Devotion - Thursday, August 18

In John 4, we read the story of the Samaritan woman whom Jesus encounters at the well.  This woman is so moved by her encounter with Jesus that she goes into the city and tells the people that she believes she has found "the Christ."  The people of the city come to the place where Jesus is waiting.

For two days, they are together - Jesus and the people of the city.

After this time, the people speak to the woman, "It is no longer because of your words that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world."

There is a very important transition here, one that we should not miss.  It is a process or series of events which is to be repeated in our own lives.  They believe, they come, the see - because of what they had been told.  But after spending time with Jesus, they believe of their own accord.

This shift, this change, this is the transition which must happen during our young adult years.  As a child, we have a "borrowed faith," we have borrowed it from those who brought us this far.  But the time comes to set aside our childish ways.  We must explore and question and dissect what we have been told by others.  We spend time with Jesus, and we reconstruct our own reasons for believing and trusting and confessing.

"We no longer believe because of your words......"  this is what I hope each of you will say before your university days are over.