In the Gospel of John, we read that Jesus comes across a paralytic man who has been in this place of affliction for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, He asks this man the most important question of his life, “Do you want to get well?” The paralytic 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.” The biblical account of the Pool of Bethesda tells us that an angel would go down at a certain time into the pool and stir up the water and whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease they had.
Awake My Soul
Then He said to me,
Prophesy to these bones and say to them,
Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord!
This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones,
I will make breath enter you,
And you will come to life.
So I prophesied as I was commanded.
As I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound,
And the bones came together, bone to bone.
And I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them,
And skin covered them, but there was no breath in them.
Then He said to me,
Prophesy to the breath,
Prophesy, son of man, and say to it,
Conjure the four winds of breath and breathe.
Quit Looking Behind You, You’re Not Heading That Way!
David Petraeus’s extramarital affair; Newtown, Connecticut tragedy; Presidential elections; daredevil makes a record space jump; Facebook goes public; the iPhone 5 comes out; Whitney Houston found dead; London Olympics draws millions; Michael Phelps’ wins 22 medals; Lance Armstrong has been a champion fundraiser for cancer research but now has an asterisk next to his name for the doping scandal; Norman Schwarzkopf, Neil Armstrong, Mike Wallace, Dick Clark and Andy Griffith passed away; Fast and Furious scandal; four people were killed; including U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens in the Benghazi attack; movies such as The Hobbit, Lincoln, Les Miserables hit the big screen; Hurricane Sandy devastates the east coast; gunman open fires at a showing of Dark Knight; Middle East has become more unstable with the unrest in Syria, Egypt and Gaza; Penn State scandal…
Post Election Thoughts
I am fairly certain that emotions are running high on both sides this morning, the day after the United States chose its next President. Here is the big question…can you pray for our leaders, regardless of your opinion of them?
1 Timothy 2 tells us to offer prayers and thanks for, not against, all those in authority — and it doesn’t have the condition, “as long as their agenda matches God’s.” …that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people — for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all people to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth! (v. 1b-4)
Kissed By The King!
How much distance is there between you and God? Do you hold back your affection due to fear or shame, or do you find yourself often sitting in His lap, leaning as close as you can…so close there is almost no distance at all?
In an article called Kiss Me (www.bobkilpatrick.com), Bob Kilpatrick described what God wants from a relationship with us: