I was blind, now I see!

The gospel of John chapter 9 tells the story of Jesus seeing a man who was born blind. His disciples supposed that he was blind because of his sin or the sin of his parents. There are many in the body of Christ that suppose the same thing about someone who is sick or is having troubles. Jesus told them that he was not blind because of sin but that the works of God should be made manifest in him. So the Lord made clay and anointed his eyes with it and then told him to go wash in the pool of Siloam. The blind man went and washed and came back seeing. It would appear that this healing would be the occasion for rejoicing and glorifying God but not with these folks. Some said the blind man was healed while others said it wasn't him that was healed. So the man that was healed had to tell them, I am he. He was questioned by his neighbors and then the Pharisees questioned him. They all wanted to know how he was healed and who had healed him. The Pharisees wanted the man to say that Jesus was a sinner because he had healed on the sabbath, they also wanted his parents to say something bad about Jesus but they only said he was born blind but how he was healed and who did it they didn't say. They said, ask him for he is of age. The healed man said it all when he said, "Whether he be a sinner or no, I know not: one thing I know that whereas I was blind, now I see." You might find it interesting to read again John 9. I can't help but wonder why people have the hardest time receiving God's miracles. They ask questions and analyze it through and through and it seems that most never really believe that God worked in the situation. Let's be careful that we don't have a hardened heart toward God and his working in our lives as well as others. God's workings don't have to fit into our traditions and religion. You never know when God just might do a new thing.

He is always with us!

In Matthew 28: 18 -20 after Jesus was resurrected it says, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen." They are power filled words commissioning us to go and make disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to be doers of the word. Now the last thing Jesus said is a wonderful blessing to all of us. He said, lo, I am with you always unto the end of the world. He is with us always both now and forever. Always is a long time, much longer than is measurable by man. Praise the Lord for he is always with us.

Life's storms

Matthew 7:24 - 27 says, "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Let's look at three lessons we can learn from this story about life's storms.

1. Everyone is hit by storms. (v. 25, 27)

2. Everyone has the same instructions. (v. 24, 26)

3. Everyone who acts upon the instructions stands. (v. 24)

These principles were true and necessary when Jesus spoke them in the sermon on the mount, and they are true and necessary today. Are we hearing and doing the teachings of our Lord?

We are being watched

Matthew 5:19 says, "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven; but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Modern Christianity seems to encourage picking and choosing which commandments we will obey. When we are converted and become as little children we hear our Father's commandments and we wouldn't even consider defying our Father's desires. When we do the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin and we need to repent. Are we or do we know Christians who harbor bitterness against someone and yet bring gifts to the altar and want to worship the Lord? Maybe our sin is that we retaliate when someone strikes us or hurts us. Maybe we don't obey Jesus who taught us to love our enemies, and to bless those that curse us, and to do good to them which despitefully use and persecute us. Our actions or lack of action can be teaching others to do and not do the commandments of the Lord. We are being watched.

Kind and Merciful!

Luke 6: 35 - 36 says, "But love ye your enemies, and do good, and lend; hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great, and ye shall be the children of the Highest: for he is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful." Being kind and merciful to the unthankful and to the evil are surely God's will for our lives for the word says so. What I'm wondering about is, how many of us have reached this worthy place and to what degree?

If it is in there, it will come out.

Jesus in speaking to some Pharisees said in Matthew 12: 34-36, "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." If our heart is full of evil things, evil things will come out when we speak. If our heart is full of good things, good things will come out when we speak. All of us like to be around the wise heart for out of it will come wisdom. Do folks like to be around us? Are we speaking words of faith or words of fear? May the Lord fill our hearts with his word.

Meeting with God!

In John 18:1,2 it says, "When Jesus had spoken these words, he went forth with his disciples over the brook of Cedron, where was a garden, into the which he entered, and his disciples. And Judas also, which betrayed him, knew the place: for Jesus oft-times resorted thither with his disciples."
A garden is a great place to meet God, but you can meet him just as well in a prison cell. Acts 16:25- 27 says, "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled." The rest of this story tells how the prison guard got saved and his whole household. The place that we meet with God isn't near as important as the fact that we actually do meet with him daily.