Known but Not Rejected

Known but Not Rejected

Bible Reading: John 4:28-42
So the woman left her waterpot, and went into the city and said to the men, "Come, see a man who told me all the things that I have done; this is not the Christ, is it?" They went out of the city, and were coming to Him. Meanwhile the disciples were urging Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." So the disciples were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to accomplish His work. Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. Already he who reaps is receiving wages and is gathering fruit for life eternal; so that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows and another reaps.' I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor." From that city many of the Samaritans believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, "He told me all the things that I have done." So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. Many more believed because of His word; and they were saying to the woman, "It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves and know that this One is indeed the Savior of the world."

Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to carry this message to others and to practice these principles in all our affairs.

One thing we gain through recovery groups is the support of people who love and accept us, even though they know all about us. This kind of support is well worth telling others about.
Jesus met a Samaritan woman by a well in the middle of a hot day. She didn’t have the best reputation. He knew she was thirsty for more than just water. She was thirsty for acceptance and love, something that Jesus gave her. After their talk, “the woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone, ‘Come and see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could he possibly be the Messiah?’ So the people came streaming from the village to see him. . . . Many Samaritans from the village believed in Jesus because the woman had said, ‘He told me everything I ever did!’” (John 4:28-30, 39).
This woman had gone through five broken marriages and was living with a man who wasn’t her husband. She was despised in her community and rejected. When she met someone who knew all of this but accepted her anyway, she spread the news. We, too, can find God’s love and acceptance in recovery groups and tell others about the support available. Then they can come and find recovery for themselves.
We will find new courage when we discover that we are known by God, but not rejected.