Take Them By The Hand

John 5:6-7 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.”

What a helpless state of being. This man suffered for 38 years of his life with no cure, and no one to help him. Those who surrounded him were in the same state of helplessness. Yet, it seems like there were plenty who were well enough to reach the healing waters before him, leaving him, once again, in his pitiful state. We have here another example of how man seeks relief from physical suffering, when the real need is spiritual healing. Although we are not told what this man suffered from, later in this chapter Jesus tells the man in verse 14, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Jesus' warning to this man seems to indicate that his sickness was the result of sin in his life. Today, we are surrounded by so many who are suffering physically and spiritually, because of sin. We, who have been healed and are on our way to Heaven, have the answer and ultimate cure for the one thing that is destroying this world. Yet, we are like the ones who rushed past this man to seek our own relief, and enjoy the hope we have been given. Today, we have the ability, and opportunity, to reach out to someone who is hurting, who has no one who cares for them and the state of their broken life. We have the answer and the cure for their soul. We possess the one thing that will give them hope and help them to better deal with their physical and emotional suffering. We have salvation in Christ Jesus, and the ability to share the Good News that someone else shared with us. This man waited for years for someone to help him reach the healing waters that would make him physically whole. We have access to the One who will give Living Water and make one spiritually whole, with a promise to one day be made physically whole, when we are finally with Him. Today, rather than pass by another whose life is broken and helpless, who may be quietly suffering, or may even be crying out, because they have no one to help bring them to the Living Water; why not stop and take them by the hand? Why not stop and lead them to the One who will give them the Living Water that will not only heal their soul, but also give them hope and purpose? Take them by the hand and lead them to Jesus.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Eyes of Faith and Hope

John 4:50-51 Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”

We can learn a great lesson from the response of this nobleman to Jesus' words that his son was healed. Responding in belief gave him the peace that passes all understanding. It is one thing to bring our cares and concerns to the Lord, it is another to bring those cares and concerns with faith and trust. Unbelief is a killer. It kills our peace, our joy, and puts us in a position to fall short of pleasing the Lord; for we know that without faith we cannot please Him. The man, although very much concerned about his son's wellbeing, focused instead on the words and promise Jesus made. Today, rather than focusing on all the "bad news" and circumstances the world, and the enemy, keeps putting before our eyes, in order to keep us in a state of fear, worry, and panic; let us instead focus our attention on God's Word and His promises. However, in order to truly experience the peace and joy the Lord promises we can have in Him, we must read His Word and see His promises through eyes of faith and hope. The nobleman continued his journey home, believing and with hope; a hope that did not disappoint, when he finally heard the words, "Your son lives!" We also have hope. That hope is our Living Hope, because God's Son, our Savior and Lord, lives!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

There Are Still Some Who Will Believe

John 4:43-45 Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee. For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country. So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.

Sometimes it does not matter how much evidence is seen, in respect to who Jesus is and what He can do, some people will just not believe or give Jesus the honor He deserves. It was in Cana of Galilee that Jesus turned water into wine. The Galileans had likely seen much of what Jesus did in Jerusalem; yet, they refused to recognize Him for who He was. We must not be surprised when those closest to us refuse to acknowledge the change that takes place in our lives after we come to know the Lord. God will begin to change us from the inside out, by the working of the Spirit in us and through us. Yet, many of our family members and friends will mock us and persecute us, rather than accept our witness. That is perfectly fine. For all the lack of honor toward Jesus, and disbelief by the Galileans, there were still some who believed, even an entire household (4:46-54). So when we feel like no one is listening, just remain faithful. The more people we tell and the more consistent our testimony, the more likely we will reach some. We have to live for Jesus, open our mouths, and leave the outcome to Him. There are still those out there who will believe.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

The Power of HIS Word

John 4:39-42 And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days. And many more believed because of His own word. Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”

What a valuable lesson we see here in these verses. The testimony of the Samaritan woman drew others to Jesus, but it was Jesus' own words that ultimately caused the people to believe. Although God can use our testimony, regardless of how small or great, the most important thing we can share is God's Word. It is a beautiful thing when we see God change lives. We can be grateful and excited about how God has worked in, and changed, our lives; but we must not forget that it was the Holy Spirit working to convict us, using God's Word, that drew us to Jesus, resulting in our salvation. Isaiah put it best in chapter 55 and verse 11, "So shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." For this reason it is of utmost importance that we realize and acknowledge that the most important thing to share, when we share our testimony, is the Word of God. Salvation is only found in Jesus, and this is why the lost must hear from Jesus Himself. How will they hear from Jesus if all we ever do is share our words. We are not the ones who save or even have the power to save. There is only One who saves, and His Name is Jesus; so share His Words so that people will have a personal meeting with the only One who has the power to save.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

We Are Losing the Easiest Blessings

John 4:35-38 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’ I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”

One of the most available blessings that we pass up is the blessing of knowing that a reward is set for us when we tell others about Jesus. Note that I did not say, "When we win someone to Christ." I say this because when we witness to someone, we do not know if they are hearing the Gospel for the first or the fiftieth time. We may be the first one to plant a seed or the one who waters or even the one who reaps the blessing of actually leading them to Jesus. Regardless of whatever role we play in that person coming to know Jesus, we receive reward. Jesus made that clear in today's verses, as He explained this truth to His disciples. The Apostle Paul also explained this same truth to the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 3:8 which reads, "Now he who plants and he who waters are one, and each one will receive his own reward according to his own labor." Our hesitation to speak up is costing us more than we think. We are losing the easiest heavenly blessings and rewards we can gain by choosing the things of this world, and preferring our own desires, over simply doing what God has called us to do...tell others about Jesus and what He did for us.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

What Is Our Excuse?

John 4:35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!

What's our excuse? You know... The one that keeps us from carrying out the command to preach the Gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15); or the one that clearly tells us to go out and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe all the things that Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:18-20). Far too often we convince ourselves that no one will listen to us or that the timing was not right, when in reality we were simply intimidated and afraid of being rejected. We allow the enemy to convince us that "now is not the time". If now is not the time, then when is the right time? God's Word reminds us in 2 Corinthians that now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation. The sad truth is that every single day that we are out and about, we encounter people who need Jesus. Some of those people are actually searching for something in life that will give them meaning and give their life purpose. We have the answer. We have what they need. Yet, we pass them by and never open our mouths. The truth of the matter is that there are many who are ready to receive the message we have been commanded to bring to a lost and dying world. The problem is that we are not being diligent enough to bring it. We have allowed the enemy to discourage us, and we have allowed our own personal ambitions and desires to override our true purpose and mission for being here. How long will we wait to share the wonderful message about Jesus and what He did for us? Jesus clearly told his disciple that now was the time. So, what is our excuse for not telling someone today?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).

Undernourished Christians

John 4:31-34 In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.” But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.” Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?” Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.

In a country where there is still much to eat, we have a lot of us Christians that are walking around suffering from starvation and malnutrition. Observing the outer appearance is very deceiving; as many of us look healthy enough and even look like we could stand to feed ourselves a little, if not a lot, less. However, that is not what I speak of today. Many of us outwardly portray something that is not true. Many of us look well nourished, but on the inside we are far from healthy. The disciples were concerned, like many of us, with satisfying what they thought was the most important thing, physical hunger. Now, do not get me wrong. If we are not careful about what we feed ourselves physically, we can certainly cause great damage to our bodies. However, what the disciples did not understand, and many of us do not understand, is that spiritual food is far more necessary than physical food. When I say spiritual food, many will counter and tell me how much they read and study their Bibles and how much they pray and spend quiet time with Jesus. These things are all good and definitely things we do to feed ourselves spiritually; but when Jesus spoke of spiritual food, He spoke of doing, not receiving. In other words, when we read this passage carefully, Jesus' food was doing the Father's will. It was telling others about salvation and receiving the Bread of Life Himself and receiving the Living Water only He can give. Jesus' spiritual food was serving others and making them aware of the fact that they could receive the free gift that God offered, in Him. Far too many of us are doing the things that help feed us, such as reading and studying God's Word, and praying, but we are still undernourished because we are not witnessing or serving. If we are in any way confused about this, or doubt it, then let us simply reread Jesus' own words, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work."

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Romans 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive His free gift of salvation today (Romans 10:13).