LIVING WORD DEVOTIONAL
By Pastor Mensa Otabil
Friday 6th June 2025
THE POWER OF A TESTIMONY
Scripture Reading:* John 4:1-42
The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, “Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” Then they went out of the city and came to Him. John 4:28-30
When you consider how little spiritual truth this woman knew, her zeal and witness after her encounter with Christ put us to shame. God used her simple testimony to bring many people out to the well to meet Jesus.
1. She left her water pot. It all began with a thirsty stranger requesting a drink from a woman who had come to fetch water at a well. She came for water she was familiar with, but this stranger offered her living water. The conversation went from her personal life, to religious matters and on to worship until the stranger – Jesus Christ, revealed His identity as the Messiah. Immediately it got to that point, she left her water pot.
The water she had come for ceased to be important. She had found something much better and more precious than she could have imagined when she woke up that day. She had found the reason for life; what she was really looking for – nourishment for her soul and spirit. On a mundane trip to the well, she had met God Almighty, and after encountering Him, she left everything behind. This is similar to our own experience when we find Christ. We leave our fruitless pursuits for satisfaction behind so we can pursue Him and make Him known.
2. She went into the city. She left her water pot and rushed back to the city. She could not contain the reality of who she had just met and what she had experienced. Just earlier in the day, she had been trying to avoid people in the city because of her shady circumstances. And though she still had a history that wasn’t too attractive, it did not matter now. She went to the city with a singular purpose – to tell of her amazing encounter with Christ.
3. She spoke to the men. There must have been a reason why she went to the men. Perhaps the women were not there at that moment or maybe she went to the men because none of them had offered her what her soul really longed for. She had been with five men and now with the sixth, yet she still had not obtained deep spiritual satisfaction. She went to announce to them that she had found a real man.
4. Come, see a Man. Could this be the Christ? That was her message. She was looking for peace for her soul and Jesus had given that to her. Despite her past life and the fact that Jesus knew it all, He treated her with dignity and worth. He had a decent conversation with her, addressed her religious arguments and revealed Himself to her. Her conclusion was a question – “could this be the Christ?” Now she implored the people to come see such a person. And they went to meet the Lord.
In presenting the gospel to others, we must do so respectfully and honourably. The message of Christ should not be a tool with which we condemn people and knock them down. It is a message of redemption for the downtrodden and heavy-laden. Let it be your aim to represent Christ well to the world; to present the gospel as He did to the Samaritan woman, with dignity and honour.
And may we encounter Christ as she did and be true ambassadors of the Lord.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, thank you for saving me. Help me to tell others about how you saved me from sin. In Jesus’ name, *Amen.*
