Passage of the Day:
Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. 3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.” 8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked, John 5:1-9.
Reflection:
I can relate to the depressed state of the Invalid man that Jesus encounters in today’s passage. After being teased by first graders while trying to read out loud in class, I vowed to never read again in front of my peers. When called upon, I pretended that I didn’t know where we were so I would be skipped. This is the hopeless mindset of stutterers and those born with a severe speech impediment. At my young age, I didn’t know anything about developing a will to change for the better.
Prayerful Action:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him, Hebrews 11:6.
Working Out Your Salvation:
It took me 21 years to believe that God could somehow heal me of my stuttering. I always knew what I wanted to say in my head and heart, but when I opened my mouth, I couldn’t clearly express that which I envisioned. Despite my failures, I continued to volunteer to pray in high school and college small group settings. Rather than laugh and mock me, fellow believers at the University of Delaware encouraged and prayed for me. Without their support, I wouldn’t have developed the will to change for the better, being healed in God’s perfect timing, not my own.
Song of the Day:
Don’t let depression cause you to give up hope of ever becoming the person God created you to be. Rather, dig down deep, replace doubt with belief and you’ll be on your way to developing a will to change for the better.
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 