Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth 
“Now he [Jesus] had to go through Samaria” (John 4:4 NIV).

A Closer Look 
I have to tell you, the story of Jesus talking to the Samaritan woman at the well is one of the most exciting passages in the Bible for me.  It is filled with hope for all women who feel abused, misused, and forgotten. It is for all women who have tried everything and everyone to fill the void in their hearts, but still hear the echo of emptiness ringing in their hollow souls.

I hope you read my last devotion, “Meeting the man of Your Dreams.”  If you didn’t, go back and read it before you read this one.  You can find it on our archives at www.girlfriendsinGod.com. I want you to feel the length and the depth of the words of this story.  You see, this is the longest recorded conversation between Jesus and any one single person in the entire New Testament…and it was with a woman. 

The shortest route from Judea to Galilee lay on a high road straight through Samarian territory, but the Jews routinely crossed the Jordan River and took the long way around to avoid going through the towns of the despised Samaritans.   Jews avoided Samaritans like the plague…literally.  Like a quarantined hospital room, the Jews kept their distance.

So it wasn’t because of geography that Jesus “had to go through Samaria.”  Oh no.  He had to go through Samaria because His Father told him to. As Jesus reminded the disciples many times, he only did what his Father told him to do (John 5:30; 6:38; 8:26; 9:4; 10:37-38; 12:49-50). 

Jesus had to go to Samaria because of divine destiny.  Another translation states, “Jesus had a need to go to Samaria” (KJV).  He was there on special assignment. It was not a coincidence or causal meeting, but a “deliberate, intentional, and calculated decision on the part of the Savior of the world to go meet with her.”  You see, there was a woman in Samaria who had been used and abused all her life. And now, God reached down from His throne and chose her for such a time as this. While she felt that she was damaged goods, fit for no one, God chose her as His special spokesperson for an entire town.  And He sent His own Son to commission her for ministry.

So Jesus “had” to go, not because of geography, but because of what His Dad wrote in His celestial day-timer. And while the disciples went shopping for groceries, Jesus waited patiently for his assignment to come to him.

While most women went to the well to draw water for their daily use in the cool of the morning or late in the evening, this woman went at high noon. The scorching sun of high noon was a small price to pay in order to avoid being snubbed by the other women in the town.  She preferred the heat of the sun to the cold shoulders of the women. So while the women gathered for girlfriend time at the well early in the morning, this particular woman waited until they had returned to their safe havens in order to find safety of her own.

When Jesus asked her for a drink, he didn’t demand it of her.  He never does.  He simply asks. But the fact that he even asked was radical.  Men did not talk to women in public in this culture. Jewish men didn’t talk to Samaritan women at all.  And for a Jew to drink from a Samaritan’s cup was unheard of.  Jews considered Samaritans unclean, and to drink from a Samaritan’s cup would in turn make them unclean.  Jesus wasn’t concerned in the slightest, for it is only by drinking from his cup that any of us could ever be clean to begin with.

Jesus spoke to her directly and respectfully.  This was no doubt radically different from any other Jewish man she had come in contact with. Don’t for one minute think that her nationality and gender were happenstance. They were both intentionally chosen by our very intentional God – just another example that God’s plan to set the captives free was for all who would believe.

Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father.  Thank You that Jesus “had” to go to Samaria to set a woman free.  Thank You that Jesus “had to” come to a simple woman like me to set me free as well.  Thank You for writing my name in Jesus’ celestial day-timer…that He reached down and saved me, redeemed me, and now uses me to share His message of redemption.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen

Now It’s Your Turn
Have you ever felt like the Samaritan woman at the well?  Like no one wanted to be around you?

Just think about how risky it was for Jesus to have this conversation with her. 

What do you think would have happened if the disciples had been there?

Check out the story again and notice when the disciples showed up. (John 4:25-30)

What does that tell you about God’s timing?

Has there been time in your life when God’s timing just amazed you?  I’d love to hear about it.  Log onto www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes and share your experience! 

More from the Girlfriends 
Today’s devotion was taken from Sharon’s new book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the gospels with our twenty-first century eyes.  But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus’ ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. He risked His reputation to save theirs…and yours. Read this book and you’ll fall in love with Jesus all over again.

The Hidden Treasure 

 Sharon Jaynes Today’s Truth 
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 NIV).  

Friend to Friend 
Romans 8:28 is a verse in the Bible that has been loved and despised by many who struggle with difficult situations or mourn the loss of a broken dream.  “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

What does God really mean by “all things?”  Last time I checked, it means “all things” including the good, the bad, and the ugly.  In every dark circumstance of life, I believe that there is a nugget of gold or a hidden treasure, waiting to be discovered.  However, for that to happen, we must get out of the pit, push the dirt aside, and look beneath the surface.

Is it easy?  No.  Is it messy?  Usually.  It is worth it?  Always.

Many years after we had lost our second child, I was standing in the doorway of our son’s room.  I watched as Steven lay in a tangle of sheets with limbs sticking out in all directions.  He was sixteen-years-old, six-feet tall, and needed a shave.  A mass of shaggy thick brown hair rested on his pillow and my heart swelled with love for this man-child.

“Lord,” I prayed, “you know how much I love children and how I always longed to be a mom.  Your ways are higher than our ways and I know that You are my heavenly Father who knows what is best for me, but God, I need a nugget of gold today.  I need for You to show me a purpose behind this pain.  Why were there no more children?”

Then, God’s Word washed over me: For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

“Is that You Lord,” I asked.  Again: For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

The words drenched me like a spring rain on parched ground, and for the first time in my life, I truly grasped the height, the depth, and the breadth of those familiar words. 

See, I have a one and only son.  There are many people that I love in this world, but there is no one…no one…that I love enough to sacrifice my only son.  And yet, God loved me that much.  He loved me enough to sacrifice His one and only Son in order to give me life.  With tears streaming down my cheeks, I thanked God for helping me understand His great love – for giving me a living breathing picture indelibly impressed in my mind and on my heart.  If that was the only purpose behind the years of infertility and the loss of a child, then that was enough.

Have you gone through a painful time in your life?  If so, God has a valuable treasure just waiting to be discovered. Today, pray that God will reveal the nugget of gold to be unearthed.

Let’s Pray 
Dear Lord, I know that You can use every difficult situation in my life for good.  I may not understand Your ways, but I trust Your wisdom.  I may not see Your hand, but I trust Your heart.  I pray that You will open my spiritual eyes to see the hidden treasure in today’s dark circumstances.

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
How would you explain mining for gold to a child?

How is mining for gold much like looking for treasure in the dirt of life?

Has there been a difficult situation in your past that God has used for good?  If so, what is it?

Are you willing to ask God to show you the hidden treasure? 

Want to Learn More ?

Today’s lesson was taken from Becoming Spiritually Beautiful.  If you would like to learn more about discovering the gold in the difficulties of life, and becoming the radiant woman that God intended all along, then this book is for you!  Let’s grow and glow together!

Today’s Truth 
“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:35, 38-39 NIV).

Friend To Friend 
It was the first anniversary of the terrorist bombing of September 11, 2001. The rubble from the World Trade Center had been cleared and the Pentagon repaired, but men and women all across America still mourned the 3,000 lives that were lost on that dark day. In my hometown, a memorial was set up on an expanse of land with a sea of twelve-inch white crosses representing the men and women who died.

Kathy and her family went to see the memorial.  Along with her seventeen-year-old daughter, Heather, Kathy took along her three-year-old niece, Taylor.  It was difficult for young Taylor to understand exactly what was going on and why so many people were sad, but she obediently walked hand-in-hand with her cousin between the tiny crosses.  At some point, little Taylor wandered away from her family.

It was reverently silent as the crowd of mourners looked at the names inscribed on the white memorials.  Some crosses were decorated with flowers, others with Teddy Bears or other memorabilia, but nothing spoke more poignantly than the silence broken by quiet sobs.  Then, as if coming directly from heaven, a small voice could be heard floating on the breeze.  Everyone turned to notice a little girl with outstretched arms twirling in circles among the crosses.

With face lifted toward the sky, she sang…

           “Jesus loves me, this I know. 

For the Bible tells me so. 

Little ones to Him belong. 

We are weak but He is strong. 

Yes, Jesus loves me. 

Yes, Jesus loves me. 

Yes, Jesus loves me. 

The Bible tells me so.”

Time seemed to stand still as hundreds of mourners turned their attention to one small girl with a big message.  Even in the midst of pain, even with the loss of life, loss of dreams, and loss of hope… Jesus still loves us.  That love can lift the burden of despair, resurrect our dreams, and restore our hope.

In 2 Corinthians 4:6-9 Paul reminds us: “For God who said, ‘Let light shine out of darkness,’ made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.  But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.  We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.  Therefore we do not lose heart.  Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.  For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.”

Jesus loves me…this I know.

Let’s Pray 
Dear Lord, today I remember all the men and women who died in the terrorist attack of September 11, 2001.  I also think of the difficulties in my own life.  Thank You that no matter what my outward circumstances may be, the fact that Jesus loves me will never be shattered or shaken.  You, O LORD, are the constant in my life and You are the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  Jesus loves me, this I know.

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn
When was a time in your life that you have felt overcome with the gravity of a difficult situation?

How did the knowledge of God’s unchanging, unfailing love give you comfort?

Perhaps you are in the middle of such a situation at this very moment.  Are you willing, as the little girl in this story, to open your arms to God and sing, “Jesus loves me this I know?”  Why don’t you stop right now where you are and sing that chorus to God.

Additional Resource
Today’s devotion was taken from Sharon’s book; Your Scars are Beautiful to God: Discovering peace and purpose in the hurts of your past.  If you would like to learn more about turning your pain into purpose and your hurt into hope, this book can help you on your journey to wholeness and healing

Today’s Truth 
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.  Mary has chosen what is better and it will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41, 42 NIV).

Friend To Friend 
Mary and Martha lived in a home with their brother, Lazarus, in the small Judean village of Bethany.  Bethany was two miles east of the temple in Jerusalem, on the east slope of the Mount of Olives – the final station on the road from Jericho to Jerusalem.  The name, Bethany, meant “house of dates and figs,” the perfect place to stop for refreshment.  Mary and Martha’s home served as a safe haven and quiet retreat for Jesus as he traveled from place to place.

 Mary and Martha were busy in the kitchen making dinner for their honored guest and his friends.  “Mary, check on the roasting lamb,” Martha calls among the clattering of the pots and pans.  “And where’s the wine?  The bread must be kneaded in fifteen minutes.  There’s just so much to do!”

“I’ll take a bowl of fresh dates into the guests,” Mary said.  “That will give them something to nibble on while we finish the preparations.”

As Mary entered the room, she heard Jesus talking about the kingdom of God, the plan of redemption, the fulfillment of prophecy, the forgiveness of sins, and eternal life. 

“Do not judge and you will not be judged,” Jesus taught.  “Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned.  Forgive and you will be forgiven.  Give and it will be given to you.”

“The kingdom of God is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his garden,” he continued.  “It grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air perched in its branches.”

Jesus noticed Mary standing in the doorway and motioned for her to enter.  Looking directly at her, he continued, “The kingdom of God is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into a large amount of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

Jesus continued teaching about who he was, and what he came to do.  Mesmerized by the Rabbi’s words, Mary sank to the floor and sat right at the Master’s feet with the others.  The men shifted uncomfortably in their places, but Jesus lowered his eyes and began speaking directly to Mary – his newest student. 

The disciples waited for Jesus to send Mary back into the kitchen where she belonged, but He didn’t.  They were confused when Jesus welcomed her into the classroom, but tried their best not to become distracted by her presence.  After all, women were not allowed to sit and learn from a Rabbi’s teaching. They weren’t even allowed to join men in such a gathering at all.

Twenty minutes passed when Martha huffed, “Where is that girl?” 

Martha angrily stomped into the gathering room with mixing bowl in hand.  All eyes turned toward the frustrated sister as she interrupted Jesus and pointed her wooden spoon in Mary’s direction.

“Lord,” she began sternly, “can’t you see that Mary has left me all alone in the kitchen?  What does she think she’s doing?  Don’t you care that I have to do all this work by myself while my irresponsible sister is out here lollygagging about with the men.  Why she’s not even supposed to be out here at all.  It isn’t proper for a woman to join a room full of men, much less sit at a rabbi’s feet while he’s teaching.  Put her in her place! Tell her to get back in the kitchen this instant!”

The men turned their head from Jesus to the red-faced Martha and back to Jesus again.

“Martha, Martha,” Jesus replied, “don’t get so worked up.  Mary is right where she needs to be.  You are so worried, bothered, and distracted with the details of living that you miss the joys of life.  You don’t need to work so hard to create a feast for us.  That’s not even important.  What is important is that I am here and I have something to share with you.  Mary has figured that out.  She has chosen what is important and I am not going to send her away.  She has joined the classroom to learn – to become a disciple of God’s Word – and I am not going to take that away from her.

Martha put her flour-covered hand on her hip, spun around on her heels, and marched back into the kitchen. “Well, I never,” she mumbled as she stomped away.

Let’s Pray 
Dear LORD, I have a smile on my face as I think about Martha all steamed up in the kitchen.  Thank you for the courage of Mary of Bethany to enter your classroom and sit at Your feet with the other disciples.  Thank You for swinging the doors wide open for women to become disciples or students of the Word and followers of Jesus Christ.

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
I hope you enjoyed my retelling of the story of Martha steamed up in the kitchen.  We must never forget that these were real women who had real encounters with Jesus – encounters that changed their lives forever.

Have you ever entered a place of worship or study and felt somewhat or totally out of place?

What do you think the disciples thought when Jesus allowed a woman to join them while He taught?

Do you think this was a gutsy move for Mary?

Do you think they were surprised when Jesus didn’t send her back into the kitchen?

Is God calling you to make a gutsy move for Him today?  If so, I’d love to hear about it.  Click on www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes and share your story.  We’d love to pray for you as you move forward!

More From The Girlfriends 
Today’s devotion was taken from Sharon’s new book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the gospels with our twenty-first century eyes.  But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus’ ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. He risked His reputation to save theirs…and yours.

 Today’s Truth 
“Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life’” (John 4:13-14 NIV).

Friend To Friend 
We all come into the world thirsty. From the time my son made his first cry in the delivery room, he began rooting around for something to drink. God planned it that way. Our bodies are 50 to 60 percent water and must be replenished continuously.  When we go without water, our skin grows clammy, our eyes become scratchy and our head start to pound.  We need water to keep our mouths moist enough to swallow, our vital organs plump enough to function, and our joints lubricated enough to flex. One week without water and we simply dry up and die.

We also come into the world spiritually thirsty. From the time we are cut loose from our mother’s nourishing umbilical cord, we begin our journey to discovering the living water that will satisfy the soul. Oh, we don’t know it yet, but God has placed the desire in each and every one of His image bearers. Until we meet Jesus at the well, we fumble about trying to quench the God-given thirst with anything and anyone who offers temporary relief. But it is just that…temporary.

It is only in a relationship with Jesus that we discover “the ultimate purpose for which we were created, the meeting and marriage between ourselves and God…the highest and holiest and happiest hope of the human heart, the thing we were all born hungering (and thirsting) for, hunting for, longing for.” (Peter Kreeft, Three Philosophies of Life, San Francisc Ignatius Press, 1989, 99.)

In John 4, we meet the Samaritan woman who had come to the well after drinking from many shallow streams. Those streams had only left her thirsty for more – or at least for something different. Jesus offered her freely flowing, resplendently refreshing water; water that bubbles up from the indwelling Holy Spirit and quenches every thirst, washes away every sin, and flows into every nook and cranny of our beings. He invites us to come often and drink deeply.

I live on a beautiful lake. I can look at the lake, swim in the lake and even stand in the lake…and still die of thirst. The only way for the water to enter my system is to scoop it up and drink.

Likewise, we can read about Jesus, listen to sermons about Jesus and even believe that He was a good man. But until we actually believe that Jesus is God’s Son, the Messiah, who died for our sins and rose again…until we partake of Jesus and make Him Lord of our lives, we will remain thirsty.

In The Silver Chair, the fourth book in the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis introduces a new character to the land of Narnia. Jill finds herself transported to Narnia as if she were caught up in a dream. The first creature she encounters is Aslan the lion, the Christ figure throughout the series.  Aslan appears for a moment and then stalks slowly back into the forest. Jill is terribly afraid of meeting up with the lion, but her increasing thirst drives her in search of water. Alas!  Jill discovers a stream, but she has to pass Aslan to reach it.

“Are you not thirsty?” said the Lion.

“I’m dying of thirst,” said Jill.

“Then drink,” said the Lion.

“May I-could I-would you mind going away while I do?” said Jill.

The Lion answered this only by a look and a very low growl.  As Jill gazed at the Lion’s motionless bulk, she realized that she might as well have asked the whole mountain to move aside for her convenience.

The delicious rippling noise of the stream was driving her frantic.

“Will you promise not to do anything to me, if I do come?” said Jill.

“I make no promise,” said the Lion.

Jill was so thirsty now that, without noticing it, she had come a step nearer.

“Do you eat girls?” she said.

“I have swallowed up girls and boys, women and men, kings and emperors, cities and realms,” said the Lion.  It didn’t say this as if it were boasting, nor as if it were sorry, nor as if it were angry.  It just said it.

“I daren’t come and drink,” said Jill.

“Then you will die of thirst,” said the Lion.

“Oh dear!” said Jill, coming another step nearer.  “I suppose I must go and look for another stream then.”

“There is no other stream,” said the Lion.

Let’s Pray 
Dear LORD, I come to You thirsty today. I pray that you will fill me with living water that never shall run dry.  Forgive me when I skip away to drink from other streams that never satisfy. I know that Jesus is the living water and I drink deeply from Him today.

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
What other “streams” besides Jesus have you drank from to try and quench your thirst?

What was the end result?

What are some ways that we can quench our thirst with Jesus, the Living Water?

I’d love to hear your thoughts.  Let’s chat.  Visit www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes.

More From The Girlfriends 
Thirsty for more? Today’s devotion was taken from Sharon’s new book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered.  We tend to read the gospels with our twenty-first century eyes, but when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus’ ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free.  He risked His reputation to save theirs…and yours. To order this life-changing book, visit www.sharonjaynes.com. You’ll fall in love with Jesus all over again. 

Freed to Start Anew 

Sharon Jaynes Today’s Truth 
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV)

Friend To Friend 
Laura lived in a small town with parents who were morally sound and family oriented.  She went to church from her earliest remembrance and was baptized when she was twelve-years-old.  In high school, she began dating Barry.  After Laura went off to college both of Barry’s parents died.  He was lonely and missed the close-knit family he had once enjoyed.

After Laura’s first year of college, Barry began talking marriage.  He had not gone to college and wanted her to come home and be his wife.  Laura was torn, but made the decision to marry Barry and continue working toward her degree.

Laura and I held hands and prayed together before she walked down the aisle.  It was a beautiful day as I stood with her and the two were united as man and wife.  However, after the wedding comes the marriage – something that neither the nineteen-year-old Laura nor Barry were prepared to face.

After five years, Laura was bored with the marriage, restless in her job, and disappointed in her husband.  While working in a medical office, Bob, a salesman for an international medical supply company, took on their account. Bob was older and lived what seemed like an exciting lifestyle.  It started as friendly bantering, which progressed to enticing flirtation.  Laura found herself looking forward to Thursdays – the day the rep made his weekly visits.

A touch here, a lunch there, and soon an affair ensued.  Laura packed her bags, left her marriage, her job, and her hometown to move to greener pastures.  But the greener pastures weren’t so green.  Thorns infested the relationship.  Bob wasn’t interested in anything long term.  Laura was just a young plaything he toyed with on weekends.  What promised to be an exciting life away from small town America, away from a mundane, monotonous marriage, turned into a deep, dark pit of regret and remorse.  Laura discovered Bob wasn’t anything special.  He was just someone different – a diversion.  And she was his flavor of the month.

After her divorce was final, Laura was left all alone in a strange town.  What have I done?  She cried.

Laura’s husband remarried and put the broken pieces of his life back together.  Laura, on the other hand, was just broken.

Laura turned away from our friendship when she headed down the road to self-destruction, but after she came to her senses, she called me – full of remorse and sadness.  I welcomed her in my arms, held her close to my heart, and brought her to my hometown.  My husband and I found her a job, helped her get her finances in order, and directed her to a great Bible-based church.  That’s what it looked like on the outside, but here’s what really happened.

Laura, in her own words would tell you that she stood before Jesus like the woman caught in adultery.  She felt the stares of her accusers and recoiled at the rocks that would surely fly.  In her own mind, she stood naked and ashamed before her community, her childhood church body, and her lifelong friends.  But more importantly, she stood in shame before Jesus.

“I didn’t think God would forgive me,” she began.  “I had hurt my family, my husband, and my witness.  What would God want with someone like me?”

“Laura,” I began, “we are all sinners.  We are all saved by grace.  None of us deserve it.  That’s what makes grace, grace. You made a terrible mistake, but so did the woman caught in adultery that the Pharisees brought to Jesus.  What did Jesus do with that woman?  What did he say?”

“He told her to go and sin no more.”

Exactly.  He told her to leave her life of sin.  That doesn’t mean that she never sinned again.  But we can safely believe that she left this lifestyle, this sinful relationship, and began a new life.  That is what Jesus will do for you.  That is what he does for all of us.”

God promises: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). Another translation uses the words “cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (NASB).  I love the picture of God washing away all our sins, erasing the list of offenses, throwing our sins into the deepest of seas – all gone.

Laura did begin again.  She repented of her sin, immersed herself in Bible study and ministry, and began a new life totally committed to the One who forgave her and set her free from condemnation.  And that my friend, is what Jesus does for each and every one of us who come to him with a repentant heart ready to start anew.

After Laura began her new life, she followed hard after God.  She was so grateful for a chance to start again, and she gave her life to serving and honoring Jesus.

Sometime during her fifth year at her new church, she met a wonderful Christian man, Peter.  After they were married, Laura and Peter committed their lives to serving God wherever He led.  After a missions trip to Eastern Europe, they both felt God calling them to return on a more permanent basis.  Now, for over ten years, Laura and Peter have been serving God in Eastern Europe, planting churches and loving people to Christ.  She has agreed with Paul when he wrote, “This one thing I do, forgetting what lies behind and straining toward what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13).  But friend, it is a choice. 

See, God doesn’t just set us free from our past.  He sets us free to an exciting future.  And Jesus showcased the woman caught in adultery in John chapter 8 and my friend, Laura, to show us how.

Let’s Pray 
Dear God, thank You for being a God who allows u-turns.  Not only do You forgive me of my sin, You allow me to start anew. 

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
Did you know that God allows u-turns in your own life?

Is there an area that you need to make a u-turn and head back toward God?

Are you ready to repent of your sin, accept God’s forgiveness, and begin a new life filled with purpose?  If so, it is only a prayer away.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s devotion.  Let’s chat. 

Visit www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes.

Today’s devotion was taken from Sharon’s new book, What God Really Thinks about Women: Finding Your Significance through the Women Jesus Encountered. We tend to read the gospels with our twenty-first century eyes.  But when we understand how oppressive the culture Jesus stepped into was against women, we begin to understand just how radical Jesus’ ministry, messages, and miracles were at setting women free. He risked His reputation to save theirs…and yours.  And if you are struggling to let go of past mistakes and failures, you might want to check out Sharon’s book, Your Scars are Beautiful to God.

August 2, 2010 

Don’t Do It 

Today’s Truth 
“Flee from sexual immorality…Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God.  You are not your own, you were bought at a price.  Therefore honor God with your body” (1 Corinthians 6:18, 19-20 NIV).

Friend To Friend 
Can I talk girlfriend to girlfriend for just a moment?  It’s about a very uncomfortable subject, and honestly, one most of us would rather pretend does not exist in “Christian circles.”  It’s sexual sin.

In my last devotion, we stood road-side and looked at the story of the woman caught in adultery, and of Jesus who set her free.  Even though she wasn’t behind prison bars, she was in bondage to a sinful lifestyle.  Sexual sin is highly addictive and the search for love in all the wrong places, insatiable.  It is a drink that never satisfies the soul and leaves the partaker only thirsty for more.

A woman is enticed by a syrupy word from a co-worker, an e-mail from an old boyfriend, an invitation on Facebook, or an alluring smile at a neighborhood gathering.  Loneliness fills the room and passion comes knocking at the door.  But when the smoke clears, loneliness returns with new hunger pangs laced with regret.

Sex outside of marriage can lead to many things: unwanted pregnancy, sexually transmitted diseases, divorce, mistrust, regret, shame, loss of family and a whole list of undesirable dominos that tumble in succession.  But in Jesus’ day, a woman caught in the act of adultery faced possible execution.  In some parts of the world, that law is still enforced today.  So why would the woman that we meet in John Chapter 8 who was caught in the act of adultery take the risk?  Was it worth it?  No.  The answer is always no.

There is no greater longing in the heart of a woman than to be loved, cherished, and cared for.  It can cause the strongest to break a resolve and succumb to the tempter’s lure.  Adultery has been the cause for church leaders to crumble, ministries to melt down, and families to falter.  Sexual sin has caused the most sensible to act like a fool, the most moral to march into madness, the most devout to be devoured by desire.  The desire to love and to be loved can sometimes scream over the din of reason.

The yearning for love gnaws at the heart.  And then the brush of a hand, the glimpse of the eyes, or the stirring of a comment blows on a spark and sets it ablaze.  Loneliness echoes in a hollow soul, just as passion come scratching at the door. Never doubt this, my friend: Satan is an opportunist who takes advantage of the lonely heart (Luke 4:13).

To be loved is one of the strongest desires of the human heart.  God planned it that way because He longs for us to have that longing filled by a relationship with Him; but so many settle for a sip from the rusty tin cup when God offers an everlasting stream.

A woman can risk it all for a few moments of passion.  She can lie to herself that a sexual relationship or liaison is love.  Then after the brief pleasure lies exposed by the morning sun, she realizes what felt like love was tainted with the poison of shame.  It can happen.  It does happen.  It did happen to the woman standing before Jesus with an angry mob of rock-holding Pharisees gathered around.  It has happened to many women who e-mail me every day.

I sat in a movie theater with a friend who had succumbed to sexual temptation.  She had lost her husband, her family, and many of her “friends.”  During a preview for another movie, the film showed a woman contemplating an affair with a suave Frenchman.  Martha (not her real name) spoke a bit too loudly for the moviegoers sitting in the darkened theater.  “Don’t do it,” she cried aloud.  The words came out of her mouth before she could stop them.  Martha was living the devastation of yielding to sexual temptation, and her audible cry was the overflow of her pain-filled heart.

Can I shout with Martha for just a moment?  “Don’t do it!” 

I know this devotion is not for everybody.  But if there is one woman out of the 200,000 or so that receive our Girlfriends in God devotions every day…just one woman who will turn away from the temptation that is knocking on her door today, then it is worth it. 

Don’t do it.  Turn to God and allow Him to fill the emptiness in your heart today.  He’s waiting with open arms.

Let’s Pray 
Dear God, I pray that I will be alert to the devil’s schemes today.  Help me to see when and where he is tempting me to sin against You.  Give me the strength to flee temptation and run straight into Your arms.  I cannot do this on my own.  I need the power of Your Holy Spirit to empower me to do what is right and good in Your sight.  Thank You for being all that I need.

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
Have you been contemplating a sexual relationship outside of marriage?  What is God telling you today?

Are you in a sexual relationship outside of marriage right now?  What is God telling you today?

If neither one of these application questions apply to you, would you please join me in praying for our dear sisters who are fighting the temptation to enter into such a relationship or struggling to get out of one?  Let’s hit our knees for our girlfriends in God who desperately need our loving intercession.

If this devotion was for you, would you e-mail me privately at Sharon@sharonjaynes.com?  I’d love to pray for you.

Masterpiece by the Bay 

Today’s Truth 
“You shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32 NASB).

 Friend To Friend 
I grew up on the East Coast and was excited when my husband, son, and I decided to visit San Francisco for our vacation.  My heart’s desire and prayer for each day was that we would see God’s handiwork, hear His voice, and be reminded of His greatness as we ventured out like three eager explorers to discover new aspects of His creation.

We traveled south along the shoreline and were amazed at the 200 foot regal cliffs that rose from the earth, pushing heavenward with waves splashing at their feet.  Then we traveled north and drank in the beauty of acres and acres of vineyards on grassy rolling hills in the Napa Valley wine country.  We hiked through the majestic Redwood Forest and stood under 1,000 year old, 260 foot giants, dwarfed by their towering branches.

But the most amazing sight was in a place called Alcatraz.  There in the middle of the San Francisco Bay, just a mile and a quarter from the sights and sounds of the beautiful city, sits a rock island, known by some as the “Devil’s Island of America.”  From 1934-1963, Alcatraz was a prison where the country’s most corrupt, incorrigible criminals were housed.  Al Capone and Machine Gun Kelly were just two of its more colorful residents.

There is no road to the prison, so we took a ferry across the bay.  As we taxied up to “The Rock” and stared at the shell of concrete walls, barbed wire, and iron bars, an eerie feeling crept over my body.  Each of us picked up headphones and a cassette recorder and toured the prison while listening to the taped voices of various prisoners recount their days behind bars.  I walked into a cell called “the hole,” closed my eyes, and tried to imagine what it would be like in solitary confinement with no light, no sound, and no other voice but my own.  My heart was heavy as I thought about the souls that passed those halls, souls full of darkness, depression, and despair.

But as I rounded the final corner of the tour, I saw an amazing sight – a white haired, eighty-year-old grandfather, with crystal blue laughing eyes and a radiant smile that spread across his wrinkled face.  A line formed as tourists stood waiting for him to sign his name and number on his autobiography, Alcatraz: from the Inside.  This precious man before me was Jim Quillen, ex-prisoner #AZ586.  He had spent ten years of his life, from 1942-1952, behind bars in this prison built to house the most dangerous criminals of his day.  I looked in his eyes as we spoke.  This was not the face of a dangerous man.  What had happened to change his life?

I didn’t have to flip many pages in his book to find the answer.  In it he wrote, “It was only through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and His intercession, that my life of hopeless incarceration was averted.  His help and forgiveness permitted me to obtain freedom, family, and a useful and productive place in society.”  I went back over to Mr. Quillen and sat by his side for a minute or so.  We chatted a bit, and he autographed my copy of his book.  Then God spoke to my heart, “On this vacation, you prayed that you would see My handiwork and be reminded of My greatness.  This man is some of my best work.”

On my trip to San Francisco, I was reminded of God’s unchanging strength in the majestic rock cliffs of the shoreline and of His nurturing care as the Vinedresser in the hills of the wine country.  I saw a picture of God’s protective canopy over His children in the towering Redwoods of the forests.  But when I looked into Jim Quillen’s eyes, I saw God’s most incredible masterpiece: a changed life. 

Let’s Pray 
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for setting me free!  You took my pain and turned it into purpose.  You took my hurt and turned it into hope.  You took my fear and turned it into faith.  Thank you, O Lord, for setting my feet to dancing and my voice to singing Your praise! 

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
What one person that you know has shown the most dramatic change since he or she became a Christian?

What has been the most dramatic change in your life since you gave your life to Christ?

This summer, as you head out on vacation, ask God to reveal Himself to you in a special way.  And when He does, I’d love to hear about it! Visit my blog at www.sharonjaynes.com/blog or my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes.

More From

 Today’s Truth 
Jesus said: “I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of,” (John 10:10b The Message).

 Friend To Friend 
Yard sales.  I’ve never really liked them.  But when we were preparing to move from our home of twenty years, we decided it was a must.  It was a way to clean out the clutter, make a little money, and not haul out yesterday’s treasures to today’s trash.

We displayed our lovely attic décor on makeshift plywood tables and waited for the bargain babes to descend.  We were not disappointed.  Two hours before the advertised opening time, treasure hunters began congregating outside the closed garage doors.  Then, upon the unveiling, the swarm attacked.

Among the valuables from my past sat an electric, ceramic 12″ Christmas tree with various colored lights … no doubt a gift from the eighties. One particular woman perused the lovely display and came upon this “magnificent work of art.”

“I’ve always wanted one of these!” she declared with excitement in her voice.  “How much is it?”

“Three dollars,” my husband, Steve, answered.

“Humph,” she grunted and walked on.

Steve and I just looked at each other and stifled our laughter. 

Let’s rewind the scene for a moment.  This woman said she had always wanted a ceramic Christmas tree just like that one. (I’m not here to judge another person’s dreams.  That’s just what she said.)  Always.  Her whole life.  And here it was!  For a mere $3, her dream could have come true!  The search over!  Most likely we would have sacrificed this masterpiece for $2, but she didn’t even ask.  She just shrugged and walked away.

Then my mind began to wander through a rummage sale of its own.  As I watched the woman walk away, I thought about the Pharisees in the Bible.  For years they waited for the coming of the promised Messiah.  Prayed about it.  Preached about it.  Prepared for it.  Then when Jesus showed up, they turned their backs and walked away.  “Humph,” they said with a shrug.  “No thanks.”

How many times do we long for a particular dream to come true in our lives?  Long for it.  Search for it.  Obsess over it.  A husband.  A child.  A job.  A home.  Then one day, there it is!  It can be ours!  The search is over.  We say our “I do’s,” bring home the bundle of joy, log in our first eight hours, hang the last curtain.  But then, a little time passes.  The husband is not as romantic as we had hoped, the kids are not as obedient and loving as we had imagined, the job isn’t as rewarding as we had envisioned, and the house is a never ending maze of maintenance. “Humph,” we grumble.  We think we want something, and then when we get it, we decide we really don’t want it after all.

Let me take it one step further.  How many times do we long for love, joy, and peace in our lives?  We search for it, long for it, and pray about it.  Then someone points us to the cross and says, “There is it.  It can be yours for the asking.  It’s not even $3, $2 or $1.  It’s free!” 

“Humph,” we shrug.  “No thanks.”  And we walk away to rummage through the yard sales of life looking for treasure among other people’s clutter.

Dear friend, God is holding out His Holy hand with the most magnificent Gift of all time.  Love, joy, and peace personified in His Son, Jesus Christ.  He is what you have always been longing for, searching for, watching for.  Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life and have it to the full” (NIV).  Will we take him up on the offer, or say, “Humph, no thanks,” and walk away?

Let’s Pray 
Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for making all of my dreams come true.  You have given me everything I have ever longed for in the person of Jesus Christ.  Please forgive me for turning my back on Your amazing Gift and trying to fill my longings with people and possessions.  I know that nothing will ever satisfy my desire for peace, love, and joy except Jesus.  And Lord, I also know that when I am filled with the peace, love, and joy of Jesus, I will spill that love onto those around me.

In Jesus’ Name, 
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn 
Have you ever searched and searched for something in particular, and then when you found it, you realized it wasn’t so great after all?  Make a list.  If you’re like me, it is probably long … if you’re honest.

Now let’s look inward.  Are there longings in your life that you are expecting other people to fill, but in reality, you know in your “knower” that only Jesus can really fill?

If so, what do you need to do about it?

Let’s chat.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on today’s devotion.  Please visit www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes or www.sharonjaynes.com/blog and share with your Girlfriends in God.

More From The Girlfriends 
One thing all women want to be is beautiful.  If you would like to learn about how to become spiritually beautiful – a beauty that radiates from the inside out, see Sharon’s book, Becoming Spiritually Beautiful.  You’ll begin to see yourself as God sees you and discover the beauty of you God has planned all along!

It was a Dark and Stormy Night
Sharon Jaynes

Today’s Truth
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18 NIV).

 Friend to Friend
Up at 4:30 AM, I was preparing to speak at a Good Friday prayer breakfast in Oil City, PA.  At the event, the Holy Spirit showed up, God moved, and we had a great beginning to a wonderful weekend celebrating Christ’s resurrection.

After the event, it was off to the Philadelphia airport for a quick 1 ½ hour flight home.  Easter weekend had the airport teeming with travelers.  As we waited, clouds began to roll in and planes failed to roll out.  Unfortunately, overbooked airplanes and stormy weather do not a good combination make.  Delays and cancelations lit up the departure board.

I was scheduled to arrive in Charlotte, NC at 7:00 PM.  But then my arrival time was pushed back to 7:40, then to 8:40, then to 9:30.  This was turning out to be not such a “good Friday” after all.  The travelers were getting angry, the ticketing agents were getting agitated, and kids were getting antsy.  I just wanted to go home.

Finally, after many gate changes and time delays, we boarded the plane headed for Charlotte. As we neared North Carolina, the pilot made an announcement.

“Hello, this is Captain Bernard.  Unfortunately, the storm is passing through Charlotte, NC at this time and we will not be able to land.  We are going to land in Greensboro, NC, 90 miles away, and wait it out.  Feel free to disembark the airplane, but do not leave the boarding area.  We will make an announcement when it is time to re-board.  Don’t worry.  We’ll get you to Charlotte just as quickly as possible.  Sorry for the inconvenience. ”

Arg!  We landed in Greensboro and waited … and waited … and waited.  About 10:30, there was another announcement. “May I have your attention please?  For those travelling on flight 389 to Charlotte, unfortunately, the flight crew has logged in too many hours and they will not be able to continue the flight to Charlotte.  We have secured vans to drive you the rest of the way.  Sorry for the inconvenience.”

A collective moan rose from the motley bunch.  We trudged down to baggage claim, retrieved our bags, and separated into groups of nine. 

“What do you do?” a man in a business suit asked, trying to pass the time.

“I’d rather not say,” I answered.  Thinking he might get the wrong idea, I smiled and said, “Just kidding.  I’m an author.”

“What do you write?”

I was hoping he wouldn’t ask me that question.  I was not being a very good advertisement.   “I write Christian oriented books for women,” I answered.  “You know – the kind that tells women how to handle difficulties in life.”  We all started laughing.

We piled into the van: eight traveling to visit family, one going home.  The air conditioner was broken, and heat blew out of the vents in every direction.  No one could figure out how to shut it down.  Temperatures rose, sweat poured, layers came off, the widows fogged up.  It was miserable.

After about an hour and a-half, I started to relax, thinking we would be in Charlotte at any minute.  In the seat in front of me, a twenty-something woman and her mother chatted happily.  They were on their way to spend the weekend with daughter number two.  Daughter number one, who was apparently tracking our progress on her I-phone, turned around in her seat to face me. 

“We’re passing Statesville,” she said. “How much further do we have?”

“Statesville!” I cried.  “We’re not supposed to be passing Statesville!  He’s going the wrong way!”

Our one and a-half hour van ride turned into a three hour van ride.  This was just the icing on a very bad cake.  I had way too much material for a new book on suffering and was ready for this not-so-good Friday to be over.  Just as I was having a not-so-nice, one-way conversation with God, the mother in front of me drew a smiley face on the window.  A smiley face!

What in the world does she have to be happy about! I mused.  I don’t see anything “smiley” about this entire situation! We finally arrived in Charlotte sometime after midnight.  The 1 ½ hour trip had turned into an    eight-hour nightmare.  Nine dripping wet, exhausted passengers climbed out of the van and breathed in the fresh night air. 

 ”Bye, Beth,” I said to the young I-pod toting girl.  “You have fun with you sister and mom this weekend.”

“Oh, we will,” she replied.  “My mom just found out that she has cancer for the second time.  It doesn’t look too good.  We’re going to spend a weekend together, just the three of us, simply enjoying each other.”

She turned to walk away … never seeing the tears that filled my eyes.

I looked back at the van’s window which still held the picture of a smiley face drawn by a dying woman’s hand.  Suddenly, my night of little inconveniences seemed rather petty.  It was a Good Friday after all.  God had reminded me of all I had to be thankful for.  Storms will come in this life.  It is our perspective in the storm that will determine whether we will grumble and complain, or draw a smiley face and thank God for each and every breath we have.

I slipped into the car with my precious, patient husband, gave him a quick kiss, and drew a smiley face on the window.

Let’s Pray
Dear LORD, forgive me when I whine over life’s inconveniences.  In the storms of life, help me see Your blessings in the raindrops, Your power in the lightening, and Your voice in the rolling thunder.
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.

Now It’s Your Turn
I have two passages I want you to read today.  The first is 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.  What do you think Paul meant by his light and momentary afflictions?

Now read 2 Corinthians 11:23-28.  Now, what do you think Paul meant by light and momentary afflictions?  This is not what I’d call light affliction, but in view of the glory that we will experience in heaven, Paul thought the struggles of this world were well worth it.

In light of what you are going through today, I’d love to hear if this devotion stirred your heart to think differently.  Let’s chat.  Visit www.sharonjaynes.com/blog or www.facebook.com/sharonjaynes.