Reading your Bible for Today December 16

December 16: John 4:4-10

KJV Key Verse: John 4:10
10 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink ; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. 

Devotion:
What sort of people do you shy away from? What sort of people do you avoid trying to meet? What would you do if you were with a friend and they needed to go and visit such a person? What would you do if you were asked by your friend to visit them in their stead?

Throughout Jesus ministry, He was faced with people who you would think He would have tried to avoid at all costs. He was faced by people who seemed to be complete sin – if there ever were such a thing. He was faced with people who would not accept Him. Yet when He saw a chance to tell anyone of the truth and show them love, He would be there, knee deep in whatever it took.

When Jesus met the woman from Samaria at Jacob's well, He knew exactly what sort of a woman she was. He knew she was living in sin and knew what she was up to. He knew she was probably drawing water at a time when there were no other people around just so that she could avoid confrontation – yet Jesus was willing to overlook all of that and look at what could be possible if He explained Himself.

His love and compassion for a single soul went further than the sin a single soul was drowning in. He knew that throwing out His lifeline would save one soul from being condemned to eternal death. (John 3:16-17) How many times does our love and compassion fall short of the mark when we are up against someone who is a sinner in our eyes? How far short does our forgiveness fall when they are doing something we do not like. Christ has already paid for our sins and He is willing to give eternal life to absolutely anyone who asks. He will never turn anyone away who is willing to listen.

Points to Ponder:
How do you rate yourself against other people?

How do you think Jesus would rate you when compared with Him?