My latest book, The Power of Purple, is now available, which is a compilation of my 2017 Monday Memo series on women of purpose. Also, I am planning upcoming trips to Kenya, Alaska, and Israel and Jordan along invite you to join me on any of those fun and inspirational trips (information is below). But now, let's look at what is the first of a new series titled "Go and . . . ."
I was in Columbus, Ohio this past week listening to Bishop Howard Tillman teach. He was discussing the story of Jesus meeting the woman at the well in John 4. When he got to the part where Jesus told the woman to go and get her husband, it caused me to consider how often Jesus said the words "go and." He told the rich ruler to "go and" sell what he had, the healed lepers to "go and" show themselves to the priests, the blind man to "go and" wash in the pool, the paralyzed man and the woman caught in adultery to "go and" sin no more, and the apostles to "go and" disciple all nations.
It occurred to me that Jesus was always setting people in motion, directing them to do something. In John 13:17, He said, "Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them." James taught, "In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead" (James 2:17). Jesus never said "sit and listen," but unfortunately, that is what some do when they go to church, sing, sit, listen, and then go right back into the world in exactly the same spiritual place as they were in when they came. That is not what Jesus had in mind for His followers.
Therefore, we are going to examine the connection between the words "go" and "and" in the next few weeks to see what we can learn. To start, let's go back to John 4.
GO . . . AND COME BACK
When Jesus entered into the dialogue with the woman at the well, she was more interested in discussing religion and doctrine concerning which mountain was the correct venue for worship. This should sound familiar, for many are still debating that topic and many others in search for correct dogma. When the woman asked for the living water that Jesus mentioned, however, Jesus put her on the right path to establish a relationship with Him that would release the water she was seeking:
Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life. The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.” He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back" (John 4:13-16).
This woman did not need correct doctrine; instead, she needed a correct perspective on her own spiritual condition. She was so used to thinking that if she believed right she was right that she tricked herself into thinking her own spiritual condition and behavior was secondary to doctrine. Because Jesus loved her, He could not leave her in that state of deception.
REALITY
The woman could have lied, gone home, and had the man she was living with come and pretend to be her husband. The beauty of her story is that she told Jesus the truth: She had no husband. It was then that Jesus revealed to her who He truly was and the woman went back to her village saying, "“He told me everything I ever did" (John 4:39). Notice that her truth did not disqualify her from a relationship with Jesus, but was actually her starting point. Jesus told the woman not only to face the truth, but face it and then come back to Him.
The woman's reality was the place from which she was to worship. Jesus told her, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth" (John 4:23-24). The truth of worship is not only the truth of who Jesus is but the reality of who each one of us is, not who we are pretending to be, hope to be, or who we think others want us to be.
Jesus is saying to you what He said to the woman: Go, face the reality of who you are, and then come back to Me. That reality is not only your deficiencies, but also your strengths, gifts, and insight He has given you. When will you realize that if you are good enough for God, you should be good enough for yourself? Stop trying to spit shine and polish an image of who you think you need to be and accept who you are. When the woman at the well did that, she found Jesus in a way that all those in Israel who were seeking (and thought they were finding) doctrinal truth could not find Him.
As you make the journey into self-awareness, you will learn that it is your ticket and highway to spiritual growth. Face your reality - your fears, weaknesses, gifts, and purpose - and after you do, make sure you come back to Jesus no matter what you find. He already knows what's there, and wants you to do know so you can work for Him with a foundation of truth that will always set you free to go, face the truth, and then come back to Jesus. Have a blessed week!
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TRAVEL WITH ME: I am planning three trips in the coming two years:
- February 15-23, 2019 to Kenya
- July/August 2019 - Cruise to Alaska
- April 20 to May 4, 2020 - Tour to Israel with an optional trip to Jordan
If you would like information on any or all of these trips, write me at [email protected]
WOMEN OF PURPOSE BOOK: I finished up a series on women of purpose earlier this year and now it is available in a book. The Power of Purple is available in paper or Kindle format. Get your copy today or buy one as a gift for a woman you know who is seeking purpose.
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