Friday, June 10, 2011

Learn From Your Experience


At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why do You speak with her?" So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and *said to the men, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus *said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”  (John 4:27-35)

What to take away
You have journeyed through your Samaria, discovered your ministry there and fulfilled the task God assigned you.  What now?
·      You may have had a life-changing experience.  You may be seeking guidance about which direction God wants to take you now.
·      You may have discovered some things about yourself you did not know; some new strengths and gifts you were not aware you.
·      Ask yourself how you can be a better person and servant of God based on what you have been through.  How can you help someone else going through their Samaria?
·      You may have regrets about the way you handled some things.  Leave the regrets, but learn from the experience.

We can learn from what we remember but we must be willing to receive the lessons and not reject them.  You have heard the saying, That which does not kill us will make us stronger.  It is true.  We usually come away from hard experiences stronger and often wiser.  It is usually the challenging experiences in life that tech us the most; the ones that make the greatest impact on our lives. 

The rush of the Spirit after doing what you feel God wants you to do may be similar to the feeling you get from an adrenaline rush.  It can bring peaceful energy; not worn out, tired feelings.  Jesus did not grow weary, in fact, when He was in the middle of ministry He was not distracted by His physical needs:  While this was happening, Jesus' disciples were saying to him, "Teacher, please eat something." But Jesus told them, "I have food that you don't know anything about." His disciples started asking each other, "Has someone brought him something to eat?" Jesus said: My food is to do what God wants! He is the one who sent me, and I must finish the work that he gave me to do.  John 4:31-34  When serving in the Spirit He was not distracted by His need for food.  He was fasting from earthly needs and fulfilled by spiritual food. 

Others May Not Understand
The spirit may have prompted you into a situation where you fulfilled a purpose that others did not understand.  Such was the case for Jesus when he met the woman at the well. At this point His disciples came, and they were amazed that He had been speaking with a woman, yet no one said, "What do You seek?" or, "Why do You speak with her?"  John 4:27  Sometimes people don’t understand what we are about and may even judge.  Maybe on the other side of the experience they can begin to see just why you did what you did. 

Recap
Think back.  How did you get to Samaria?  What ministry did God have for you there?  What “God-Crossings” came as a result of your Samaria? What can you take away that you can apply to your life now?  There is a reason for your journey.  Know the purpose and apply the knowledge accordingly. 

Scripture to Claim:
And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.  Romans 8:28

Devotional Archive