Author: skuntzman

Jesus Christ is my Savior and I have been born again (John 3:1-6; Acts 2:38). He gifted me with the love of my life, Anita. She blessed me with 2 awesome children, a brilliant daughter-in-law, and the 5 best grandkids in the world. Together, Anita and I are striving to introduce and bring people to a victorious life through the Lord Jesus Christ.

Categories
Bible Preaching

Determined to Meet the Challenge

Text: Hebrews 11:32-12:2

(32)  And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: (33)  Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, (34)  Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. (35)  Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: (36)  And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment: (37)  They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (38)  (Of whom the world was not worthy🙂 they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. (39)  And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: (40)  God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect. (12:1)  Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

I got called out, to a street fight when I was 15 years old.

Two brothers and their cousin took offense at my breaking up their three way fight and they turned on me and challenged me to take on all three – at the same time.

Being less cautious than I should have been, I accepted, because I knew my best friend, Tony Huff, would stand with me.

On that fateful day, Tony and I met the trio of trouble at a road construction site about two blocks from my home.

We were Determined to Meet the Challenge.

We were not necessarily equipped to meet the challenge, but we were determined.

I don’t think I’ll forget the moment when we were through talking and about to square off, 2 against 3, my fists raised, my adrenaline pumping and my best friend beside me…

When all the sudden I heard running feet coming down the alley.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a wave of brown hair and a flash of blue denim skirt and a voice saying, “Stephen Eugene Kuntzman, Anthony Douglas Huff, you come here right now.”

Too our everlasting embarrassment, Momma had heard about the rumble and she was there to stop it.

But we were determined.

That youthful rumble ended in embarrassment, but it taught me a lesson about determination.

Life eventually brings real battles where “Momma” cannot step in to save you and in those challenging moments, you can look to a much greater cloud of witnesses who stood their ground.

Determined to Meet the Challenge

Life is full of challenges, struggles, trials, tough decisions, unpleasant conversations, disappointments, losses,

And even when you have done everything correctly to meet those challenges head-on there is no promise that you’ll succeed in the moment.

In faith you come to the battle, but you are not guaranteed the outcome you believed for, hoped in, dreamed about, and prayed over will come to pass.

To have faith is to be sure of the things we hope for, to be certain of the things we cannot see.[1]

And we know we can do all things through Christ because He is the source of our strength.[2]

And we understand that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.[3]

But what do you do when ALL YOU HAVE BELIEVED FOR CRUMBLES BEFORE YOUR EYES?

Are you determined to meet the challenge?

It’s 1968, the Olympics are being hosted in Mexico City, and John Stephen Akhwari, a runner from Tanzania, cements his Olympic legacy not by winning, but by finishing last. Despite falling, injuring his knee and shoulder, and suffering from altitude cramps, he kept meeting the challenge. By the time he entered the stadium, the sun had set, the medal ceremony was over, and a small crowd remained. 75 started the race, but only 57 finished, and that final competitor to cross the line was Akhwari. Battered, bruised, injured and bandaged he was asked why he didn’t just quit. He replied, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; they sent me 5,000 miles to finish it.”[4]

He was Determined to Meet the Challenge.

The Apostle Paul wrote to Pastor Timothy, his son in the Gospel: “(2)  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.  (3)  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;  (4)  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.  (5)  But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.  (6)  For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand.  (7)  I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:  (8)  Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”[5]

The challenges of life and leadership are not easy,

But after 43 years, Bishop Moore and First Lady Moore have proven their determination, their grit, strength of character, and faith in God.

You are surrounded by their witness of faith.

God chose this man and woman to represent Him to you and to this city.

Moreover, God has been using them to teach, train, mold, edify, and love you so that you can do the work of the ministry.

And at the same time, He has filled their lives with challenges that reveal His hand and purpose in their life.

But, as Søren Kierkegaard wrote: “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.”

When God Wants to Drill a Man[6]

By: Angela Morgan[7]

When God wants to drill a manWatch His methods, watch His ways!And he lifts beseeching hands!
And thrill a manHow He ruthlessly perfectsHow He bends but never breaks
And skill a man,  Whom He royally elects!When his good He undertakes;
When God wants to mold a manHow He hammers him and hurts him,How He uses whom He chooses
To play the noblest part;  And with mighty blows converts himAnd with every purpose fuses him;
When He yearns with all His heartInto trial shapes of clay whichBy every act induces him  
To create so great and bold a manOnly God understands;  To try His splendour out–  
That all the world shall be amazed,While his tortured heart is cryingGod knows what He’s about!

We’ve all been there, haven’t we?

We have all experienced God ruthlessly perfecting, hammering, and chiseling, and smoothing our rough edges as He molds us for a noble purpose.

We have all asked Jesus, “Why?”

And He is often silent, but you can count on this – God knows what He’s about!

“..weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.”[8]

When your faith is challenged, questioned, ATTACKED, or injured, you will face a moment of choice between meeting the challenge or stepping aside.

And if you have determined to meet the challenge, you will often face the same choice again and again and again.

The challenge is bigger than you are, it is more important than you can sometimes grasp. It is eternal in scope:

“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”[9]

That’s faith! The substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.[10]

And without it, without FAITH, it’s impossible to please God.[11]

Do you know how I know that this Man of God and His wife have pleased God?

They are still here. They haven’t quit. They’ve kept the faith.

They decided a long time ago that they were determined to meet the challenge.

It no longer matters what the challenge is, after 43 years they have dealt with all kinds of challenges from the pew, from the pulpit, from the world, and from the enemy:

  • Moral Bankruptcy
  • Spiritual Apathy
  • Physical Sickness
  • Social Injustice
  • Financial Challenges
  • Demonic Influence
  • Mental Instability
  • Gender Dysphoria
  • Death

Life has thrown every obstacle in their pastoral path, but they are still standing, still determined, still standing in the gap for you.

Most of you have taken their example and followed suit, but some ran when challenges arrived.

The trying of your faith revealed a weakness, a brokenness that you can’t seem to get over.

You have been beating yourself up for so long that you don’t even know how you made it here today.

You are not as lost as you think.

Jesus is searching for you even in your cloudy and dark day:  (11)  For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. (12)  As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. (16)  I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.[12]

The Lord God is not resisting, rejecting or denying you…He is searching for even one lost, broken, scattered sheep.

“For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again.”[13]

Paul and James wrote about enduring the persecutions, hardness and afflictions that challenge all believers and ministers of the Gospel.

They could only write about such things because they had experienced them.

Is it possible that they were determined to meet the challenge, but sometimes, like Peter on the night of our Lord’s crucifixion found themselves not as strong as they professed?

Did mercy come to them and now their voices of grace and experience encourages us to stand tall, firm, resolute?

Now, to our text: Hebrews 12:1-2, “(1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, (2) Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

The cloud of witnesses – our heroes of Hebrews, our elders, your Bishop and First Lady are looking towards you today.

They surround you, they compass you, watching to see if you can lay aside that which has hindered you.

Can you receive the baton of determination, faith, and endurance?

Will you run with patience the race set before you?

Are you Determined to Meet the Challenge?

Look to Jesus: “And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem” (Luke 9:51).

Jesus demonstrated determination by deliberately marching toward Jerusalem. He knew that betrayal, torture, and crucifixion were waiting for Him.

He was determined to face the agony of the cross and to bear your sins on it.

He refused fear, even when facing intense physical and spiritual pain. Jesus looked past the temporal and focused on the ultimate eternal victory.

He disregarded the humiliation and pushed through the suffering for the sake of the final goal:

“…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”[14]

That joy was you.

Conclusion:

We are surrounded by a massive cloud of witnesses—from the heroes of Hebrews to 43 years of pastoral grit.

Jesus did not stop at Gethsemane,

Akhwari did not stop on the marathon track,

Bishop Moore and Lady Moore have not stopped through 43 years of challenges.

Lay aside the weights that hold you down and turn away from your sins.

Stop beating yourself up over past falls and failures.

Jesus is here binding your wounds today.

Stand up, square your shoulders, and be

Determined to Meet the Challenge.

[1] Good News Bible.

[2] Philippians 4:13

[3] Romans 8:28

[4] Source: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/marathon-man-akhwari-demonstrates-superhuman-spirit

[5] 2 Timothy 4:1-8 

[6] https://marbaniang.wordpress.com/2017/09/07/origin-of-the-poem-when-god-wants-to-drill-a-man/

[7] Believed to be an anonymously “Christianized” form of her 1918 poem When Nature Wants a Man.

[8] Ps. 30:5

[9] 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

[10] Hebrews 11:1

[11] Hebrews 11:6

[12] Ezekiel 34:11-12, 16

[13] Proverbs 24:16

[14] Hebrews 12:2

Categories
Bible Teaching

The Sin Bucket -Harold Hoffman

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Scent of Water

Tree roots glowing with blue and green light above and below water in an underground forest pit
A mystical view of tree roots glowing above and below water in a forest pit

Text: Job 14:7-9, “(7) For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. (8) Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; (9) Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.”

I love the scent of the ocean air that increases the closer I get to the beach when my wife and I go to Hilton Head Island for vacation.

“Water” mentioned over 500 times in the Bible.

Water is present in Scripture from the first chapter of Genesis to the final chapter of the book Revelation.

Water is necessary for life, and most people cannot go more than 4 days without it.

It is a symbol of God’s spirit, cleansing, and judgment.

Key Symbolic Meanings[1]

  • Life and Creation: Water is present at the very beginning when the Spirit of God hovers over the waters (Genesis 1:2). It represents God’s life-giving power and is essential for the flourishing of all life.
    • Genesis 1:1-2, “(1) In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.  (2)  And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.”
  • Purification and Cleansing: Water is used to ritually cleanse and symbolizes the removal of sin and impurity. In the New Testament, it is the central element of baptism, representing spiritual rebirth and the washing away of sins.
    • Acts 22:16, “And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord.”
    • Acts 2:38
  • Judgment: Water can signify divine judgment
    • The Great Flood (Genesis 6-9)The destruction of the Egyptian army in the Red Sea.
    • Your sins in the waters of baptism
  • The Holy Spirit: “Living Water”
    • John 7:37-39, “(37) In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.  (38)  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.  (39)  (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”

Famous Biblical Events Involving Water[2]

  • The Red Sea Crossing: God parts the sea to allow the Israelites to escape from Egypt on dry ground (Exodus 14).
  • Water from the Rock: During their wilderness journey, God miraculously provides water from a rock to quench the people’s thirst (Exodus 17:6).
    • That rock was Christ: “And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”[3]
    • The water is the Spirit of Christ: “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”[4]
  • Jesus’ First Miracle: Jesus turns water into wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11).
  • Walking on Water: Jesus demonstrates His authority over nature by walking on the Sea of Galilee during a storm (Matthew 14:22-33).
  • The Woman at the Well: Jesus offers “living water” to a Samaritan woman, explaining that those who drink it will never thirst again:
    • John 4:7-15, “(7)  There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (8)  (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) (9)  Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. (10)  Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. (11)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? (12)  Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? (13)  Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: (14)  But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. (15)  The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.”

More Water[5]

  • Psalm 23:2, “He leadeth me beside still waters.”
  • Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.”
  • Amos 5:24, “But let judgment run down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream.”
  • Revelation 22:1, “And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”

I’m Thirsty!

There is a deep-rooted desire, an unquenchable thirst for God, in each of us, and we will fill it with something:

  • Psalm 63:1, “God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;”
  • Psalm 143:6, “I stretch forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a thirsty land. Selah.”
  • Isaiah 55:1, “Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.”
  • Psalms 42:1-2, “As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God.  (2)  My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?”
    • An inherent desire inside each of us for the One true source of life; our Lord Jesus Christ.
    • “There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man.”[6]

Life has a way sometimes of cutting us down.

We might say that someone is “cut off at the knees.”

Our text tells us: “(7) For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. (8) Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; (9) Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.”[7]

Did you know?[8]

Trees and plants can actually detect moisture levels in the soil. Their roots contain biological sensors that detect: moisture, chemical traces carried in water, and temperature differences.

Even when a tree has been cut down and appears dead, living root tissue may remain dormant underground.

When moisture increases in the soil: the root system detects it, dormant buds activate, and new shoots begin forming

Just the detection of water – the scent of water – will trigger life.

The root can sense the presence of life-giving moisture before it even receives it.

It is not smelling in the human sense, but detecting the signal of life nearby.

This is what happens when we begin to sing praises, raise our hands, lift our voices and shout unto God.

What Job Was Saying?[9]

While humans appear to die and stay dead, trees can come back to life “through the scent of water.”

Jesus’ incarnation displayed for us the power of “the scent of water” because He is the “root out of a dry ground.”

 (1)  Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed? (2)  For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.[10]

So he says: “There is hope of a tree…”

Even if:

  • the trunk is cut
  • the stump is dead
  • the roots are buried

The moment it detects the scent of water — it can live and thrive again.

Even if you have been:

  • spiritually cut down – you can live again
  • buried in failure – you can live again
  • dried up in your soul – you can live again
  • burnt by life’s furnace of affliction – you can live again
  • numbed by betrayal – you can live again

If you can detect even the faintest presence of the Spirit…

Life can return.

Just “the scent of water” is enough – it is the signal of life

Acts 17:24-28, “(24) God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  (25)  Neither is worshipped with men’s hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;  (26)  And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation;  (27)  That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us:  (28)  For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring.”

You may be exhausted, discouraged, or spiritually dazed, but just catching a whiff of the scent of water can give you hope,

And sensing that small signal of hope can restart life.

Examples of “the scent of water” in real life:

  • one encouraging word
  • a moment in prayer
  • a sermon that awakens faith
  • a glimpse of purpose
  • a fresh touch of God
  • a song that inspires hope
  • a Bible passage that reignites conviction

The soul senses possibility before full restoration arrives.

Job did not say, ““through the river of water.”

He did not write, “through the flood of water”

Job said, “through the scent of water.”

That scent simply means that it takes very little to awaken a dormant life.

Not a flood – Just a hint – Just a signal – Just the possibility

Just a scent – Just a detection of the signal of life – Just a little hope

Someone has said: “The root doesn’t need a river. It just needs to know the water is coming.”

That’s the scent of water.

The moment a soul catches the scent of…

Grace – Hope – Mercy – The Holy Ghost – God’s Love

Something inside begins to live again.

Through the scent of water

The blessed man is “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper” (Psalm 1:3).

You have been blessed to catch the scent of water.

“(7) For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. (8) Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; (9) Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant.”

[1] SOURCE: Google AI Mode. Query: water in the Bible.

[2] Ibid.

[3] 1 Cor. 10:4.

[4] Is. 12:3. Read whole chapter

[5] Ibid.

[6] Blaise Pascal

[7] Job 14:7-9

[8] SOURCE: ChatGPT from Aaron Fairburn

[9] Ibid.

[10] Isaiah 53:1-2

<<Preached in Glen Ferris, WV on 3/8/2026>>

Categories
Golden Heart Foundation

Letting Go

A woman walking on a stone path beside a cottage surrounded by blooming flowers at sunset
A woman enjoys a peaceful walk through a colorful cottage garden at sunset.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “(1) To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:  (2)  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;  (3)  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;  (4)  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;  (5)  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;  (6)  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;  (7)  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;  (8)  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

I have a hard time letting go – but I, and you, are in good company:

  • Jacob wrestles with the Angel of the Lord (Ge. 32). At Jabbok, after a lifetime of trying to do it his way – ways that failed – Jacob lets go of his past, his control, his plans and grabs onto God for a new future, new trust, new life.
  • Moses at the burning bush. God commands Moses to move beyond his past failures in Egypt to embrace his future purpose.

Letting Go of the past.

  • You ARE NOT your past actions.
  • You ARE NOT your past failures. 
  • You ARE NOT how others treat you. 
  • You ARE who you think you are. 
  • You ARE who you choose to be.

Let it go. Stop worrying about the past and the things that you cannot change. Worrying accomplishes nothing, and it doesn’t help you change.

My Uncle, Mark Kuntzman, said to me one day. “Why worry when you can pray.”

Your past can make you stronger, if you will learn the lesson it offers. You are not required to remain in that situation. Let Go!

  • Proverbs 24:16, “For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief.”
  • Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
  • “Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Is. 43:18-19).

It’s your choice: Stop worrying, Ask for God’s help, Make a change.

  • “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10).
  • “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13).
  • John 8:32, “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”
  • Philippians 3:12-14, “(12) Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.  (13)  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,  (14)  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Categories
Golden Heart Foundation

A Conversation at Noon

Stone water well with wooden pulley, bucket, and clay jar in desert
A stone well with a wooden pulley and a clay jar in a dry desert landscape

“…He must needs go through Samaria” (John 4:1-45).

The Jews in Jesus’ day would often take the long way around Samaria, but Jesus felt compelled to go through Samaria.

Then, near the village of Sychar, He sends His disciples into the village for food and sits on Jacob’s well at noon (the sixth hour).

And He waits for a woman of Samaria to come.

No name is mentioned, just her gender and her genealogical status – A Samaritan woman (half Jew and considered by the Jews to be “unclean.”

He begins a conversation with her — at noon

She initially resists and is mistrusting of this Jewish teacher’s intentions.

She has been rejected, marginalized and devalued for all her life by these Jews and now life’s choices and situations have in a real sense separated her even from her own people.

This is why she goes to the well at the hottest part of the day:

  • To escape the judgmental glances
  • To avoid hearing the condemning voices
  • To protect her heart from witnessing happiness in others she doesn’t possess

Then this Jewish Rabbi, an interloper, sits on the well she needs to draw water from and has the audacity to cross a cultural divide and ask her for a drink of water — Who does he think he is?

She doesn’t respond positively. She might even be a little snippy with Jesus:

“You are a Jew,” she replied, “and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink of water when Jews and Samaritans won’t have anything to do with each other?” 

Jesus answered, “You don’t know what God wants to give you, and you don’t know who is asking you for a drink. If you did, you would ask me for the water that gives life.” 

She doubles down: “Sir, you don’t even have a bucket, and the well is deep. Where are you going to get this life-giving water? Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, and his family and animals got water from it. Are you greater than Jacob?” 

Thus begins a conversation at noon that changes her life and sets the stage for Jesus to tell her what He has never told anyone else before:

The woman saith unto him, “I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.”

Jesus saith unto her, “I that speak unto thee am He.”

Who is he…He is Jesus, the Christ…the Messiah!

Points to Consider:[1]

  • Confronting Reality Without Condemnation: Jesus revealed her personal history—having had five husbands and currently living with a man who was not her husband. Crucially, He did this to reveal himself, not to shame her. This “tender seeing” allowed her to move past her own guilt and recognize him as a prophet.
  • Clarifying True Worship: When she attempted to pivot to a religious debate about the proper place to worship (Mount Gerizim vs. Jerusalem), Jesus responded that true worship is “in spirit and in truth,” making the location irrelevant.
  • Full Revelation and Mission: Once she expressed hope for the coming Messiah, Jesus directly declared, “I who speak to you am He.”
  • The Depth of Her Change: Seen in her immediate reaction: she left her water jar behind—symbolizing her move from physical thirst to spiritual fulfillment—and ran to her village to testify – “Come see a Man that told me all ever that I did.”

[1] SOURCE: GOOGLE AI MODE: Query- explain the way that Jesus initially overcome the resistance and mistrust of the woman at the well, and her change of heart. Italicized.

Categories
Bridges

Jesus Heals the Leper

Jesus placing his hand on a kneeling man's shoulder in a serene landscape with olive trees and a village in the background
Jesus gently heals a kneeling man in a peaceful outdoor setting at sunset.

One of the first miracles of Jesus’ ministry is found in Mark 1:40-45, “(40) And there came a leper to him, beseeching him, and kneeling down to him, and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.  (41)  And Jesus, moved with compassion, put forth his hand, and touched him, and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean.  (42)  And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed.  (43)  And he straitly charged him, and forthwith sent him away;  (44)  And saith unto him, See thou say nothing to any man: but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer for thy cleansing those things which Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them.  (45)  But he went out, and began to publish it much, and to blaze abroad the matter, insomuch that Jesus could no more openly enter into the city, but was without in desert places: and they came to him from every quarter.”

Jesus Heals the Leper[1]

In Leviticus 13 & 14 (the two longest chapters in the book), “leprosy” is treated not just as a medical issue, but also as a spiritual defilement that manifests physically. It teaches us about the nature and consequences of sin.

Leprosy is a symbol of sin:

  • Sin is Deep-Rooted: In Leviticus 13:3 the infection must be “deeper than the skin.”
    • Why? Sin is a condition of the heart, not just outward behavior.
    • Man looks on the outwards, but God on the heart.
  • Sin Spreads and Corrupts: Leprosy spreads across the body, and sin is an infectious spiritual disease that grows like leaven and corrupts a person’s entire life.
  • Sin Numbs, Desensitizes and Disfigures: Leprosy (Hansen’s Disease) numbs the nerves.
    • This is akin to someone who has a “seared conscience” A person’s conscience is seared when they lose their sensitivity and become unfeeling and unaware of their own spiritual decay.
    • Because of the numbness the leper feels no pain until too late, and the result is missing appendages, lesions, open sores, etc.
  • Sin Alienates and Isolates: The requirement for lepers to be “put out of the camp” represents the separation from God and people caused by sin.
    • “Command the children of Israel, that they put out of the camp every leper…” (Num. 5:2).
    • Infected individuals were required to wear torn clothes, keep their hair unkempt, cover their mouths, and shout “Unclean, unclean” to warn others in their vicinity to keep away.

Jesus Heals the Leper

How?

He roots out sin through justification and sanctification.

  1. The New Birth – A New Heart – Justification
    • Ezekiel 36:24-27; Jeremiah 31:33-34; John 3:3-8; Acts 2:38; 1 Cor. 6:9-11
    • New Creature – new nature – new desires
  2. Conviction – the Sword of the Spirit – the Teacher – Sanctification
    • 2 Cor. 7:9-11; Hebrews 4:12; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Thess. 4:3-7
    • Conviction – clean conscience – sensitivity
  3. Your Contribution – Mortify (kill) the Deeds of the Body.
    • Romans 8:12
    • Colossians 3:5-10, “(5) So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.  (6)  Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.  (7)  You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world.  (8)  But now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language.  (9)  Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds.  (10)  Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him.”
  4. Daily Cleansing – Relationsip
    • 1 Jn. 1:9; Ps. 51:10; Lk. 9:23; Pr. 28:13; Ps. 32:5; Jn. 13:10; Ja. 4:8; Ja.5:16
    • Psalms 139:23-24, “(23) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:  (24)  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

Conclusion

Jesus healing the leper teaches us that He does not merely cover sin’s symptoms—He reaches into the heart, touches what is unclean, and makes the person completely new.

“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17).

Jesus restores relationships, reverses isolation, renews our  conscience

All we need to do is receive His touch, mortify daily the sin that tempts us, and walk in the newness of life.

Like the leper who was sent to the priest as a testimony, our transformed lives are meant to point others to Jesus – the Cleanser.

Jesus Heals the Leper – We are all lepers.

The Tailor and the Stained Coat

Imagine a man who has worn a once-fine coat until it is stained, threadbare, and reeking of neglect.

His neighbors avoid him because the coat announces his ruin.

A master tailor sees him, takes the coat, and does three things:

  1. He washes it until the grime is gone
  2. He repairs the torn seams and replaces the lining so the coat will keep its shape
  3. He presses it daily and teaches the man how to care for it so the repairs last.

The tailor’s work is not a one-time cosmetic fix but a complete restoration requiring the owner’s willingness to be helped and to maintain what has been given.

Jesus cleanses, mends, and trains us in our new lifestyle so that the healing endures and becomes a testimony to others.

Jesus Heals the Leper

[1] Italicized parts were done with the help of GOOGLE AI and/or Copilot.

Categories
History

Shadrach, Meshach & Abednego -Charles Laughton

Three men in robes standing unharmed in a large fiery furnace with a glowing figure beside them and soldiers watching
Three men stand unharmed in a blazing furnace with a glowing figure beside them.

Notice this line: “…there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.”

Daniel 3:1-30, “(1) Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, whose height was threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof six cubits: he set it up in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon.  (2)  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king sent to gather together the princes, the governors, and the captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image which Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.  (3)  Then the princes, the governors, and captains, the judges, the treasurers, the counsellors, the sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, were gathered together unto the dedication of the image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up; and they stood before the image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up.  (4)  Then an herald cried aloud, To you it is commanded, O people, nations, and languages,  (5)  That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:  (6)  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.  (7)  Therefore at that time, when all the people heard the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and all kinds of musick, all the people, the nations, and the languages, fell down and worshipped the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up.  (8)  Wherefore at that time certain Chaldeans came near, and accused the Jews.  (9)  They spake and said to the king Nebuchadnezzar, O king, live for ever.  (10)  Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:  (11)  And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.  (12)  There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.  (13)  Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.  (14)  Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?  (15)  Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?  (16)  Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.  (17)  If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.  (18)  But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.  (19)  Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.  (20)  And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.  (21)  Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  (22)  Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  (23)  And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.  (24)  Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.  (25)  He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.  (26)  Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.  (27)  And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.  (28)  Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.  (29)  Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.  (30)  Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.”

Categories
Bible Teaching

Taking Away Services – Tim Dilena

I agree with Tim Dilena’s comments here. We don’t need less time together in the Body of Christ, but more, or as Paul wrote:

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25, NLT).

Categories
Golden Heart Foundation

When Jesus was told, “No.”

Clay cup with liquid on mossy stone surrounded by green plants
A handcrafted clay cup rests on a moss-covered rock in a lush garden at dusk.

The three prayers of Jesus in Gethsemane represent the ultimate moment of human vulnerability and divine submission:[1]

Matthew 26:36-46, “(36) Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder.  (37)  And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy.  (38)  Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me.  (39)  And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.  (40)  And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour?  (41)  Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.  (42)  He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. (43)  And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.  (44)  And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.  (45)  Then cometh he to his disciples, and saith unto them, Sleep on now, and take your rest: behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  (46)  Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me.”

Mark 14:32-42, “(35) …fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. (36)  And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt…. (39) And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words…. (41)  And he cometh the third time…”

Luke 22:42-46, “…if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.  (43)  And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.  (44)  And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”

Jesus repeated the same petition three separate times:

  • He asked, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me.”
  • The “cup” symbolized the weight of human sin and God’s wrath He was about to endure.
  • Each time, He concluded with a statement of total submission: “Yet not as I will, but as you will”.

Key Features of the Prayer:

  • Anguish – Jesus’ soul was “overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.”
  • Physical Toll – His sweat became like “great drops of blood falling to the ground” (a rare condition known as hematohidrosis caused by extreme stress).
  • Relationship – Jesus used the intimate term “Abba, Father” (Mark 14:36). He kept His personal relationship with God.

God did not remove the “cup,” but by the end of His prayer, Jesus was at peace and ready to face betrayal, abandonment and the cross.

The prayer in Gethsemane is perhaps the most profound example of a “No” from God.

Jesus did not get what He wanted from the Father.

Even for Jesus, prayer was not some type of magical spell spoken to change His circumstance, but a test of relationship as He willingly aligned His human will with unwanted divine purpose of the Father.

The Prayers of Jesus display for us the genuine tension between his human desire to avoid suffering and His divine mission.

“Let this cup pass from me” = a natural, holy desire to avoid the physical and spiritual agony of the cross.

The Divine “No” — You would never expect Jesus to get a “NO” from the Father — NEVER, but here it is, “No.”

God did not grant the request to bypass the cross. This demonstrates that an unanswered prayer (in the way we want it) is not a sign of God’s absence or displeasure—after all, Jesus is God’s “Beloved Son.”

This moment establishes a model for how to handle “unanswered” prayers:

  • Honesty: Jesus was brutally honest about what he wanted (“Take this cup”).
  • Trust: He ended with “Not my will, but yours,” acknowledging that
    God’s perspective was greater than his immediate suffering.
  • Submission: He moved from the posture of a petitioner to the posture
    of a participant in God’s plan, eventually rising from prayer with the
    resolve to face his arrest.

Hebrews 4:14-16, “(14) Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  (15)  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  (16) Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”

In order to know ALL that humanity experiences, Jesus had to learn what it was like to hear the Father say, “No.”

“…in all points tempted like as we are…”

Hebrews 12:1-2, “(1) Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us,  (2)  Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

[1] Italicized parts were done with the help of GOOGLE AI and/or Copilot.

Categories
Music

glued to you – RIDERS

I just found this group recently and this song is now stuck in my brain…

glued to you

[Verse 1]
How have I been?
Living on my own accord
Is it worth the rent?
They wished me well
But it’s hard to live a good, old life
When I’m wasting it

[Verse 2]
A beckoning
I hear a righteous, booming voice
And it’s asking me
“How have you been?”
Well, honestly I’m broken
Kind of hopeless and I need You, my friend

[Chorus]
I don’t deserve this love
Yet still You show me it
All those times I’ve been asleep
Not knowing that You’ve always been near
Now I won’t leave this bond
I’m covered in Your blood
I’ll follow You till death is due
I’m eternally glued to You

[Verse 3]
How could it be
A chained stingy, hardened heart
Turned into ecstasy?
A single touch
My hurt, my shame, my lust for fame
It’s gone, it’s done, now I’ll never leave

[Chorus]
I don’t deserve this love
Yet still You show me it
All those times I’ve been asleep
Not knowing that You’ve always been near
Now I won’t leave this bond
I’m covered in Your blood
I’ll follow You till death is due
I’m eternally glued to You

[Interlude]

[Bridge]
You can chuck my past in the trash like an old cardigan
‘Cause I’ma dig that grave and bury it with all my sin
Au revoir to the lust and the drugs that kept me insane
Now look at my life, I’m freer than I’ve ever been
And I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care what the world has to say
They can see my life and hopefully learn a thing
I could die right now just happy that I served a friend
That died for my life; our love, it goes hand-in-hand
Yeah, oh

[Interlude]

[Outro]
I just want to want You
I just want to know You
I just want to feel You
I just want to love You
I just want to want You
I just want to know You
I just want to feel You
I just want to love You
I just want to want You
I just want to know You
I just want to feel You
I just want to love You
I just want to want You
I just want to know You
I just want to feel You
I just want to love You