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By Mike Caton

John 4:42, They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

The people from the town came because the woman invited them, she had found a man who had impressed her with his knowledge, but also his love, concern and grace. Jesus hadn’t condemned her, he had offered her living water, a much better way of life. And she had been eager to share that with others. But when they came, they heard Jesus for themselves. And their faith was no longer in what she had told them, it was in what they had experienced for themselves.

It is important for us to tell others about Jesus, about his love, his grace, his mercy and even his judgment that is to come. People need to know the truth, and we might be the only source of truth they have. We need to tell and most importantly show others by the life we live that there is hope in this hopeless world. This is an important lesson; people are learning about God by the way we live our lives. We need to remember to set good examples for them. Jesus said we should let our lights shine so that others may see our good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven.

But each of us needs to move our faith beyond what others say and go to what God’s word says. There are far too many people who are hoping to slip into the kingdom on their parent’s faith. Things do not work that way. We each need to go to God’s word and learn the truth for ourselves We need to put in the effort to hear Jesus ourselves. And our faith is to be built on him, not what our parents said, a preacher said, some book said. We need to go to the ultimate source, the gold standard, the word of God itself.

Father, help me both grow and share my faith. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Mike Caton is the preacher at Mount Olive Church of Christ in Belhaven. He volunteers at the Ponzer Fire Department and works part time with Hyde County EMS. If you would like to receive daily devotions in your inbox, email mikecaton@centurylink.net.

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