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The Woman at the Well Encounters Jesus – John 4:4-15

In John 4, Scripture records Jesus encountering a Samaritan woman at a well and also records the conversation that followed. The woman probably viewed the encounter as a chance encounter, but God directs our paths (Proverbs 16:9). We should indeed trust God to guide us as we seek to follow His will. However, we should set up regular times to read His word, seek Him in prayer, and follow His commandments so that we guarantee that we encounter Him on a regular basis. And we would be wise to record those encounters in a journal or notebook of some kind.

The Woman Has a Genuine Testimony About Jesus – John 4:16-25

The woman’s brief encounter with Jesus led to Him gently pointing out some behavior in her life that was outside of God’s standards. She seems to have experienced conviction of her sin, and that eventually led to her understanding that Jesus is the Messiah. That discovery led her to give a testimony to those in her town.

Our Testimony About Jesus is Effective If Our Encounter with Jesus is Genuine

Her testimony was brief, “Come see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29, NKJV). However, that brief testimony reflected honestly on her genuine encounter with Jesus. The impact was measured by the response of the townspeople. Her testimony was so compelling that they wanted to experience Jesus also (John 4:30, 39). What exactly made her testimony so compelling? It may be that the people sensed a genuine change in her lifestyle. Her situation showed what a good testimony can achieve. It caused people in the town to want to experience Jesus for themselves, and their own experience with Jesus caused them to believe that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (John 4:40-42). Considering all of the hatred that had developed between Jews and Samaritans over hundreds of years, the fact that a town of Samaritans enthusiastically embraced the Jewish Messiah is amazing!

The Importance of Our Testimony

We may not think that we have much of a testimony, especially if we were saved at a young age and have grown up in the church. However, you are absolutely unique and so is your testimony. No one has exactly your background, your interests and your set of experiences. Because of this, God may use you to reach people with your testimony that no one else can reach. Your testimony is as unique as you are, and as genuine as your experience with Jesus Christ.