Day One Hundred Sixty-One “Leaves and Lives”
The putting together of light, or photosynthesis, is a wondrous process! Leaves are nature’s food factories, taking in water via tree roots, absorbing a gas called carbon dioxide from the air, adding in sunshine and the chemical chlorophyll, and through a wonder of God’s creative process, produces oxygen to sustain life for us, and glucose, or sugar, which the leaves use to sustain the tree. The glucose is converted into a building block for growth. As summer surrenders to autumn, those shorter days do not provide enough light to sustain photosynthesis, forcing the tree to temporarily shut down that food-making factory. The green chlorophyll disappears, exposing the bright reds, purples, and yellows that form the stunning fall tapestry that we all enjoy. If God can do that within a leaf, imagine what He can accomplish within a life.
Jesus was on a mission, He “must needs go through Samaria.” Yes, to the disdain of His followers, He was going through Samaria, the home of the despised Samaritans. The Samaritans were a mixed race of people; mixed centuries prior due to the intermarriage of the remnant Jews who lived there and the Assyrian colonists who were sent to that land to repopulate the area after the Israel was taken into captivity. The Samaritan race formed their own national and religious identity, complete with their own distinct holy mountain, sacred writings, and system of worship. This land was considered WAY off limits to a devout Jew, an abomination; the people dwelling there, WAY beyond the reach of Jehovah God and eternal life. But Jesus chose this route to keep a divine appointment. Change was a-coming!
Jesus found the worst of the worst at Jacob’s well, the source of life-sustaining water located outside the small village of Sychar. It is at that well that He meets an unnamed woman, considered nonredeemable even by the despised Samaritans. She is alone, for no honorable woman would be seen in the company of someone so deeply entrenched in her blatant, immoral life style. But the Messiah lovingly reaches deep into her soul, exposes her inner longings, and offers her His “living water.” In a miraculous chain of events, this woman recognizes her need, repents of her sin, and receives her Messiah. That lonely leaf had been touched by the Master. Then in her excitement, she “left her waterpot, and went her way into the city,” where shared the life-changing message that was offered to her to anyone who would listen. “And many more believed…”
Is it not wondrous and humbling that God loves us in spite of our bankrupt lives? Just as He miraculously changes the color of a leaf, He can change the trajectory of a life through the light of His Word. Trust Him today and let Him transform YOUR life into a beautiful tapestry of grace!
Isaiah 12:3 Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.
Thank You, Lord, for the glorious change we can experience at the cross of Calvary! You choose to take those of us least worthy of Your mercy and create beauty through Your saving grace.
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