2 Kings 17:24 And the king of Assyria brought men from Babylon, and from Cuthah, and from Ava, and from Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria instead of the children of Israel: and they possessed Samaria, and dwelt in the cities thereof.

If you will read the passages following verse 24 you will get a sense of why the Jews upon their return to Jerusalem from exile refused to allow Samaritans to worship in the temple at Jerusalem. Israel was in Babylon for seventy years. I am not sure how long after their exile this displacement occurred, but let us fast forward some five hundred years.

John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

Five hundred years have passed and historical resentments have carried on for centuries. Could it be that nothing had changed in five hundred years?

John 4:12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

“Our father Jacob” the woman identified Jacob as an ancestor. Was it by blood or adoption? Jews did allow for conversion and allowed those to worship in the temple. But not these Samaritans. For the Jews nothing had changed.

How can we relate to this telling in our present lives, now two thousand years removed from the event? I would have to say it has everything to do with historical resentment. The pain and suffering of the past haunts many people today yet they were not a part of that history. These Samaritans were a displaced people, not of their own choosing, forced by circumstances. Many people have had to live under similar circumstances and the historical resentments surrounding their displacements are passed down from generation to generation infecting a people who had no part in the event.

Jesus broke the segregation barrier and reached out to the disenfranchised.

He still does, in us.

1 Timothy 4:14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

In formula one we mentioned how following God’s formula we have influence in bettering the world. When people see that obeying God’s way leads to a better life, then they just might choose to follow God also.

Formula two still involves believers. This devotional is after all about living the life God has given us. Formula two is like formula one in that we still believe but do not activate or acquire the full promises of God due to our failing to correctly understand those promises and how they work in this life.

It begins with a failure to appreciate the total significance of salvation. Our eternal salvation is the final goal, yet some of us treat salvation like it is the only issue that needs to be addressed. It is what I call the “comfortable Christian” syndrome. It is fostered in churches where the milk of the word is the only thing preached. Hearing the same thing over and over again so that unbelievers might be saved only benefits the lost, but does nothing to develop the babes in Christ into mature Christians.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

The issues I am talking about do not affect your eternal salvation which is assured. If Christianity were but an intellectual exercise you could read the bible one time and obtain everything you need. The life we live in Christ is a transformative life. We are ever changing if we will continue beyond the new birth and grow in Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:13c it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.

We access the effectual Word by immersing ourselves in the Word. The “comfortable” believer says “I’m good.” But are you truly happy, safe and satisfied if you have not received all that God has promised? Coming to a full understanding of God’s promises and how to access those promises are not found in the milk of the Word.

Grow in Christ. Be transformed.

Romans 2:12 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.