Lack Perspective...He Still Heals

When Jesus saw him and knew he had been ill for a long time, he asked him, “Would you like to get well?"

“I can’t, sir,” the sick man said, “for I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me.” Jesus told him, 

“Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! 

But this miracle happened on the Sabbath, so the Jewish leaders objected. They said to the man who was cured, “You can’t work on the Sabbath! The law doesn’t allow you to carry that sleeping mat!”

(John 5:6-10 NLT)

Jesus asked about his will. "Do you want?" The man responded implying his desire to get well but "I can't" after a long time being there reveals both his frustration in the current circumstances, but also his perseverance of faith and hope. 

The disconnect was the man had no perspective of Jesus yet. 

But in the next moment, something happened. Jesus, the Author of Life spoke Life and Healing into this man. With what would be a simple command to anyone but a crippled man who can't move. And in obedience to this new revelation of perspective with Jesus standing at the center of it, he got up, took up his mat , and walked. 

Voice your frustration to God whose perspective is always higher than yours and unlike the Jewish leaders who rested on their wrong perspective. Listen to the Author and Finisher of your faith and obey. 

You will be glad you do. 

Luke 1:38,

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Sometimes Faith...

Sometimes faith is like Moses and the children of Israel coming to the Red Sea...only his staff entered before the waters parted and stood high on both sides, fire behind leaving only one way to go. 

Sometimes faith is like Joshua and the children of Israel coming to the Jordan River...only after they entered into the water did the water part leaving one wall of water and open plain on the other side.

Sometimes faith is not like either one of those. 

Luke 1:38,

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Faith Pile Up

I love word pictures. So whether the title of this blog finds you in this stage of faith...

Your faith is active and piling up in prayer and trust as you wait on God's timing. 

Or this stage of faith...

Like Joshua, who commanded a leader of the twelve tribes to take a stone from the middle of the Jordan River as they crossed through on dry ground. So in gratefulness they remember the faithfulness of God and have kindling for faith to increase. 

Don't lose heart, don't give up, for in due time you will reap a harvest.

Luke 1:38

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Tending to His Glory

In reading the writings of John Wesley, he speaks of living a life that "tends to the Glory of God".

My prayer agrees with his written prayer today...

"Trusting in the compassion of our all-sufficient God, let us pray, 

O Father of mercies, help us with your grace.

Direct our paths, and teach us to set you always before us.

O Father of mercies, help us with your grace.

May whatever we do or suffer this day tend to your glory.

O Father of mercies, help us with your grace.

We are not ours, but yours. Claim us as your right; keep us as your charge, love us as you children. 

O Father of mercies, help us with your grace.

Amen.

May Your Word be he meditation and guide of my heart this day...

God alone is wise. Glory belongs to him through Jesus Christ forever! Amen. (Romans 16:27 GW)

Glory belongs to our God and Father forever! Amen. (Philippians 4:20 GW)

“Sing to the LORD, all the earth! Day after day announce that the LORD saves his people. Tell people about his glory. Tell all the nations about his miracles. “The LORD is great! He should be highly praised. He should be feared more than all ⌊other⌋ gods because all the gods of the nations are idols. The LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are in his presence. Strength and joy are where he is. “Give to the LORD, you families of the nations. Give to the LORD glory and power. Give to the LORD the glory his name deserves. Bring an offering, and come to him. Worship the LORD in ⌊his⌋ holy splendor. Tremble in his presence, all the earth! “The earth stands firm; it cannot be moved. Let the heavens rejoice and the earth be glad. Say to the nations, ‘The LORD rules as king!’ Let the sea and everything in it roar like thunder. Let the fields and everything in them rejoice. Then the trees in the forest will sing with joy in the presence of the LORD when he comes to judge the earth. “Give thanks to the LORD because he is good, because his mercy endures forever. (1 Chronicles 16:23-34 GW)

Luke 1:38

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Compelled

Clearly, Christ’s love guides us. We are convinced of the fact that one man has died for all people. Therefore, all people have died. He died for all people so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the man who died and was brought back to life for them. (2 Corinthians 5:14-15 GW)

I memorized this verse standing beside my daddy on the banks of the Jordan River in Israel. The version I learned says " Christ's love compels us." I have not looked up the difference between guide and compel but in my heart it has a different feel to it. Both are right and of God, I believe. 

This is also the verse that my bible was opened to on the day I was ordained. 

My prayer today is that my life in character and in action would live up to and lean into this reality of purpose. Jesus gave His all to us. Can we not trust Him with our EVERYTHING?

Luke 1:38

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Best You Can

So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.” Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” (Matthew 27:64-65 NLT)

Sometimes our faith in what Jesus said or promises to us still lives in the realm of the possible. The guards believed that the fact that the tomb would be empty was still humanly possible. So they sent a guard to prevent that scenario.

Are we limiting God based on what we can see, expect or pull off doing the best we can. 

Well Jesus blew that lid off the tomb, may He do the same for our faith.

Psalm 73:26

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In The Know But Did Not Know

Read John 11. Notice the change in information that Jesus gave the disciples.

After Jesus said this, he told his disciples, “Our friend Lazarus is sleeping, and I’m going to Bethany to wake him.” His disciples said to him, “Lord, if he’s sleeping, he’ll get well.” Jesus meant that Lazarus was dead, but the disciples thought Jesus meant that Lazarus was only sleeping. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, but I’m glad that I wasn’t there so that you can grow in faith. Let’s go to Lazarus.” (John 11:11-15 GW)

1. "Our friend ... I'm going." Jesus wanted the revelation of who He is to lead them to the Truth, not the circumstances.

Lazarus was dead. Jesus said sleeping. Why He did this is not spelled out, but given Thomas' comment in verse 16...

Thomas, who was called Didymus, said to the rest of the disciples, “Let’s go so that we, too, can die with Jesus.” (John 11:16 GW)

One reason was probably to protect a doubter's faith, by putting the Truth of the situation in who Jesus is and not in the circumstances. Revelation would have come to Thomas along the way if Jesus had not had to speak plainly, the difference would have been that the revelation would have come through the eyes of faith that saw Jesus "wake the sleeper" before.

2. The disciples had always followed Jesus because of who He is, but now Jesus was inviting them to a deeper walk with Him. "Our friend, Lazarus" The invitation was to share in the compassion that was compelling Jesus to "go to Lazarus".

3. After telling them plainly, "Lazarus has died." Jesus still compelled their action to Lazarus. Not to a city, not to follow Him, but to someone in need, "Let's go to Lazarus." 

John challenges me.
Do I know the character and faithfulness of Jesus enough to be in the know even when I have limited information?
Do I have faith in Him in such a way that I know the One who called me is faithful?
Do I believe that God is good? (Thomas took all he was hearing from Jesus and believed Him, but one thing Thomas forgot in the equation of his conclusion...God is good, all the time.)

Psalm 73:26
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