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Our Daily Bread Ministries July 26 Bible in a Year: Psalms 40-42; Acts 27:1-26 Living Water of Christ Whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. John 4:14 READ John 4:7-8, 13-18, 21, 23-26 As I gazed at the intricate etching Christ and the Woman of Samaria by Dutch artist Rembrandt, two interesting details caught my eye. The first was Jesus’ humble pose—leaning over, with His hand over His heart—as he addressed the Samaritan woman. Due to centuries of hostilities between the two groups, Jews typically didn’t “associate with Samaritans” (John 4:9). Yet Jesus reached out with respect and dignity to a woman considered an outcast (vv. 17-18). Jesus knew the woman’s struggles and offered “living water” (v. 10) to satisfy her deepest need—the gift of cleansing and life-giving grace available through a restored relationship with God. The second detail that caught my eye was the dark shadow covering the woman’s face, symbolizing her initial struggle to recognize Jesus as the Messiah, or Israel’s promised rescuer. When the woman told Jesus, “I know that Messiah is coming” (v. 25) and He responded, “I am he” (v. 26), her eyes and heart were opened (v. 29). As we encounter people who are spiritually thirsty, Jesus’ example reminds me to speak with humility and kindness, praying for God to remove the shadow that “has blinded the minds of unbelievers” (2 Corinthians 4:4) so they can fully understand Christ’s life-changing offer of living water. By Lisa M. Samra REFLECT & PRAY How did you first experience Christ’s “living water”? Who can you pray for that needs Jesus’ gift of living water? Heavenly Father, with Your kindness and humility, please help me share with the hurting Your offer of living, life-transforming water. Amen.