water? Should we waste our time as others have done for us, teaching the word of God, to those that it seems hopeless to teach? Should we lift them up in intercessory prayer?

God will work with everyone for their part in this ultimate drama. This thing that we call life. God will if your willing to listen, give you your assignment. You need only be willing to listen for it, trust in what you hear and feel. Enjoy your time in the shade, get rested, get out and do God’s work. Your under the same light as the rest of this creation.

Give yourself and others the opportunity to get out of this thing alive!