I was just reading the story of the woman at the well - John 4. I was thinking about the Lord confronted her sin, by asking her to call her husband, but we don't have a record of Him chastizing her. It was if it was enough for her to know that He knew... He did this after having engaged her for quite some time, drawing her deeper into conversation. He, after revealing that He knew about her lifestyle, then engages her in conversation that points her to who He is, and that revelation is what changed her life. He doesn't reject her after seeing and confirming she is a sinner, but rather extends to her salvation.
I think there is a lesson to be learned in this exchange, namely that we don't need to confront people with their sins right out of the chute, that building and establishing relationship is critical to their being able to move past their awareness of their sin, into a true revelation of who God is, and the salvation He offers them. How quick we often are to see someone's sin and be all ready to confront them, when the Lord shows us a better way.
Additionally, the woman becomes a raging evangelist, and gets most of her town saved by calling them out to meet Jesus. One wonders if the Body of Chirst is missing some key people because we couldn't look past the sin they were presently steeped in? We really need the eyes of the Lord, to see past sin and see the hearts of those we come in contact with throughout our days.
Amen Lord, help me to see as You see.
No comments:
Post a Comment