The Samaritan woman at the well, John 4:1-26, is such a familiar passage. I don't know how many messages I've heard or lessons I've read that deal with these verses. Now the fact that I'm very familiar with this passage is a good thing, but if can also work against me if I'm not careful. Here's why. You see, when I'm really familiar with a story, my tendency is to just skim over it. Not today, however. There was no speed reading and I was very intentional in looking at and considering all that was going on in this passage.

So read through this passage again and as you do pay attention to how Jesus interacts with and responds to this woman. What do you see? What does this passage show us about how Jesus will respond to us? Tami W.

Jesus tells us "Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me" (John 14:1). A simple command yet one that we, many times, struggle to put into practice. Well, I can be pretty good at hanging on to my concerns and troubles and I'm guessing you probably do that sometimes too? So let's take Jesus at His word.

What can we do today to put this verse into practice--to give up our burdens, our concerns, and those things that frighten us? What does not letting your heart be troubled look like? Tami W.

Today Hebrews 9:1-10 gives us some insight and details of the regulations for worship for God's people in Old Testament times (before Jesus). Then we get to Jesus and there is a complete and abrupt change. "But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption" (vs. 11-13). Wonderful verses that let us know our salvation is all because of the blood of Jesus.

So what does Jesus death on the cross, the shedding of his blood, mean for you? How can you draw on and use Jesus' sacrifice to help you as you go about your day? Tami W.

Prior to Jesus coming to the earth and dying on the cross for our sins, God's people lived under the law and through that law their access to God was accomplished through the priests. (We'll read about this in detail tomorrow in Hebrews 9:1-14). God's dwelling place was a tent or temple (depending on the time in history) and the temple was divided into sections with the innermost section being the most holy place to which only the high priest had access once a year. The high priest would enter and offer a blood sacrifice to atone for the sins of the people. The divider, or barrier, between the most holy place and the outer section was a veil or curtain. Luke 23:32-49 is about Jesus' crucifixion and when we get to verse 45 it tells us that "the curtain of the temple was torn in two." That tearing, which was from top to bottom, was the result of Jesus death on the cross. The moment that took place, we were given access to God through Jesus Christ. He (Jesus) made the final sacrifice and is now our mediator. The days of sacrificing the blood of animals are over.

We've never lived under the law and the requirement of making blood sacrifices. So even though we can read and understand what these requirements were, we've never experienced them. So for a lot of years, I didn't' fully grasp the symbolism and significance of the tearing of the veil. And then at some point, I fully got it, the light bulb came on, and I was amazed, humbled and so thankful for what Jesus did for me.

So would you take some time today to thank Jesus for what he did for you? Then, think about the full and free access we have to God through Jesus. What can we do to take full advantage of it? Tami W.

The opening call in Psalm 115 is to give God the glory for the sake of His steadfast love and faithfulness (vs. 1). This is such a good psalm, full of reminders of who God is and how we need to trust and rely upon Him in all circumstances. (How about an "amen" to that?) I was really drawn today to verses 9-11. So I went back and read them again but substituted my name in certain places to make it more personal. This really helped me focus on putting God first as I headed out for the day. Here's what I did and I thought you might like to try it too?

O (put your name here), trust in the Lord! He is your help (put your name here) and your shield. . . .(put your name here) fear the Lord, trust in the Lord! He is your help and your shield.

So what can you do today to let the Lord know that you trust in Him and that you believe He is faithful to be your help and shield? Tami W.

P.S. Dr. Kroll starts a new weeklong series today on Back to the Bible called The God You Need to Know. We'd love to have you join us for today's study.

Psalm 76 is a song recognizing and praising God for His greatness in the way He has protected Israel and "his dwelling place in Zion" (vs. 2). The psalmist, Asaph, then provides us with some specifics and details of this protection and wraps up the Psalm with a call to worship God.

So what does Psalm 76 tell us about God? How can we use this Psalm to boost our trust in and reliance upon Him? Tami W.

The primary message or theme of Psalm 75 is one of God judging with fairness ("with equity" vs. 2). But mixed in throughout this theme and verses I also picked up pretty clearly the message that God is most certainly in control (see vs. 2, 3 & 7). So even though we can fall into thinking that we're pretty powerful (vs. 4-6), really, it's not about us or our power at all.

So how can we draw on Psalm 75 to help us keep the right perspective so we can be empowered by God (not ourselves) and be "lifted up" by Him (vs. 10)? Tami W.

Well, can you believe it? We're at our last day in Revelation on P4 and on Back to the Bible. And Revelation 22:6-21 was the perfect wrap up with a final reminder of how our Bibles are trustworthy and true (vs. 6), that the words of Revelation are for us in the here and now (vs. 10), and that Jesus is indeed returning and that return is soon (vs. 7, 12 and 20).

As I finished this passage I took a few minutes to consider how God spoke to me through our time in Revelation. By the way, that's what I want to know from you today as well. What did you learn from Revelation? Were there any big "aha" moments or take aways? Did God impress something on your heart? He sure did on mine. Two things, actually, and Revelation 22:6-21 hit on both.

First, that Revelation truly gives us a powerful and telling picture of Jesus as the Son of God, as our Savior and Redeemer, as our King. Did you notice how Revelation starts with Jesus telling us He is "the first and the last" (1:17) and it ends similarly (22:13) "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end."

The second thing that was highlighted for me in Revelation is that every person needs Jesus as Savior, and as a follower of Christ, I need to be BOLD about proclaiming the Gospel at all times. That means in my actions, but particularly with my words. I need to be a facilitator of the message we see in Revelation 22:17, "'Come.' And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price." Our world, our friends (and our enemies), our neighbors, our families, need Jesus.

Ok, now it's your turn. Here are my questions again. What did you learn from Revelation? Were there any big "aha" moments or take aways? Did God impress something on your heart? Tami W.

I was completely taken in by the splendor and beauty of the scene John describes for us in Revelation 22:1-8. It's certainly nothing like anything I've ever seen or experienced. I tried to imagine this perfect, wonderful dwelling place of God. Then my thoughts shifted to me being there part of it all. All I could think was How awesome! Thank you, God.

So what does Revelation 22:1-8 tell us about God's love for us? What can we do (or are we already doing) to give back and reciprocate that love? What about passing it on to others? Tami W.

As we finish out Revelation 21 we get an up close look at the new Jerusalem. An angel takes John in the spirit to a mountain and shows him the holy city. The description and details we're given about the city are a little mind boggling and oh so incredible. I love how John lists all the things that are part of this amazing city and that list is impressive to be sure. But then John focuses in on those thing that are not part of this city--no temple, no sun, no moon, no night.

So what does this description of new Jerusalem reveal to us about God? His holiness? Standards? Awesomeness? His Glory? Tami W.

So far this week we've been in Revelation 21 reading about a new heaven and earth and specifically the New Jerusalem. Verse 5 kind of says it all "Behold I am making all things new." Now I love that God is all about "new." And that applies to us as well. We are made new when we accept Christ as our Savior. We're a new creation. Pretty amazing, yet I don't necessarily think about it that much.

So what does being made new mean for you? How is it playing out in your life, even if you've been a Christ follower for many years? Being a Christian is a process. So let's think about where we're at in our walk and where we want to go as we move forward. Tami W.

Well this is week number 8 and thus our last week in Revelation. I have to say that I'm glad we took the time to work through this tough book right along with Dr. Kroll and the Back to the Bible radio program. I've learned a lot and enjoyed it. I hope that's the case for you too.

So John is describing the new heaven and new earth in these first verses of chapter 21. It sounds absolutely wonderful. The most exciting part for me was verse 3 where we are told "Behold the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people." I can't wait.

So how can we use this passage to motivate us in our relationship with the Lord now? Tami W.

Powerful and thought provoking words from the Lord here in Isaiah 66:1-14. I was drawn to the last words of verse 2, "this is the one to whom I will look: he who is humble and contrite in spirit and trembles at my word." Now I love this whole thought, but those last four words "and trembles at my word" really grabbed me. I thought about this phrase and what it meant and ultimately ended up asking myself Does this describe me?

So what does trembling at God's Word mean to you? How can we make sure that this phrase describes our attitude and approach to God and His Word? Tami W.

Isaiah gives us a preview, a snapshot if you will, of a time in the future with new heavens and a new earth (vs. 17). I thoroughly enjoyed reading Isaiah 65:17-25 because it really gives us quite a bit of detail about what the future holds and what an awesome God we serve.

So what does Isaiah 65:17-25 show us about God's goodness? About His love and provision? Tami W.

As we finish up Revelation 20 we get to the Great White Throne Judgment. This is a judgment that no one wants to be part of. It is for those people who have rejected Christ and not accepted Him as their Savior. It is a time for justice. At this point there is no more mercy and grace. That means no one who is at The Great White Throne Judgment will be going heaven. So knowing what we know about this Great White Throne Judgment, how important is it for us to make sure that no one we know is in attendance at this judgment?

There is a judgment we want to part of. It's for those people who have accepted Christ as Savior and it's known as the Judgment Seat of Christ or bema seat. We should look forward to this judgment because it is a time for rewards. Each of us as followers of Christ will stand before Him and receive rewards for those things or deeds we've done that are deemed worthy of reward.

So what are we doing today that will bring us reward as we stand before the Judgment Seat of Christ (the bema seat)? Tami W.

P.S. If you want to learn more about heavenly rewards and the Judgment Seat of Christ, Dr. Kroll has an excellent book called Facing Your Final Job Review (And right now, you'll get a free companion study guide along with the book!). It's a great resource that has taught me much. I highly suggest it.