There was something about His eyes, the way He looked at her. It was unsettling. She thought she knew all about men, understood how they thought. But this was different. “Go and call your husband,” He said.

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She hesitated, eyes lowered. “I have no husband.”

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He nodded. “True. You’ve had five—and the man you live with now isn’t one of them.”

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Her fists tensed defiantly. “Since you know so much, prophet, tell me this. Is God’s chosen place of worship here, among my people, or in Jerusalem, where the Jews worship?” Her eyes flashed up to meet His, ready for the judgment and rejection surely waiting. What she saw startled her. An intense compassion in His eyes matched by words washing over her in love. He said, “The Father is seeking worshipers in spirit and truth.” She heard, “The Father is seeking you.”

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Her battered heart leapt for joy. It didn’t matter—it never had! What she’d done, where she’d been—her fruitless search for God’s hiding place. He’d been there all along, pursuing her, waiting for her to see Him. Her water jar forgotten, she ran into the city. The words burst out, a testimony that wouldn’t be held back. “Come and see a man who told me all I ever did! Could this be the Messiah?” He knew her past, and He still wanted to give her a future.

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*Jesus gave Himself to save us. There is no greater love, no greater offering to be made. God in flesh went to the cross so we could have life with Him. This love, freely given, cannot be earned. Only received. Jesus knows all you’ve ever done. Everything. And He loves you and wants you anyway. He loves you just as you are.* • Remi Oyedele

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•Today’s story is how one author imagines John 4:1-30. Consider taking some time to read this passage for yourself. What do you notice? What questions do you have?

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• Can you think of a time you felt like the woman at the well? Sometimes it can be hard to believe that Jesus loves us just as we are. Thankfully, God knows we need reminders of His love, and He invites us to come and see Jesus, the one who knows everything we’ve ever done, the one who went to the cross to die for us and be raised from the dead so we could be forgiven and brought near (Romans 5:6-11). Consider taking a moment to tell Jesus whatever is on your mind.

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• To learn more about Jesus’s love for you, and what it means to receive it, check out page 104.

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[The Samaritan woman said,] “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” John 4:29 (CSB)