Jesus Repairs Racial Division | Wednesday Bible Study

Black lives matter. That is a fact. That is not an opinion. That is not just a movement. That is a factual statement that demands a call to action. Asian lives matter. Hispanic lives matter. Yes, white lives matter. All lives matter. Why? Because God loves us. He created us and He loves us so much He has sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to die for our sins and give us eternal life if we will simply believe.

JOHN 3:16 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

Please understand something, racial division is prevalent in this world, but it is also prevalent in our churches. It is not white people against black people. It is not black people against white people. It is not about one nationality against another. Those are distractions from the enemy. It stems from not operating from a place of love.

I have friends who are not white; some are Hispanic, some are biracial, some are Italian, some are African American, some are Native American, some are Indian. I love my friends. We have found things in common that draw us to each other. One thing we should have in common with others in the Christian community is love for Jesus and love for one another. It is His commandment.

JOHN 13:34 A new commandment give I unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

Let's look in the Bible at John chapter four and see how Jesus handled the situation with the Samaritan. For a little background, Jews did not associate with Samaritans. They did not like them, they did not speak to them, and a Jewish man would definitely not speak to a Samaritan woman. So, how did the Son of God handle this situation? There was racial tension. It was not neat and pretty and tied with a bow. Let's read what happens.

Jesus left Judaea to go to Galilee. In order to get where Jesus was going he had to travel through Samaria. He went to a city called Sychar, to Jacob's well. This is the well Jacob gave to his son Joseph. The disciples went to town to get something to eat and Jesus decided to stay at the well. Along came a Samaritan woman and Jesus speaks to her, "Give Me a drink." And this is her answer:

JOHN 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto Him, How is it that Thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

She drew the racial line in the proverbial sand. She asks why He is speaking to her. She is a Samaritan. She reminds Him that Jews do not interact with the people of Samaria. Jesus knows she is a Samaritan. He knows she is a woman. That does not change the fact that she needs a Savior. He came to die for this woman just like any of the Jewish women. Jesus knows her worth. She does not deserve salvation, none of us do. God loves His creation so much He does not want any of us to die without Jesus as our Savior. So here is the Son of God loving this Samaritan woman out loud.

Their exchange does not seem loving. There is a request for a drink of water and immediately racial tension rears its ugly head to divide these two people. Let's look at Jesus's response to the woman.

JOHN 4:10 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."

Instead of discussing how different they are, or how society says they should behave toward one another, the very picture of love is staring at her and essentially says to her, "I am so much more than a Jewish man. I am so much more than a thirsty person asking for a drink. If you knew the gift of God, and who I AM, then you would want Me to give you My living water."

Many people do not know who Jesus is. They grew up hearing stories and people's opinions of who He is, but they have yet to experience Him for themselves. This lady is having an encounter with the Man who will change her life and her future.

Like most of us, she looks at her situation. She is skeptical. "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with and the well is deep. Where do You have this living water?" She goes on to ask if He is greater than her father Jacob who gave the well and drank from it himself along with his children and cattle.

Jesus does not ever respond to the natural. He is supernatural and His answers are always about eternity and the condition of our souls. He tells her, "Whoever drinks this water will be thirsty again. The one who drinks the water I give will never thirst and in them will be a well of water springing into everlasting life."

This woman at the well is thirsty. She is intrigued that He can give her water that she will never thirst again. She asks Jesus to give her the water so she will never be thirsty and she will never need to go to the well again. She thinks in the natural and Jesus speaks to the supernatural. He says to her, "Go get your husband and come here."

What? She literally asked Jesus for the water that would forever quench her thirst. Why did he mention a husband? What has that got to do with anything? It has everything to do with it. Jesus loves her enough to point out her mess and her mistakes so He can cleanse her. She says, "I don't have a husband." 

Jesus tells her, "You're right. You had five husbands and the man you are with now is not your husband either." He was acting like her husband but they were not married. They were sinning. That was the essence of what He said. That was all it took to get her attention. She perceived Him as a prophet. She said her forefathers worshiped in that mountain and questioned Jesus, "You say Jerusalem is the place men ought to worship."

Again, division in where to worship and who to worship. Jesus says, Woman, believe Me, the time is coming when the Father will not be worshiped in the mountain nor in Jerusalem. The true worshipers must worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth. God is a Spirit and they that worship Him must worship in Spirit and Truth."

The woman tells Jesus the Messiah is coming and He is Christ. "When He comes, He will tell us all things." Jesus plainly tells her, "I that speak to you am He." He literally introduced Himself as Jesus the Messiah. She runs to the city to tell the others. The disciples are now back. They see the exchange Jesus was having with the woman and no one questioned Him, but they marveled. They could not believe it. Even the disciples knew the racial rules and not to cross them. Jesus came to tear down racial divides.

The Samaritans came to see Jesus and they urged Him to stay with them, so He did. Jesus stayed with them two days. Many more believed Jesus because of the things He said. They came to meet Jesus because of the woman's testimony but they believed in Him once they heard Jesus speak. We must continue to share our testimony with everyone because we never know who will hear and be converted as they experience Jesus for themselves. 

JOHN 4:41-42 (41)And many more believed because of His own Word; (42)And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard Him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

Second Corinthians 3:17 says "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." The woman at the well found freedom when she met Jesus. The Samaritan people who came to see Jesus and hear Him for themselves found liberty from the captivity they were in. For two days Jesus was able to set the captives free. 

GALATIANS 3:26-29 (26)For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (27)For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28)There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (29)And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

You see when Jesus redeems us and frees us from the penalty of sin and reconciles us to Himself, we are no longer a white person, a black person, a male, a female in God's eyes. We are all one in Christ Jesus. We are all made in His image and we belong to our Heavenly Father.

This scripture does not imply we should forget who we are. We are still unique individuals. The things that are different about us should make our relationships richer not divide us. But we are no longer defined by our nationality or gender alone. Our identity is hidden in Christ Jesus. 

We are put on this earth to shine as beacons of light. We need to come together in unity and in love. Let's stop listening to the world's view that says we have to "stick to our kind." We have to stop the division. Cross the lines and find out what others think, how they feel, what they struggle with. We need to help one another Home.

The world is in division right now. The church is in division. We must come together and let Christ be the central focus of all we say and do.

PHILIPPIANS 1:9-11 (9)And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment (discernment): (10)That ye may approve things that are excellent, that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ: (11)Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

In conclusion of today's study, let's love one another. Let's use knowledge and discernment and approve excellent things. May we be sincere and not offensive to one another. We can do that when we are full of fruits of righteousness by Jesus so that all we say and do will honor and praise God. I hope something I have shared today has given you strength for your journey and light for your way.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens 

 

 

 

Thankful For Who God Is | Thankful Thursday

ROMANS 11:33-36 (33)O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out! (34)For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counselor? (35)Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (36)For of Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen.

Do you know the depth of the riches of God's knowledge and wisdom? Of course we don't. He knows everything. He never overthinks anything. He never misses anything. He is amazing! He knows everything about us, our future, our suffering... there is nothing He does not know. He knows our thoughts and motives. His judgments are beyond finding out. We can search all we want but we will never tap into the incredible mind of God. He does not need an advisor or counselor. He is the Great Counselor. He is the ONE source of advice and wise counsel to follow. He is a giver. He has given to us and we did not ever give anything to God that He has not turned around and multiplied and given back to us. You cannot out-give God.

I am so thankful for God. I am so grateful that He has so much knowledge and wisdom and understanding, yet He does not laugh at how little I understand compared to Him. I appreciate how generous and kind He is with advice and instruction on how to live my best life. I could not know the path to take if it were not for His Word teaching me and guiding me as I go.

You and I exist of God, through God, and for God. We exist to praise Him. We exist to magnify His great name. He gets all the honor and glory and praise both now and forever more. He is worthy! I am so thankful that I am able to have communion with God. I can walk with Him and talk with Him. I can feel His love. I can experience His presence, His glory, His favor, His healing virtue. He is so wonderful. I could never run out of enough things to praise God for. He is my friend.

I lean on God for everything. I tell Him everything. He knows anyway. He knows what I am thinking. If I am angry I tell Him why. He helps me so I can let it go and not grow bitter. If I am happy, He listens and rejoices with me. He sings over me with joy. He has laid up a crown of righteousness for me and not just for me, but for anyone who calls on the name of the Lord Jesus to be saved.

What are you thankful for? In November, I usually spend all 30 days sharing what I am thankful for on social media. I keep a traveler's notebook that I made with photos and stories of what I am thankful for. There are lots of people who do that and it's a wonderful exercise to prepare our hearts for celebrating Jesus' birth and why He came. However, I am not only quick to share my gratitude one month out of the whole year. This is why God prompted me to share what I am thankful for every Thursday. 

Look back over my blog and you will find that I don't do that perfectly. The point is, I am doing it today and I am being more intentional about disciplining myself to stay on track with posting on this blog. I want to be committed to the things God is asking me to do. Sometimes it feels overwhelming and I cannot do it. Sometimes it seems like I have nothing of value to share. The truth is if I stay focused and put in the effort, God will help me with the areas I cannot do alone. He is so good to help us all.

I hope you count your blessings every day. I am so glad you spent some time on the blog today reading about what has put gratitude in my heart. I would love to hear from you, too.

God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens

Truth About Fear | Fuel For The Weekend

When was the last time you read in the Bible that God commanded us to live in fear? Not the reverent fear of God, but when did He ever tell us to be afraid of our circumstances, our health status, our bank balance, our world? Let me help you out. The answer is... NEVER! I have read the Bible all the way through every year, (this is my seventh year) and there is not ever, not even one single time where God ever tells us to be fearful.

I have read so many posts on Instagram today where people are talking about feeling depressed, oppressed, down, discouraged, losing hope, and feeling awful. For many people living in this day and age, they feel despair, desperate, and fearful. I want to share what the Bible says in Isaiah.

ISAIAH 43:1-2 (1)But now thus saith the LORD that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art Mine. (2)When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

This is a beautiful passage, isn't it? Imagine God our Father who has created us and He made us, forming and fashioning us in our mothers' wombs (Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 119:73, Psalm 139:16). He calms us as He says, "Don't be afraid. I have won you back, bought you with a price and I have called you by name. You are Mine. You belong to Me and You have this promise that even though you may feel like You are drowning in your situation, you may feel like the rivers are too deep and too wide for you to cross, I will be with you and they will not take you under. When you walk through the fire in the heat of the battle and all hell comes against you, you will not be burned and the flames will not even touch you." What a promise! And He keeps that promise. As we put our hand in His, He keeps His Word. When the enemy comes in like a flood, He will raise up a standard against it (Isaiah 59:19). When we feel like we are in the fiery furnace of trials, He is walking in the midst of it with us.

The children of Israel saw God keep this promise as He parted the Red Sea and they walked across on dry land, but their enemies were drowned (Exodus 14:22, 28). Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego experienced the truth of this passage when they found themselves walking around in the blazing hot furnace and they were not burned. The fourth Man was in the flames walking with them, it was the very Son of God (Daniel 3:17, 25). They did not even smell of smoke when the king ordered the men to come out of the flames (Daniel 3:27).

Keep reading this chapter in Isaiah. Do you see how much He loves us? We are precious in His sight. He created us for His glory (Isaiah 43:7). He is wooing us to Himself. He loves us (1 John 4:19). He redeemed us. He saved us and He keeps us. What more do we want Him to do?

ISAIAH 43:10-12 (10)Ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after Me. (11)I, even I, am the LORD; and beside Me there is no saviour. (12)I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. 

We are His witnesses, too. He has chosen us to serve Him, that we may know and believe in Him. We understand who He is. He is God alone. There was no God made before Him and there will never be a God made after Him. He alone is the LORD and He is the Savior of the world. Jesus is the Savior. No other name given among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12). He has declared and saved and shown His power. He proved Himself to us over and over. He is powerful and wonderful and mighty to save and there is no other God. We are His witnesses.

Keep reading and you will see that He makes a way in the sea and mighty waters. He causes mighty armies to become extinct. We must look back, reflect on all the times He came through for us, all the times He heard and answered prayers, the miracles He performed, the healing He gave, the times He mended our broken hearts and gave us beauty for ashes. Now He is going to do something new. He is going to take the dry, deserted areas of our life and cause fresh water to flow. He is about to bring healing, hydration, and satisfaction to every burned up, dusty dream He has ever given us. We will show His praise among the nations because of the wonderful ways He has blessed our lives.

Will we do it? Will be live in the freedom and liberty He has given us? Will we turn away from the free gifts He is handing us? Will we ignore His call? Will we try to keep doing life on our own terms? Will we keep sinning and expect Him to turn the other way, to give us a free pass because we are His children? In verse 25 He said, "I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for Mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins." Are we sorry? Do we have a heart of repentance? Are we ready to turn back to Him?

We do not have to live in fear. In fact, He tells us not to live that way. We are to put our footsteps in His and walk with the Master all of the time (Luke 9:23). When life gets too hard and we do not see clearly the path in front of us, we must walk by faith and trust Him (2 Corinthians 5:7). We have to stop leaning on our own understanding and just trust Him to meet our needs and help us face every difficulty with grace and mercy and peace (Proverbs 3:5-6). Are you ready?

I hope something I have shared this weekend has given you strength for your journey and light for your way. God bless you.

~Bridgett Owens

Thankful For My BFF | Thankful Thursday

Meet my beautiful blue eyed, brown haired best friend for ever and always! Her name is Heather Rose and she is my very closest friend. She knows way too much! Today is her birthday and I hope it is the most fantastic day ever. I thank God for her mother Cindy choosing life for this amazing woman of God. She is a threat to the enemy and she is the apple of God's eye.

Heather and I have been friends since we were kids. We grew up together. We went to Youth Group together. We studied the Bible together. We worked together. We went to Taco Bell together.... a lot! We enjoyed pie together....lots of delicious pie. It's our thing.

I love Heather's laugh. It is contagious and it seriously brings me joy even if she is laughing at me!! We laugh until we can hardly understand each other and then we laugh harder at that and when we see others staring at us, well it gets real. Tears are flowing and it is the best belly laughter ever. She makes me want to be better.

Heather has amazing handwriting. We wrote lots of letters back and forth. She sends me cards and she sends me SnapChat messages. We always have so much to share and why we think SnapChat is the best way to do that is beyond me, but we like it and it works, so who cares if we send tons of snaps at one time. There really needs to be longer allowances for what we have to share.

Heather gets me. She knows what has broken my heart, what has disappointed me. She has been there when my relatives died and she still prays for me when I tell her that I miss my dad. I wish she had a good dad to miss. Her mom is an amazing mother and father because she had to be both as a single momma and she rocked it! Her sister is so funny and I love their little family like I am another sister.

Proverbs 27:9 says Ointment and perfume rejoice the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's friend by hearty counsel. She is like sweet perfume to my soul. She gives me sound advice. We have had similar struggles in marriage, parenting, life, as Christians... and it is so good to hear her share Bible verses as she lovingly points me back to the cross. She is a great prayer warrior and she loves Jesus so I trust what she tells me and she gives me the encouragement I need to keep going. She takes 1 Thessalonians 5:11 seriously when we are told Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. She lives that out loud!

Psalms 133:1 says Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity. It's true. She and I seldom argued. Even if we disagreed we heard each other out and we never let things come between us. She is miles and miles and states away from me but I can call or text her anytime and she is there for me and the distance never matters.

Heather is a hearer of the word and a doer. Romans 12:10 says Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. I love Heather to pieces and I know she loves me. We do want to show honor for each other. We cherish our friendship. Others come and go in our lives for a reason or a season but I am so glad God gave me Heather for a lifetime!

Ecclesiastes 4:9 says Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor. I love doing life with Heather. She is the best friend anyone can have. I can share her with others a little but remember she is my friend first. Maybe I need to work on not being greedy....

I hope you all have a friend like Heather. In Galatians 6:2 it says Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ. I know that we don't do this perfectly, but I know that God has blessed me with a friend who helps me carry my burdens. Sometimes in the hardest seasons of our lives we were not able to be there in person for each other. God told me it was so we wouldn't make idols out of one another. He was training us to lean on Him and He allows us to help each other, too. 

Heather, I appreciate you so much. You are a treasure and I adore you. Happy birthday!!!! Love you bunches girlfriend. And many more......

Love,

Bridgett 

S.O.A.P. | Wednesday Bible Study

 

For those who may not know, S.O.A.P. is an acronym. It stands for Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer. I have not done a S.O.A.P. Bible study in a while, but I recently read a comment on a process video I made and it made me think I would like to do that again. You can see my first S.O.A.P. video here and my S.O.A.P. process video here on YouTube. They were really popular and for good reason.

S.O.A.P. is a great way to study Scripture. It is good for most age groups, even the very young can study with this technique. Most often people who watch my videos tell me how much this method helps them learn more about the Bible. So, let's begin.

SCRIPTURE: Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

OBSERVATION: This is instruction for Christian behavior for self, behavior for others, and behavior toward God. To admonish means to caution, advise, counsel against something, urge to a duty, remind.

APPLICATION: Stay in the Word of God. Read the Bible. Study the Bible. By learning what the Bible tells us to do, think, and how to behave; we can then teach and advise others how to serve Jesus well. I must remain in the joy of the Lord. When I sing at church, I sing Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs which others then tell me blesses and encourages them. I sing to Jesus and not to people but as they join me in my worship it encourages me and them.

PRAYER: Dear Jesus,

Thank You for Your Word. Thank You for free access to the Holy Bible. Help me hide Your Word in my heart so I will not sin against You. Help me to not only teach and admonish others, but receive the teaching and admonishing others give me, and to do so with gladness in my heart. Please continue to guide me when I sing for You. Tell me what to sing and when so I can bless and help others around me. Thank You for those who sing and bless me too. May I glorify and honor You King Jesus in everything I say and do. I ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen!

If you do a S.O.A.P. study, please let me know. I would love to hear from you! God bless you!

~Bridgett Owens