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THE POUR
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A weekly pour of scripture, encouragement, and connection delivered straight to your inbox.
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Is Your Heart Open?
“The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ ). “When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” Jesus told her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”
John 4:25-26
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I'm in the book of John this week — again! It is one of my favorite books of the Bible because it is so rich with the identity and compassion of Christ.
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Just like the well Jesus mentions in John 4, God's Word is living water that continues to quench my soul. I've read this book many times over — same chapter, same verses. But this week, one verse jumped out to me in a way it hadn't before.
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"Jesus told her, "I, the one speaking to you, am he."" John 4:26
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As you go through the New Testament, you'll notice a pattern. Jesus taught in parables. He spoke in metaphors. He often referred to Himself in the third person, especially when speaking to the Pharisees. There are few times He plainly revealed He was the Christ. This was one of them.
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A woman — a Samaritan woman, going out of her way to avoid the glares and gossip of others — comes across a man at a well and leaves knowing the Messiah.
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I don't presume to know the heart of Christ or the complete will and purpose of God. But this verse stopped me in my tracks this week, and I found myself pondering why. Why this moment? Why this woman? Why did Jesus choose to reveal Himself to her? I'm sure the purpose is greater than her alone — she ran and told all who would hear about Him, and because of her, many believed.
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But I also wonder about her heart. Here was a woman, likely carrying shame and ostracized by her community. Yet she desired to worship the Lord. So when He put Himself in her path, she didn't doubt Him the way the religious leaders of the day so often did — she believed Him. Her heart was open, not hardened, to receive the truth of who God is.
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Sometimes, the very thing stopping us from receiving from God is the condition of our hearts. Whether pride or shame, it can cause us to grow cold and despondent. The Samaritan woman's heart was certainly guarded, but soft enough to seek the truth. In turn, Jesus met her guardedness with compassion, and gave revelation to an already open and seeking heart.
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Is your heart open? Are you seeking? Regardless of our past, God desires to reveal Himself to us. He is seeking hearts who are willing and humbled to receive from Him. He is not looking for perfect. He is looking for open. Wherever you are today, He's already at the well, waiting.
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Flourishing with you, Tamara
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P.S. Hit reply and tell me one word that describes the condition of your heart in this season.
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Also, if you haven't already, download my gift to you - Seed & Soil 3-Day Reset- giving you a taste of the rhythm and flow of the Take Inventory Journal!
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WE POUR, YOU POUR
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The POUR doesn’t stop with you! As you are being filled up, go and pour into someone else. Share a Bible verse or an encouraging word, host a Bible study, or invite someone to your church’s next gathering. We have all been commissioned to make Christ known.
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