#85 "Deep Wells"

February 27, 2007
"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep." (John 4:11) Passage Lookup: John 4: 4-26

As I look back over my life, I can remember so many experiences that seemed insurmountable. Impossible is probably a more accurate word. It seemed that there was no way on God's green earth that I could get out of that mess, climb that mountain or arrive on the other side of my problem whole and intact. The giants looked to big. I felt like a grasshopper. The chariots of the enemy were behind me and the Red Sea was before me. There was no way out. I would surely drown. I would surely get swallowed alive. I've come to believe that our perception and view of Jesus is way, way off. We often say to Him, "My well is just too deep. And You have nothing to draw with."

I learn some strange things when I'm preparing for these messages. Like that the deeper a well is, the better it is. A deep well is better protected from local contamination and wouldn't likely go dry even during years of drought. Drawing a twisted analogy from this, I can say that the deeper the well of our personal problem, the better able Jesus is to show His power and ability. You may have nothing left to draw with...but don't underestimate the power of our Savior! That's why they call Him "the Savior" after all...

In a class that I teach, we just finished talking about the Two-E principle for living life. Endure the winds of adversity while Expecting the waves of divinity. If you endure, you are bearing up courageously (under suffering). You are taking it patiently. You are holding up. (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) This is not just hanging on by your fingertips. This is enduring WELL. And you are enduring well because you are expecting much. The word "expect" in the New Testament suggests a reaching out in readiness to receive something. You're looking for it. You're waiting for it. You're reaching for it. You are so sure that Jesus will step in and do something that you won't even think that there's another way. Do you truly believe that He can do what you can't in your situation? Do you think your well is just too deep or do you expect to see waves of Christ's divinity roll onto the shore of your problem?

Oswald Chambers in his book, "My Utmost for His Highest" says this...."My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority." We look at Jesus as if He were one of us. Yes, He lived on earth as a Man. But don't ever forget that He is God! Don't try to figure out how He will do what He's promised in your life. He can do "exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ever ask or think." The Amplified Bible says it this way..., "He is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]." Can somebody say, "He is Able?" Solomon, the wisest man in the world tells us to "trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding." And Isaiah the prophet tells you that "[God's] ways are higher than your ways and [God's] thoughts are higher than your thoughts." Don't tax your brain and your emotions trying to figure it all out. It's beyond you, my friend. He is able. Endure. Do what you can. Let Christ do the rest. Expect. Truly believe that He will. Your well is not too deep.

The Samaritan woman saw Jesus the man, a deep well and nothing in His hands to draw with. She doubted His ability to do anything for her. But that very morning, He gave her "rivers of living water" that changed her life forever. Jesus is able to reach deep into the well of your problem and bring up good, fresh, clean, living water. He can make your marriage alive again. He can make that child repent and thirst for righteousness. He can provide money for that mortgage payment and light bill. He can repair that broken relationship. Your well is never too deep and He has everything He needs to draw from it...even if you can't see it. And He will only draw what is good and perfect and best for you. Remember, the deeper your well, the more awesome and powerful Christ will show Himself in your life. To God be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Donna Schultz

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Tuesday's with Jesus #85

#85 "Deep Wells" February 27, 2007 "Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep." (John 4:11)  Passage Lookup: John 4: 4-26   As I look back over my life, I can remember so many experiences that seemed insurmountable. Impossible is probably a more accurate word. It seemed that there was no way on God's green earth that I could get out of that mess, climb that mountain or arrive on the other side of my problem whole and intact. The giants looked to big. I felt like a grasshopper. The chariots of the enemy were behind me and the Red Sea was before me. There was no way out. I would surely drown. I would surely get swallowed alive. I've come to believe that our perception and view of Jesus is way, way off. We often say to Him, "My well is just too deep. And You have nothing to draw with."     I learn some strange things when I'm preparing for these messages. Like that the deeper a well is, the better it is. A deep well is better protected from local contamination and wouldn't likely go dry even during years of drought. Drawing a twisted analogy from this, I can say that the deeper the well of our personal problem, the better able Jesus is to show His power and ability. You may have nothing left to draw with...but don't underestimate the power of our Savior! That's why they call Him "the Savior" after all...   In a class that I teach, we just finished talking about the Two-E principle for living life. Endure the winds of adversity while Expecting the waves of divinity. If you endure, you are bearing up courageously (under suffering). You are taking it patiently. You are holding up. (Vine's Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words) This is not just hanging on by your fingertips. This is enduring WELL. And you are enduring well because you are expecting much. The word "expect" in the New Testament suggests a reaching out in readiness to receive something. You're looking for it. You're waiting for it. You're reaching for it. You are so sure that Jesus will step in and do something that you won't even think that there's another way. Do you truly believe that He can do what you can't in your situation? Do you think your well is just too deep or do you expect to see waves of Christ's divinity roll onto the shore of your problem?     Oswald Chambers in his book, "My Utmost for His Highest" says this...."My misgivings arise from the fact that I search within to find how He will do what He says. My doubts spring from the depths of my own inferiority." We look at Jesus as if He were one of us. Yes, He lived on earth as a Man. But don't ever forget that He is God! Don't try to figure out how He will do what He's promised in your life. He can do "exceedingly, abundantly above all we can ever ask or think." The Amplified Bible says it this way..., "He is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]."  Can somebody say, "He is Able?" Solomon, the wisest man in the world tells us to "trust the Lord with all your heart, and lean NOT on your own understanding." And Isaiah the prophet tells you that "[God's] ways are higher than your ways and [God's] thoughts are higher than your thoughts." Don't tax your brain and your emotions trying to figure it all out. It's beyond you, my friend. He is able. Endure. Do what you can. Let Christ do the rest. Expect. Truly believe that He will. Your well is not too deep.   The Samaritan woman saw Jesus the man, a deep well and nothing in His hands to draw with. She doubted His ability to do anything for her. But that very morning, He gave her "rivers of living water" that changed her life forever. Jesus is able to reach deep into the well of your problem and bring up good, fresh, clean, living water. He can make your marriage alive again. He can make that child repent and thirst for righteousness. He can provide money for that mortgage payment and light bill. He can repair that broken relationship. Your well is never too deep and He has everything He needs to draw from it...even if you can't see it. And He will only draw what is good and perfect and best for you.  Remember, the deeper your well, the more awesome and powerful Christ will show Himself in your life. To God be the glory, forever and ever. Amen.   Donna Schultz                                                                              See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.         If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

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Tuesday's with Jesus #84

#84 "When It's All Said and Done" February 20, 2007 Passage Lookup: Psalm 55   There are few things harder to bear than being betrayed by someone we trust. I know that we have all been betrayed at one time or another by someone close to us. A friend. A family member. A spouse. The hurt can be excruciating because that person was supposed to love us. That person was someone we thought that we could count on and that we felt safe with. We feel violated because we WERE violated. A trust was broken. A confidence was revealed.   It is speculated that Psalm 55 was written by David after being betrayed by an intimate friend. To get the low down, you can read 2 Samuel 15, paying close attention to verse 31, where the betrayer is named.  Passage Lookup: 2 Samuel 15.  David's words give us a great picture. A picture of the raw emotion that we feel when we've been hurt. If you've ever been betrayed you know how David felt. There is also a great picture of what should happen when it's all said and done. Let's take a look..I'll bet you dollars to donuts that you can relate...   David is slandered, oppressed, mistreated and hated. This situation causes him pain, fear, trembling and horror. Can you ever remember a time when emotion so overtook you that you literally felt your heart hurt? Do you remember shaking all over? His mind was jumbled and he couldn't get his thoughts straight. He says, "My thoughts trouble me and I am distraught. My heart is in anguish. Fear and trembling beset me. Horror has overwhelmed me." These were no small, petty emotions. David was devastated. How about you?   David was also angry. He prayed what is called an "imprecatory" prayer against his enemies. He prays for God to invoke evil on the betrayer. He is, in effect, calling down curses. These types of prayers are common in the Old Testament, but we have difficulty praying like this because of Jesus' words to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us...but let's be honest. Like David, haven't you ever wished ill will on YOUR betrayer? David did...he was angry and so are you.   How many times have you said, "If I could just run away from all of this. If I could just get away from these people?" David wanted to cut and run too. He longed to escape. He wanted to fly away to the wilderness. To a shelter (Hebrew "miplat", means "a place of escape") from the storm raging around him. He was so broken because this betrayer was not just anyone. This one was close to him. He called him "my close friend". He said that if it was an enemy he could endure it. But not YOU!!!! This was a brother in the Lord. They used to enjoy sweet fellowship together in the house of God. Don't you know that even church folk can hurt you and cause some of the deepest wounds?    You can see that David had emotions and they were pretty intense ones. If we didn't have emotions we could never feel the good ones...happiness, joy, elation, giddiness, love. We have emotions, but the key is to never let your emotions have you!  Never let those emotions dictate your responses. I read somewhere that in our anger, we should not sin. God knows that we will be angry, hurt, upset and suffer intense feelings in intense circumstances. And it is exactly here that David pulls himself up by the boot straps and doesn't give in to those feelings. Gosh, I love David. He makes me understand that I can have every emotion there is and that it's okay. But then, this man after God's own heart points me to the way back.    The way back is having confidence in the Lord. David says, "But I call to God and the Lord saves me." He says that he cries out all day, morning, noon and night. It is to God that he looks for all that he needs to get through this awful situation. He knows that in the face of the opposition he will be unharmed. "God, who is enthroned forever, will hear."  God hears the prayers of His own and He also hears and knows the violence of the wicked. He knows what that person did to you. He knows what that person said about you. My brother or sister....God knows!!   David speaks to you today out of his confidence in God. He is telling you in 2007 to, "Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall." You may feel like you're falling. Just "cast". Throw away your cares. Hurl them. That's what "cast" means. Peter tells us the same thing in the New Testament. He says, "Cast your cares on Him because He cares for you." It literally means that it concerns God for you. He is concerned. He cares. Let Him be concerned for you. The Holy Spirit of God gave David and Peter the same message to you today...Cast!! Go ahead..put your arms up in the air and visualize hurling your problems away to God. Cast, my friend, cast. Entrust your burden onto the Lord.  He is your burden bearer. He's got you covered. He'll take care of it all. Because He promises to.    A little over two thousand years ago, in a certain upper room, there was another betrayer and Someone who would be betrayed. Having His confidence in God, His Father, He cast His care and did the most amazing, unbelievable thing .... He washed the dirty feet of the one who would hand Him over to certain death. And a few short hours later He would call him "friend". So if you doubt that He knows...if you doubt that He cares..if you doubt that He can relate to what you're going through today...think again. Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God, sees you right now. He knows and He cares. He's so awesome!!! And this is the truth of the matter....when it's all said and done.   Donna Schultz                                                                              See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.         If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #83

#83 "The Right Idea" February 13, 2007 "But Jacob replied, 'I will not let you go unless you bless me.' " (Genesis 32: 26b) "But the child's mother said, 'As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.'" (2 Kings 4: 30) and "She said to herself, 'If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed.'" (Matthew 9: 21)   Three individuals. One needed a blessing. One needed a miracle for a child. One needed a healing. One man and two women. One who lived in the Old Testament times of the patriarchs. One who lived hundreds of years later in Shunem. One who lived in the New Testament time of Christ. Jacob. The Shunammite woman. The woman with the issue of blood. Separated by time and location. Different, yet the same...how, you may ask? They all had the right idea.   Jacob was returning home to Canaan and he knew that he would have to meet his brother, Esau who was plotting to kill him. Jacob was afraid. He was outnumbered by the amount of men Esau had with him. He couldn't defeat them on his own. He had to depend on God. Only God could save him. Jacob prayed for help and ended up having an awesome experience in prayer. He struggled with God and would not give up until God blessed him. Now, he was trusting God, not in all the strategies, deceit and conniving ways of his past. He knew that those wouldn't work and he was willing to do anything to get God's blessing in his situation. He said, "I will not let you go until you bless me." Jacob had the right idea!   Is "Esau" plotting to kill you? Does your personal Esau appear too powerful and overwhelming for you to defeat"? Have you tried all your favorite strategies, even using deceit and manipulation to get out of your problem? Follow Jacob's example and tell God, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." He knew that God was the only one who could solve his problem. Jacob had the right idea! Hang on for dear life and don't let go!!   The Shunammite woman lost her son. He was the fulfillment of Elijah's prophecy to her and born even though her husband was an old man. Now he had died in her arms. She didn't scream. She didn't rant and rave. She didn't lose control. She knew what she had to do. She had to get to the man of God and no one else would do. She didn't tell her husband. She didn't tell the servants. Her focus was on getting to the man of God. She wouldn't even tell Elijah's servant Gehazi. No one short of the man of God would do. She knew where her help would come from and nothing would get in her way. She grabbed hold of him and said, "As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you." This woman had the right idea!   What has died in your life? Is there a dream that you know was birthed by God that has suddenly died in your arms? Is your marriage dead? Your relationship with a child? Your job? Your ministry? Your finances? Don't tell it to your friends. Don't tell it to your family....you don't have the man of God on your side...you have the SON of God on your side and when He's for you, who can be against you? Now I'm not against having a close friend to confide in. And I'm not against Godly council  when necessary. But I am saying that the answer to your problem is in no man. Turn your eyes to the hills. Your help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and earth.  The Shunammite woman kept saying, "It's all right...everything is all right." Circumstances weren't alright. Her son wasn't all right. She probably felt not so much all right inside. But she said, "It's all right." Amazing! She knew that it was all right because she knew in whom she believed. And she never lost her focus....she had the right idea!   The woman was sick for twelve years. She had an issue of blood that no amount of money or doctors could cure. She was tired, worn out and weak. I'll bet she was just sick and tired of being sick and tired. The crowds were massive. The noise was deafening. She was jostled back and forth. She fought against the crowds, the possibility of suffering legal ramifications for touching other people and against her own physical limitations. She had to get to Jesus. No more doctors would do. No more money could be spent. Gehazi wouldn't do for the Shunammite and none of Jesus' disciples would do for this woman. She had to get to the Man Himself. She said to herself, "If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed." The tense of the words used in the text suggest that she KEPT ON SAYING to herself..."If I only touch His cloak, I will be healed." Talk about focus! She had an issue...after all of these years it seemed impossible....but she had the right idea!   What is your issue? What seems utterly impossible in your life today? What could be changed for you with just one touch of the hem of His garment? What might you have to fight to get to Jesus? What obstacles are standing in your way? Push every hindrance aside, out of your way and get to Him! Focus! Keep your eyes on Jesus...He is your answer. Run to Him. Don't settle for people, formulas or spooky methods of getting your prayers answered. The answer is in Jesus. Get the right idea!   Jacob, the Shunammite, the woman with the issue of blood and you...Jacob was blessed. The Shunammite's son was raised. The woman was healed. All because they knew Who to hang on to. All because they knew Who to run to. All because they knew who to cling to and not let go. What about you? How will your story end? Do you have the right idea?   Donna Schultz                                                                              See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.         If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.

Tuesday's with Jesus #82

#82 "Is Your Heart Still In Sodom?" February 6, 2007 "Remember Lot's wife!" (Luke 17: 32) "But Lot's wife looked back, and she became a pillar of salt." (Genesis 19: 26)   We don't even know her name. She's Lot's wife. That's all we know. Her end is commonly treated as one of the difficulties of the Bible. There can be the tendency to read Genesis 19: 26 and keep on reading. But later in Luke 17: 32, Jesus Himself says, "Remember Lot's wife!"  Her story was important enough for Jesus to mention her name and tell us to remember her and the lesson contained in her short appearance in the Old Testament. So...if Jesus said it, that is what we need to do.   Sodom was about to be destroyed because of its' sinful inhabitants. God sent messengers to Lot to warn him of the impending destruction and to command him to take his family and to get out. The Bible says that Lot hesitated. Early in the morning the messengers literally had to drag Lot from the city. One of my commentaries asks the question, "Why do some of God's people fall in with the corrupt world rather than willingly flee a society destined for destruction?" Why, indeed?     Mrs. Lot was married to an upright citizen. He was hospitable and generous as seen in verses 2 and 3, where he offered hospitality to strangers. He was a community leader. Actually he was a judge, for he "was sitting in the gateway of the city" (v. 1). Lot had prominence in this wicked city, so I imagine that Mrs. Lot enjoyed being married to such an important man. Lot was also prosperous. Genesis 13: 5 tells us that he had many tents, flocks and herds. Mrs. Lot had money. She was the wife of a successful man. She probably had a very nice home on a spacious piece of property. For Mrs. Lot, Sodom held prominence, security, wealth and notoriety. They were most likely leaving daughters and grandchildren behind. (see Genesis 19:14) Knowing this, we get a bird's eye view on why the Lots didn't really want to say goodbye to Sodom. She was more concerned with her stuff than with her soul and her very life.   Mrs. Lot made some effort to escape the disaster but she let her curiosity and her love for the things of Sodom cause her to disobey orders and look back. The Bible says that she even had the angels grasp her by the hands and lead her out of the city. For goodness sake! They warned her...they led her...and still she didn't listen. And it was fatal! Her love of her possessions turned a movement into a monument. She became fixed to the very spot where she looked back, becoming a pillar of salt, covered and encrusted with deposits from the raining brimstone. And there she remained for many years, a dreadful warning against disobedience to the specific commands of God. Someone has said, "She stood, a silent sentinel to sordid selfishness." But she was not forgotten. Jesus commands his followers and you today..."Remember Lot's wife!"   It is that last thing that we are unwilling to give up that brings destruction to our souls. One more look at the world turned Lot's wife into a sack of salt. One more grip on the world turned Saul's soul into a cavern of despair, and dulled the heavens until God would not hear his cry. One more bag of silver caused Judas to betray Christ and to lose his soul. What are you unwilling to give up for Christ?   Mrs. Lot knew the danger but she still looked back. We know the dangers. God has not left us alone to make our way in this world. He warns us through His Word and the Holy Spirit about the things that we are to avoid and run from. He commands us to flee from evil. He commands us that "no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God."  Following Christ requires... no... demands, that we leave the old life...the old sins...the old habits and our obsession with earthly things. We think that we can linger a little longer...play a little more. But right after Jesus tells us to remember Lot's wife, He says, "Whoever tries to keep his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it." We have to live in this world, but the world must not live in us. The warning is clear...get out and don't look back! Remember Lot's wife...remember how she perished. She died in unbelief...disobedient to God's Word.   What is so good back there anyway? Why do we insist on looking back? Did our sin give us the abundant life? Did we find lasting happiness and contentment following the god of this world? When we look back, we often have the tendency to focus on the good times, the fun times and the pleasant memories. But really look closely at your past life before Christ. Remember the ugliness, the sin, the hurt, the disappointment. Do you really want to go back there? Do you really think that this world has more to offer you than Christ? The apostle Paul even asked the Galatians why they would want to go back to life the way it was before they were in the Spirit of God.   There is a day coming when Jesus Christ, the Son of God, will be revealed for all to see. And Jesus warns us that on that day, we are to go back for NOTHING! That's where He says to "Remember Lot's wife!" We have to learn this lesson right now, today. We have to break our attachments to this world now, before it's too late. We need to get attached to Jesus and Jesus alone. Not our possessions. Not our family. Not our friends. Not our sin. Any delay could be fatal.  If we don't make the break now...we will just become more and more attached to this world and grow further and further away from Christ. Jesus reminded His followers that people should not be attached to their material things at the time of the coming of the kingdom for they, like Lot's wife, will be judged accordingly.    A Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jimmy interrupted. "My Mom looked back once while she was DRIVING," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"  Looking back is always disastrous.    Search your heart. Is it still in Sodom? Remember Lot's wife.         Donna Schultz                                                                              See www.tuesdayswithjesus.blogspot.com for archives.         If you would prefer to not receive these e-mails, please let me know at savemom@aol.com. Feel free to forward them as the Lord leads you and if others would like to receive it, e- mail savemom@aol.com to be added to the list.   If you are viewing this on Blogger.com and would like to receive "Tuesday's with Jesus" in your e-mail box each Tuesday, please e-mail Savemom@aol.com and you will be added to the list.