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Read: John 4:1-26
Listen: John 4

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” John 4:10

It is early in Jesus’s ministry, and he is already facing opposition. As he travels north toward Galilee, he stops at a well in a Samaritan village and meets a woman there alone. This encounter defies cultural norms, as Jews and Samaritans are hostile toward one another and men do not publicly speak with women in that historical context. In a culture where she is overlooked and cast aside, marked by broken relationships, Jesus meets her with compassion. He crosses every boundary to show his love for the outsider and offers her an unexpected message. Though she has searched for satisfaction in many places, Jesus gently reveals that he alone is the true source of life—the living water her soul has been longing for.

Throughout this series, we have seen Jesus as the bread of life, the source of life, and now the water of life, quenching our deepest thirst. Like the woman at the well, we often turn to people and things apart from Jesus to satisfy us, yet we’re continually left empty by what the world offers. This is because the only one who can truly satisfy us is Jesus. No matter our past or current struggles, our sins or failures, Jesus meets us amid all of it and offers us new life in him.

TODAY: Consider the hardest space in your life and story, perhaps something you may have left hidden or tried to handle alone. Confess it to God. Then confide in a trusted Christian friend, and ask them to pray that you would find life in Jesus alone.