FRIDAY, May 30th, 2008

I AM STILL ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well well, I am not quite sure what I was thinking... but for some reason, yesterday I decided to go out in Charlotte Harbor AGAIN... which is only crazy because of how I cheated death last Sunday night. We went out last night and all seemed well, UNTIL I started to feel queezy. I was out there with three "though guys" and so I could not "act sick"!!! I mean! Come On! It was all of "the men" out there!! You can't get motion sickness while you out with the guys!! That is not allowed. Well, I was with some pretty cool guys, so they were pretty helpful, they were holding me over the edge while I puked my guts out! (just kidding!! I actually did not throw up, because of a WONDERFUL God who answered my prayers!) Well, needless to say, I was praying that I would not get "sick" and within 5 minutes there were those 10 waves all around us again. I would have thought nothing of it, UNTIL I noticed the 10 inches of water in the boat. That may not have even bothered me, except that Mr. Jeff Blevins suddenly got "very concerned" about our survival. Let me tell you: If He is concerned about living, you better believe that I am concerned about living! Well, He got us out of those waves alive... Barely! Then we headed back to the marina on a very enjoyable ride up the Gulf of Mexico. It was "the ride of my life", I am just glad that it didn't cost my life! Well, I must say: Thank you to Mr. Watkins, Mr. Blevins and Mr. West for making the evening so enjoyable! I truely enjoyed it, and I am now looking for a place where we can buy crabs BEFORE we get out there, so we can get them for next time!

A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Josh Sandefur: I am glad you joined us on here! You should come on more often!
Brooke: What an incredible illustration about chess! Great Job!!
Jessica M: Hey! You dont really want to marry Brad Pitt!!!!!! You could do SO MUCH BETTER! and besides as Katie mentioned: He is the same age as MY DAD! Sick! I agree with Katie, You should wait for Will, and besides: He will be way better looking than Brad Pitt! I mean come on!! Look at Wills Dad! :) Ha!
Jill: Sorry you had a rough day! I will come by and fix your computer if you want sometime! Let me know!

John 4:1-15
1 Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John
2 (though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),
3 He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
4 But He needed to go through Samaria.
5 So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6 Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 A woman of 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 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says 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 with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
15 The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”

On Sunday I was going fishing (as I mentioned before) and my Dad bought two 12 packs of Dasani water. Well, today, five days later, I am sitting here typing up these devotions and I am drinking a bottle of Dasani water. The sad part is that there are only 3 bottles left in the fridge. You see, this water taste great, and it is refreshing, but not for long. This story is about an encounter that Jesus had with a woman in Samaria. Jesus told the lady to get Him some water, so He could have a drink, and He did that to start a conversation with this woman so that He could witness to her.

I think we all should follow His example: We should walk through our daily life, looking for creative ways to witness to lost people. If Jesus had only gone to the religious place in Samaria then this woman would not have been reached. Jesus went to the lost!

When Jesus talks to this woman, he says to her: If you knew who I was, then you would ask ME for water. This part is great because she looks at Jesus and says: uh, you dont even have a bucket... and this well is really deep... so How in the word would you give Me water?

Then Jesus Christ explains to the Lady: Your water will only satisfy for a while, but the water that I have will satisfy you for ever!

The lady then says to Jesus Christ! Give me this water!!!

Two applications for you:
1. Have you tasted this "water" that Jesus offers us? Water that will satisfiy your heart forever! If you have not, then accept him as your savior today! Check out Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9

2. How can you be creative in sharing the gospel with the lost people in your life? How can we as a church be creative to reach the lost? How can we as SUNCOAST YOUTH GROUP be creative and effective in reaching others for Jesus Christ?

14 comments:

McCue said...

Aha a first post finally, Anyway so the living water heh this reminds me of those bottled water things that says the living water. So this story is awesome because it shows us just how vital the Lord's spirit is in our lives. He's the only thing that can quench a thirst for a meaning in our lives. Our heart needs the living water to fill any thirst it has. It's funny how much strength we have to draw from God and understand that to let god work in our lives.

Aznricerunr[PN] said...

Jesus walk alot and became very thirsty and not having any of his friends around he asked the women next to the well. She argued with him saying that there is nothing to get the water out with. Jesus then starts to talk about salvation or his water that will never make her thirsty again. She tells Jesus that she wants to gat savedd and asked him to save her. Jesus being omniscient he can use anything to preach or tell about salvation and how important it is.

Anonymous said...

It's funny, cuz b4 i started2read this i was debating weather or not 2 get a drink of water-lol-I don't like Dasani very nuch...has a funky taste...zepher hills=]

This was a great story 4 multiple reasons!

1]What people don't understand is that Cgrist is the ONLY thing that can fufill our lives & "quench our thirst"
We try 2 use other material things 2 fufill it, but it's not gonna work cuz as Christ said,

"but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

2]Christ is VERY clever on how 2 bring up salvation!

3]He didn't go 2 the religious place where people already knew of him, but instead WENT 2 THE LOST,(who OBVIOUSLY would b at the religious place cuz they DONT know him)

4]He(a Jew) went to a Samaritan woman when she said Jews don't deal w/them...he's reachin out 2 any1 & EVERY1!

5]There WAS a 5th...but i4got...-lol-

WAYS 2 BRING MORE PPL:...idk...the tots have VBS..maybe WE should start somethin...Have us kids who wanted 2 b leaders come up w/somethin...

like that 1 night when sunshine came & we sang "daniel in the lion's den" w/their youth pastor...i've had evert friend that's came be saved due 2 activities like that=]

I know i like volenteerin at VBS & i DEF learn new thinds EVERY night!
It shows that we work 2gether, the skits attract attention, & yeah=]SO! Maybre this yr we can take part IN vbs & invite friends 2 check it out...

ummm...I'll think about it=]
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Thank GOODNESS ur still alive PL...idk what we'd do w/o u!!!b CAREFULL when u go out there...u've got some MAD courage 2 go back out there after last Sunday!!!MAD props PL MAD props!!!

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Campin trip...how much does it cost???idk if i can go, it depends on how much...

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Rewards trip...same deal...how much $$$??? that's basically what determins what stuff I can do...the cost...=[

Gaby said...

ugghhhh my pc is soooo slow with this thing i love how it'll load myspace but not this. =[

Anyways the story is about how jesus meets the woman at the well in samaria and talks to her which is weird cause jews and samaritains dont like each other. anywho jesus asks her for a drink and she asks him why and he tells her that he he can fufill her thirst and he is the living water.

app: i think this reminds me that we should remember that the world cant fufill our needs only jesus can. We get so cought up with trying to fill our lives with stuff to fill this void and jesus simply tells us fill it with me and i will give you everything you need.

Anonymous said...

By the way, I don't think that Brad Pitt is old!!!!!!! Moses is old!!!!!

Tylermon33 said...

well this is saying that Jesus was on a journey to Galilee but He needed to stop in Samaria to get something to drink and eat. when He stoped in Samaria His deciples went to look for food but He stayed near a well that Jacob built. this women came to Jesus and Jesus said can you get me a drink of water and she was like what is He doing talking to me a samarian and He is a Jew, and then He said I will give you some water and she was like with what bucket and she said it was to deep for Him to get. then Jesus pointed out that He was talking about "living water" not well water and Jesus said if you drink of this water you will never thirst again and she was like than give that to me. so really we need that living water (salvation) and we will never thirst again, and if any of our friends need that water we should try to talk to them about salvation and invite them to church and maybe we could get them saved, how awsome would that be.

weird high school kid said...

Women at the well, classic pure classic. So Jesus is sitting at the well and some girl comes along and jesus asks her to give him a drink. So she's all like woah this JEW is asking ME to give him a drink. So she says hey your people aren't supposed to ask me to get you a drink let alone speak to me. So jesus says hey if you knew who i was you would be the one asking me to give you some water, and not just any water but "LIVING WATER". So she's like Oh My Depravity linving water *Gasp*. Are you like some guy thats even cooler, wiser, and more to god than Jacob? So jesus in all his mighty mightyness says hey if you drink of this water you'll get thirsty again, but my water will make a fountain springing all the way to heaven. So this Lady asks of him " Please please give me this water i need it i want it i must have it i don't want to be thirsty or come to this lame well to get water. THE END!

What will happen next? Tune in tommorow for another exciting episode of STORIES FROM THE BIBLE!

Anonymous said...

Ok so this passage has a lot to say ok so Jesus met this women and its kinda proving something that Jesus was a jew and the jews didnt talk to the samartians and thats kinda putting the women in a bad postion so its like even though the women was bad she is still useful for God and can still be saved and this is showing Jesus love to because he loves this women even though shes a samartian and Jeus said to her that she can drink the water that will never make her thristy again and she will become like a fountain that flows up to the everlasting and i think thats preatty cool!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I think a lot of people will read this and they will automatically think of this as just as a passage on witnessing. It does give us an awesome testimony of Christ going to the lost, but a different truth really jumped out to me. Jesus talked to a Samaritan. In their day, Samaritans were considered unclean and were to be avoided. Think about this. Jesus Christ was not judgmental at all! I know that a lot of times this is something that I really struggle with. The type of church I went to until I went to college really was a judgmental church. An example- if a girl wore pants(especially jeans) it was sin. I know that sounds totally crazy, but that is just how it was. That is kind of like how some of the Jews were in this passage. They just saw the Samaritan women and judged her, instead of realizing her need. This passage just really reminds me that we must not be judgmental, but must be willing to reach out to unsaved people. Even people who are saved, and maybe have sin in their life don't need to be judged. We must be loving, as Christ was loving. Christ gives us a great example of not being judgmental, but showing love!

Anonymous said...

My dear Miss Sarah Massey,

Brad Pitt isn't old, but too old for you gem Jessica. If she doesn't have a problem with age differences we will just set up an arranged marriage. I will give you a goat or something like they did in the old days.:)

Rachel☺; said...

Pastor Lee, im making up yesterdays, again, because i was at ericas for lastnight and earlier today.
And thankyou again for the other day with Katie, Will and you :]
ok, well, devotions!
In this passage, Jesus is once again being smart and is pulling it on a lady who is getting water. Im guessing she eventually understands Him and continues to discuss His water with Him.
In the last verse she says she does not want to be thirsty or have to keep filling up, a lot like us.
We 'quench' or 'thirsts' with the wrong things, and those wrong things are not dependable, and we keep needing more of them and more temporary things that we cant depend on to keep us 'hydrated'. When we thirst for God and completely let Him be our 'water', we will never be thirsty or need anything else to fulfill us.
Well i think weve all discovered how vital earth water is to us; we need it to survive. Well like everything we are living with, its of the earth and still such a necessity. Think how God is literally a heavenly necessity. We need Him to get there and to get through life, just like earthly water.

HADOKEN!!! said...

We're all glad to see your not dead pastor Lee. I don't know how we would have done in chruch this wednesday. We'd have to have Josh preach and I don't think that would go over as well. Anyway on to devotions. In this passage Jesus walks up to a Samarian lady and asks her for some water. At first she was stunned she said "why would you a Jew ask me a mere Samaritan to give you a drink. Jesus then used this to witness to her and get her saved saying that the water that He can give is everlasting.
We need to do that in our conversations try and win our friends to Christ.

Amy said...

ok Jesus is like the water He keeps us alive and we cant live without Him. That is mostly it. Water is a essential nutrient for the body and so is Jesus. He gives us everything we need and more. we should be thankful! I've noticed that some people have the biggest houses and the hottest cars and the most expensive this and the most expensive that and they are not happy.

Kacey! said...

I've heard this passage many times! But I always get different things out of it. This time I see that Jesus went to the lost, just as you said Pastor Lee. That is what we should be doing. We should go out of our comfort zone and witness to lost souls, (:

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