Get Used To Different

Jun 07, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: The Pursuit That Begins Before You Notice

You’ve spent years chasing purpose, fixing mistakes, or surviving the chaos. But what if your story isn’t about your search for God, but His relentless pursuit of you? Mary Magdalene wasn’t seeking Jesus when He found her. She was surviving, marked by seven demons and societal labels. Yet Jesus stepped into her brokenness, called her by name, and rewrote her identity. The Gospels don’t dwell on how she was healed but on who she became: a devoted follower, witness to the resurrection, and bearer of good news. Redemption begins when we realize God’s pursuit started long before we noticed. [05:14]

“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
(Isaiah 43:1, NIV)

Reflection: Where in your past can you now see God pursuing you, even when you weren’t actively seeking Him? How might this change how you view your current struggles?

Day 2: Called by Name, Not Defined by Shame

Matthew sat at his tax booth, labeled a traitor and thief. But Jesus didn’t see a collaborator; He saw an apostle. Religious leaders saw a man disqualified by greed, but Jesus spoke two words that shattered shame: “Follow me.” No demands to clean up first. No probation period. Jesus called Matthew by name, not by his reputation. The same voice that summoned fishermen and outcasts still speaks over those who feel defined by failure. Your identity isn’t found in what you’ve done, but in the One who calls you His. [17:18]

“As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”
(Matthew 9:9, NIV)

Reflection: What label or shame have you accepted that contradicts how Jesus sees you? What would it look like to respond to His “follow me” today?

Day 3: Divine Appointments in Ordinary Moments

The Samaritan woman carried a water jar and a hidden ache. She came to the well at noon to avoid judgment, but Jesus met her there—not to condemn, but to transform. He turned routine into revelation, shame into purpose. Her jar, once a tool for survival, became a symbol of surrender when she left it behind to share the Messiah’s news. God interrupts ordinary moments—a commute, a chore, a quiet evening—to offer living water. What ordinary “jar” are you carrying that He wants to use for something eternal? [28:11]

“Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, ‘Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?’”
(John 4:28–29, NIV)

Reflection: Where has God unexpectedly met you in your daily routine? What might He be inviting you to leave behind to join His mission?

Day 4: Seeing Beyond the Current Version of You

Grace doesn’t just forgive who you’ve been; it envisions who you’re becoming. Jesus saw a disciple in Matthew, an evangelist in the Samaritan woman, and a witness in Mary Magdalene—long before they believed it. The disciples saw a tax collector; Jesus saw a gospel writer. The crowd saw a demon-possessed woman; Jesus saw a faithful servant. God’s vision for you isn’t limited by your résumé, reputation, or regrets. He’s shaping you into a “version” that reflects His creativity, not your past. [17:41]

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”
(2 Corinthians 5:17, NIV)

Reflection: What “old” version of yourself do you struggle to release? How might embracing God’s vision for your “new” self change your choices today?

Day 5: Leaving Your Jar to Carry His Mission

The Samaritan woman’s abandoned water jar symbolizes more than forgetfulness—it’s surrender. She traded her tool of isolation for a mission of reconciliation. Jesus didn’t just heal her; He entrusted her with His message. Your greatest pain, once surrendered, becomes your platform. The jar you leave behind—the habit, fear, or story you’ve clung to—is the space where God’s purpose begins. You aren’t qualified because of your perfection, but because He’s chosen you. [31:27]

“You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.”
(John 15:16, NIV)

Reflection: What “jar” is God asking you to leave behind to step into His purpose? Who needs to hear the story of how He’s met you at your well?

Sermon Summary

Isaiah’s word sets the tone for identity and fear. “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine.” The Lord begins not with Israel’s failures but with his actions. He created, he formed, he redeemed, he called, he claimed. Before the world named anybody, God already knew them. That divine naming reframes Mary’s story. Luke only gives a line about seven demons, but the gospels linger on who she became after Jesus called her by name. Grace reintroduces a person to the person God had in mind. The question rises like a drumbeat: what if someone knows a truer version of you than the one the shame and the labels have been shouting?

Jesus carries that question into Matthew’s booth. “Get used to different.” The Rabbi walks straight to the place everyone avoids and says two words, “Follow me,” not “fix yourself.” The call sees a disciple where others see a disappointment. The invitation is not to polish an image but to become a person formed by grace. Grace reads a life not by its current chapter but by what God is creating and redeeming.

John 4 shows how far that grace will go. Jesus crosses lines others draw. He goes where others go around. He clears the noise to make space at a well. He welcomes what a person brings, then tells the truth about the story no one wants to bring into the light. He refuses the mask, not to shame, but to free. The conversation rises from water to worship to Messiah until the center of gravity shifts from self to the One who says, “I who speak to you am he.” Transformation happens when eyes fix on Jesus, not on the mirror. Then mission begins. The woman drops the jar and runs home speaking. The outcast becomes a witness. That same pattern hums through Mary of Magdala, Matthew the tax man, and the Samaritan woman. Each backstory is different. The grace is the same. The Father’s voice keeps naming the truth underneath the noise: I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. You are mine.

Key Takeaways

1. God starts with what He’s done God opens identity by pointing to his creating, forming, redeeming, calling, and claiming, not by reciting human failures. Before any label stuck, he knew the name. The true self grows out of what God has already done and is still doing. Fear loosens when identity rests in his action. [08:01]
2. Grace sees a truer you Grace does not squint past sin; it sees through it to what God is making. The gospels hurry past the mechanics of Mary’s deliverance to show her new life because grace aims for becoming. The “different” Jesus names is not cosmetic, it is creation renewed. The question is not who has been, but who God knows can be. [06:22]
3. Jesus walks to your tax booth Jesus moves toward the compromised places others avoid and calls there. The command is not clean up, then come, but come, then be made new. Calling precedes qualifying because grace creates what it commands. Following begins at the worst address on the map. [16:49]
4. Truth names wounds without shaming Jesus refuses to build a future on a mask. He brings the hidden history into speech so freedom has ground to stand on. Exposure without condemnation turns confession into a doorway, not a dead end. Honest truth is the kindness that makes healing possible. [29:18]
5. Mission flows from identity revealed Once Jesus is seen for who he is, the self is seen in his light. The jar can be dropped because the old errands no longer define the day. The person who hid becomes the person who speaks because belonging births courage. Calling is the overflow of being named. [31:27]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[04:33] - When the Pursuer finds you
[05:14] - Mary Magdalene named and seen
[05:42] - Called by name before change
[06:22] - Who she became matters most
[07:12] - “Thus says the Lord” identity
[08:01] - Five truths God declares
[11:26] - Get used to different
[14:20] - Why Matthew’s calling shocks
[16:49] - Follow me at the tax booth
[17:41] - Grace sees beyond this version
[26:55] - He had to go through Samaria
[29:18] - Truth that frees, not shames
[30:57] - Fix your eyes on Jesus
[31:27] - Leaving the jar, joining mission

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading
- Isaiah 43:1 (NIV): “But now, this is what the Lord says—he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: ‘Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.’”
- Matthew 9:9 (NIV): “As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. ‘Follow me,’ he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.”
- John 4:13-14, 26 (NIV): “Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ […] Then Jesus declared, ‘I, the one speaking to you—I am he.’”

Observation Questions

In Isaiah 43:1, what five actions does God emphasize to define Israel’s identity? How do these contrast with human labels or failures?
When Jesus calls Matthew (Matthew 9:9), what does He not say before inviting him to follow? What does this reveal about His approach to broken people?
In John 4, how does Jesus shift the Samaritan woman’s focus from her physical needs to her spiritual identity? What specific truths does He confront her with?

Interpretation Questions

Why does God begin Isaiah 43:1 by declaring His actions (“I created… formed… redeemed… called… claimed”) instead of addressing Israel’s failures? How does this redefine how we understand our worth?
Jesus called Matthew while he was still a tax collector, not after he “cleaned up.” What does this imply about grace’s role in transforming identity versus behavior modification?
The Samaritan woman leaves her water jar behind after encountering Jesus (John 4:28). What does the jar symbolize, and why is abandoning it significant for her mission?

Application Questions

Isaiah 43:1 says God calls us by name before our transformation. What labels or failures have you allowed to define you? How might embracing God’s declaration (“you are mine”) shift your self-perception?
Jesus walked directly to Matthew’s “tax booth”—a place of compromise and shame. What area of your life feels like a “tax booth” that you’ve tried to hide? How does Jesus’ willingness to meet you there change your next step? [16:49]
The Samaritan woman’s honesty about her past led to freedom. Is there a “hidden story” you’ve avoided bringing into the light? How could truth-telling, without shame, create space for healing? [29:18]
Mary Magdalene, Matthew, and the Samaritan woman all dropped their old identities to embrace mission. What “jar” (habit, fear, or distraction) do you need to leave behind to step into the purpose God is revealing? [31:27]
The sermon emphasizes that grace “sees a truer you.” Who in your life might need you to see them through God’s eyes rather than their past? How can you reflect this grace to them this week?

Sermon Clips

35s

#FromDemonsToWitness

“``Who would have thought that a woman whom Jesus delivered from seven demons would remain with him at the cross when so many others fled? That she would be among the first to encounter the risen Christ and become one of the first witnesses to his life, death, and resurrection. Who would have thought that a man who betrayed his own people, collecting taxes from Rome, and enriching his own pockets at their expense would be called by Jesus, leave everything behind, follow him, and eventually write one of the most significant books in all of the scriptures.”

22s

#WaterJarEvangelist

“Who would have thought that a woman with five failed marriages, an outcast in her own community, drawing water in the middle of a day to avoid judgment and ridicule of others would become one of the first people that Jesus would reveal himself to. And that she would leave her jar behind, run back to her town and become an evangelist telling others and getting their lives changed?”

33s

#NotYourLabel

“The label others have put on you is not the name that Jesus has for you. Get used to different disciples. Jesus doesn't just see who you are, he sees who you are going to become. Get used to different Roman soldier. There's a different kingdom. There's there's a new way to life that doesn't involve money, status, or power. Get used to different gathering point because one invitation from Jesus can change the trajectory of a whole entire life, the trajectory of a whole entire family. And Matthew story is just proof of that.”

28s

#CalledByName

“Different because he knows who you are created to be even if you're not right this second. Different because his grace is still pursuing you. Different because the invitation is still on the table. So we're gonna end this morning where we began. Listen to the words of God speaking directly over you no matter what season, no matter what place of life you are in. I have redeemed you. I have called you by name. mine.”

28s

#ChooseGodsVoice

“Because some of us in life will have to make a decision. Are we gonna believe the words that we tell ourselves? Are we gonna be the believe the words that the world has told us? Or are we gonna believe what God says? Because thus says the Lord, my friends, he who created you, Jacob, insert your name, he who formed you Israel, do not fear for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. mine.”

25s

#NoMoreMasks

“But notice what happens. He doesn't ignore her story. He doesn't minimize her wounds. He doesn't pretend her past doesn't matter. Jesus is never interested in the false self. The version that we might wanna put up to protect ourselves from the world and make them believe that we are something that we are not. He's not interested in the mask. He's not interested in performance. He's not interested in the image that we put up to maintain.”

23s

#ShapedAndRedeemed

“He said, I formed you. I am shaping you. You are not who you were. You are not yet all that God even intends for you to be. He says, I've redeemed you, I've rescued you out of that pit. God specializes in reclaiming what sin, shame, and brokenness tried to restore, destroy in your life. He restores it. He says, I called you by name, I know you.”

25s

#YouAreMine

“God doesn't just love a version of you that you will be one day when you get there. He knows the you today, and he calls you today as you are, and he actually loves you and is patient with you for you to become the you that he knows you will be. Can I get anybody? He says, you are mine. I claim you. Your deepest identity is not what you have done or what you will do, but whose you belong to.”

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Get Used To Different

Devotional

Day 1: The Pursuit That Begins Before You Notice

Day 2: Called by Name, Not Defined by Shame

Day 3: Divine Appointments in Ordinary Moments

Day 4: Seeing Beyond the Current Version of You

Day 5: Leaving Your Jar to Carry His Mission

Sermon Summary

Key Takeaways

Youtube Chapters

Bible Study Guide

Sermon Clips

Get Used To Different

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