What or who do you behold? Who do you make the king of your heart and mind?

I am not talking about that long forgotten, fairy tale prince on his white horse. I am actually talking about your very real, ever present, the one solidifying your future Prince on His white horse.

The thoughts we dwell on and the examples we follow will become the way we live our lives. It does not matter what we have done in the past. We have all made mistake, but we are forgiven and loved. We are accepted and cherished…in spite of our mistakes and shortcomings.

Let’s look at an example in the Bible whereby beholding Jesus led to no other result but to talk and share about Him: The woman at the well in John 4.

While Jesus was on a journey, He came to a well at noon and rested, but while He was there, a Samaritan woman came to draw water. When Jesus asked her for some water, she was surprised because Jews do not take water from a Samaritan, but Jesus answered: “…If you only knew the gift God has for you and who you are speaking to, you would ask me, and I would give you living water.” (John 4:10, NLT)

From there the woman engaged with Jesus in a conversation to find out more about this living water, but Jesus had even more in store for her. He desired to have a relationship with her and wanted to get to the roots of her shame and guilt, the very reason why she was drawing water at that time of the day when no-one else was doing so. Jesus asked her to go and get her husband, but she replied she had no husband, and Jesus said: “You’re right! You don’t have a husband – for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!” (John 4:17-18, NLT)

And Jesus continued to share with her about who He is and why He was there, “But the time is coming – indeed it’s here now – when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth…‘I AM the Messiah’” (John 4:23-26, NLT)

The woman was overwhelmed, Jesus knew the truth about her life and He did not despise her for that. Society pushed her away because of her lifestyle and she was ashamed of that, but with Jesus it was different. It was okay to be broken before Him; He was going to make her whole again. In His presence and as she was beholding the Messiah in front of her, she forgot all about her mistakes, guilt and shame and she was filled with the grace and goodness of Jesus. Her heart was so full of Jesus that she could do nothing else but to go and share about Jesus: “The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone…” (John 4:28, NLT)

When you fill your heart and mind with Jesus and His goodness, He will begin to consume your entire being – your heart, your home and your life. You will no longer be able to divide your life and faith into compartments and Jesus will overtake them all. He will flow through you and into everything you have or do as you begin to experience the life he came to give – a life in abundance! (John 10:10)

Let the Holy Spirit make you aware of His love and presence up to the point where your life overflows with Him so that who you can be a testimony for Jesus everywhere you go.

Maretha Retief