Father’s Day Poem:
What Makes A Dad - Author Unknown
God took the strength of a mountain, The majesty of a tree, The warmth of a summer sun, The calm of a quiet sea,
The generous soul of nature, The comforting arm of night, The wisdom of the ages, The power of the eagle's flight,
The joy of a morning in spring, The faith of a mustard seed, The patience of eternity, The depth of a family need,
Then God combined these qualities, When there was nothing more to add, He knew His masterpiece was complete,
And so, He called it ... Dad
Quotes:
“What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely.” -Christopher Reeve
John 4:3-42 (42)
Jesus was a Super Man.
He came to earth with a mission: “to seek and save that which is lost.”
He came to His own and they received Him not.
He was a physician who came to heal the sick.
The sin sick and carnally diseased.
Unlike the comic book character of old… Jesus is the Real Thing!
Jesus went from Judea (Jerusalem) to Galilee through Samaria. Josephus said that, that was a 3 day journey.
Jesus said it was “necessary” for Him to pass through Samaria.
He deliberately found Himself in a city called Sychar (anciently called Shechem, later called Neapolis and presently called Nablus) located at the foot of Mount Gerizim, the location of the Samaritan temple sitting on Jacob’s well at the 6th hour (12 o’clock).
Sychar is believed to have gotten its name from the overwhelming drunkenness of its citizens. Sychar means “drunken”.
The prophet Isaiah solemnly charged the Ephraimites (within whose limits this city stood) with drunkenness; in Isaiah 28:1, 3, 7, 8.
And to think, this place had so much potential and history:
-It was the location where Abram first stopped when coming from Haran to Canaan.
-It was where God first appeared to Abram and promised to give unto him and his seed the land.
-It was the first place where Abram built an altar unto the Lord and called upon His great name. (Genesis 7:7).
-Jacob bought the field where he dug this well from the children of -Hamor, the father of Shechem for 100 pieces of silver;
And he built there and called it “El Elohey Yishrael” (The strong God, The covenant God of Israel) – Genesis 23:19
Jacob’s well was dug in firm rock & is about 9’ across & 105’ deep.
“She” came to the well.
Apparently her normal routine. Her daily toil of life and living.
Oh, but today was different.
Because Jesus was a Super Man and he was on the scene.
She said, “thou being a Jew”. Jews had nothing to do with the likes of her; for the Jews cursed them and believed them to be accursed.
The Jews greatest wish and belief was that the Samaritans would have no part in the resurrection.
Therefore, Jesus said unto her, “If thou knewest the gift of God”, He would give her “living water” to drink of and “not thirst”.
Eternal Life and Resurrection from the dead.
Living water is flowing water, spring water.
“Water quenches the thirst, refreshes and invigorates the body, purifies thing defiled, and renders the earth fruitful”-Adam Clarke
And so it is with the Holy Ghost!
John 7:38 “He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.”
She asked of Him, “give me this water”.
Jesus said to her, “call thy husband”.
She said I ain’t got one.
Jesus told her she had, had 5 husbands, and was living with a man currently (making him the 6th man in her life) and now Jesus was the 7th man to come into her life.
She perceived that he was a prophet.
This prophet told her she needed to make a change in her life.
She went home compiling people to “come see a man”… a Super Man.
And 9 years latter great revival came to this area under Philip.
The Samaritans said, "...we have heard for ourselves and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world."
"Savior" means one who saves, delivers, rescues others from peril, danger, or calamity.
Jesus saved my world, save me.
He can certainly make a world of difference to you/for you.
Jesus saves!
Story: The Butterfly -Author Unknown
A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared. He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could, and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time.
Neither happened! In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and haste, did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening were God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Superman had his fortress of solitude and Jesus the Christ had His (Prayer).
Titus 2:11 - The grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
1 Timothy 2:3-4, 6 - God our Savior desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth.
Romans 1:16 - The gospel is the power of God to salvation to everyone who believes.
Hebrews 7:25 - Jesus is able to save to the uttermost.
“Besides Me there is no Savior.” -Isaiah 43:11
“Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." –Acts 4:12
“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” –II Corinthians 6:2
