This week I realized I have issues. I mean I’ve always had issues but the deeper I walk in relationship to Jesus the more he seems to be drawing all of that out of me. It makes me deal with it, which is good, but it’s uncovering layers of deep sin that I normally suppress and don’t mess with.

GETTING TO THE ROOT OF SIN IS DIFFICULT

I remember when Angela and I went to counseling a few years ago (yes we had issues too..) I was just looking for someone I could tell our situation to and then be told which one of us was wrong (obviously Angela). That would settle it and we’d be better for it.
Instead he told us, “I don’t want to hear about your issues.” I thought to myself, “what kind of crap counseling is this?....I’m paying for this…?”

Turns out it was exactly what I needed. Why? Because he taught us that all of our issues that we were regularly struggling with wasn’t the root. Those were all just symptoms of a deeper issue.

It was getting to the root of sin that matters. Getting to the heart of the belief system that I had created, that was important. Once I allowed the gospel to penetrate to that level, all of my external (secondary) issues would easily be removed.

That was hard. Doing that kind of work is never easy, but nothing in life worth doing usually is.

DEEPER THAN THE LAW

Do you ever get annoyed at the Lord for going after the deeper areas of your life? I know I do. Why can’t it be enough that I don’t kill people, sleep around or steal stuff? Why does he have to go after pride, entitlement, anger, etc?

This week we’ll read about the woman at the well. Jesus wasn’t interested in the external situation. He brings up to this woman her ‘man-issues’ to reveal a deeper need that was going on in her heart.

And that’s the part he’s after in me and you too.

Let us cling to the Lord this week in prayer and in the Word and ask him to take us deeper than ever before. We must realize that he goes after our hearts with such ferociousness because it leads us to the most joy and freedom we could possibly have on this earth. He wants that for us.

LEADING OUR FAMILIES TO JOY AND FREEDOM

That’s why we lead our families well. We want that for them: joy and freedom. It’s not enough to check off the list that we don’t break the ten commandments. That’s what the rich young ruler did, right? He obeyed everything but the deeper issue was that he loved stuff more than he loved God. He went away sad because he could easily obey the law, not to kill anyone, but couldn’t obey Jesus’ personal command to him to sell his possessions.

We have to go deeper with our families. If we do family devotions every day of our lives and only teach our children to be morally good we have made a tragic mistake!

My kids are still very young, so i’m still in the weeds with them, but I can imagine the joy that would fill my heart if my children grew up to experience the kind of joy and freedom that comes from letting Jesus into the deeper areas of their hearts.

That’s a different game than a lot of church people are playing today. But that's what we need to fight for, to content for. To that end we start our Daily Devo this week from John 4.

Josh Walker (@joshdwalker) is the co-founder and owner of One Fifty Media House, a Houston, TX based Audio and Video Design Team. He is the writer and author of music products such as Family Devo, Grammar Time and Hymns For Selena. He is married to Angela and has two beautiful children: Nathan and Charity Joy.

Day 1: John 4:1-15

Weekly Catechism: (bold words are for younger children)

• Q10: What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
• A: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline

READ:

[1] Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus was making and baptizing more disciples than John [2] (although Jesus himself did not baptize, but only his disciples), [3] he left Judea and departed again for Galilee. [4] And he had to pass through Samaria. [5] So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. [6] Jacob's well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well. It was about the sixth hour.

[7] A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” [8] (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) [9] The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) [10] Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” [11] The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water? [12] Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock.” [13] Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, [14] but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” [15] The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I will not be thirsty or have to come here to draw water.”          - John 4:1-15 ESV

Teach/Talk: Talk about what you observe from this passage. What stands out to you? What can we learn?

• Suggested Question: Jesus is drawing this woman in but is she getting it? Why not?

PRAY:

Pray through the text and for your family’s specific needs.

• Suggested Prayer: Thank God for the spiritual life that he has given you in Christ. Ask him to make it more and more resourceful to others in your life.

SING:

Play or sing a family favorite worship song, hymn, or kids church song.

Day 2:  John 4:16-26

Weekly Catechism: (bold words are for younger children)

• Q10: What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
• A: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline

READ:

[16] Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” [17] The woman answered him, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You are right in saying, ‘I have no husband’; [18] for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true.” [19] The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. [20] Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” [21] Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. [22] You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. [23] But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. [24] God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” [25] The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” [26] Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.” - John 4:16-26 (ESV)

Teach/Talk: Talk about what you observe from this passage. What stands out to you? What can we learn?

• Suggested Question: How does this Samaritan woman miss the point? And how does Jesus engage with her?

PRAY:

Pray through the text and for your family’s specific needs.

• Suggested Prayer: Thank God that he is the truth, life and the way. Thank him that he has destroyed the societal diving wall creating only true worshipers (spirit and truth).

SING:

Play or sing a family favorite worship song, hymn, or kids church song.

DAY 3: John 4:27-30

Weekly Catechism: (bold words are for younger children)

• Q10: What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
• A: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline

READ:

[27] Just then his disciples came back. They marveled that he was talking with a woman, but no one said, “What do you seek?” or, “Why are you talking with her?” [28] So the woman left her water jar and went away into town and said to the people, [29] “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did. Can this be the Christ?” [30] They went out of the town and were coming to him. - John 4:27-30 (ESV)

Teach/Talk: Talk about what you observe from this passage. What stands out to you? What can we learn?

• Suggested Question: How can you tell this woman is really excited and emotionally moved by her encounter with Jesus?

PRAY:

Pray through the text and for your family’s specific needs.

• Suggested Prayer: Thank Jesus that he is the Christ and that he does know everything. Ask God to give you and your family a continued true emotional response to Jesus’ relationship with you.

SING:

Play or sing a family favorite worship song, hymn, or kids church song.

Day 4: John 4:31-45

Weekly Catechism: (bold words are for younger children)

• Q10: What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
• A: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline

READ:

[31] Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” [32] But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you do not know about.” [33] So the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” [34] Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. [35] Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest. [36] Already the one who reaps is receiving wages and gathering fruit for eternal life, so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. [37] For here the saying holds true, ‘One sows and another reaps.’ [38] I sent you to reap that for which you did not labor. Others have labored, and you have entered into their labor.”

[39] Many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman's testimony, “He told me all that I ever did.” [40] So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days. [41] And many more believed because of his word. [42] They said to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world.”

[43] After the two days he departed for Galilee. [44] (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own hometown.) [45] So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him, having seen all that he had done in Jerusalem at the feast. For they too had gone to the feast. - John 4:31-45 (ESV)

Teach/Talk: Talk about what you observe from this passage. What stands out to you? What can we learn?

• Suggested Question:  Why was it important for the people of Samaria to see and talk to Jesus themselves?

PRAY:

Pray through the text and for your family’s specific needs.

• Suggested Prayer: Thank God for being the ‘savior of the world.’ Ask him to allow you to be a part in the work of building the kingdom, whatever that may look like for your life.

SING:

Play or sing a family favorite worship song, hymn, or kids church song.

Day 5: John 4:46-54 (ESV)

Weekly Catechism: (bold words are for younger children)

• Q10: What does God require in the fourth and fifth commandments?
• A: Fourth, that on the Sabbath day we spend time in public and private worship of God, rest from routine employment, serve the Lord and others, and so anticipate the eternal Sabbath. Fifth, that we love and honor our father and our mother, submitting to their godly discipline

READ:

[46] So he came again to Cana in Galilee, where he had made the water wine. And at Capernaum there was an official whose son was ill. [47] When this man heard that Jesus had come from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and asked him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death. [48] So Jesus said to him, “Unless you see signs and wonders you will not believe.” [49] The official said to him, “Sir, come down before my child dies.” [50] Jesus said to him, “Go; your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him and went on his way. [51] As he was going down, his servants met him and told him that his son was recovering. [52] So he asked them the hour when he began to get better, and they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.” [53] The father knew that was the hour when Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live.” And he himself believed, and all his household. [54] This was now the second sign that Jesus did when he had come from Judea to Galilee. - John 4:46-54 (ESV)

Teach/Talk: Talk about what you observe from this passage. What stands out to you? What can we learn?

• Suggested Question: What did the official (the man) do in response to Jesus that was important?

PRAY:

Pray through the text and for your family’s specific needs.

• Suggested Prayer: Ask God to give you more and more faith to believe and trust his word. Ask him for the ability to trust him, especially during very difficult seasons that may be ahead.

SING:

Play or sing a family favorite worship song, hymn, or kids church song.

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