Subtitle: Ask God to make you His hands or feet or ears today. Draw closer to Jesus so you'll have more of Him to give away.
Excerpt: The verse from John 5:3 describes a large number of disabled people at the pool of Bethesda, hoping for a miracle. The message encourages us to see the needs of those around us, offering grace, compassion, and support, just as Jesus did.
Scripture
Our verse for today comes from John 5:3, “Here a great number of disabled people used to lie – the blind, the lame, the paralyzed.”
Background
Picture yourself at your favorite watering hole. It might be in the winter at Starbucks, during football season at the local sports bar, or even McDonald’s getting sweet tea during the summer. But imagine the place was large enough to have five outdoor porches, and these porches were filled with all kinds of people. There were some with broken hearts, some struggling with depression, and others wrestling with the panic of having lost their job. Some might have recently lost a loved one, or just found out they had cancer, or even lied to their spouse about something significant. Whatever the ailment or issue, picture the place crawling with people who each had some story to tell. Now, the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem, where Jesus was passing by, was similar to our situations above. It was a literal watering hole, with five porches, and lame people everywhere who might only hope to be able to crawl one day. And in addition to whatever emotional or psychological baggage they might have, they also were physically unable to function or move. Blind, lame, and paralyzed, they spent their days hoping for a miracle to heal them of their infirmity.
Application
And one day Jesus passed by. He picked out a man who was bad off, perhaps worse than most, and healed his body. God used His glory and changed the condition of someone at the watering hole of Bethesda. And so, how can we use His glory to change the broken lives at our watering holes? What divine appointment awaits us that we may or may not keep? Will we seize the opportunity to affect someone who is worse off than most? We might not be able to see the anxiety in them that keeps them up all night or the dread they feel of living another day in the same dead-end shoes they always live in. But isn’t it safe to say that almost anyone on our porches could use something that we can offer? Isn’t everyone in need of grace, a warm smile, or some extra measure of compassion? So look around you at the great number of disabled people, see what God sees, and then do what God does.
Charge
As we seek Him today, ask God to make you His hands or feet or ears today. Draw closer to Jesus so you’ll have more of Him to give away.
Salvation – Eternal Life in Less Than 150 Words
Distributed by – BCWorldview.org
