**And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?** John 9:2
I’ve learned to recognize over time that when similar verses stand out to me in my reading, that the Lord is trying to get my attention. He is teaching me or deepening my understanding in something and I need to listen and allow him to work in me.
In “a Condemning Spirit” post, and in “Friend or Foe” I shared some thoughts on our reaction to others trials. Here in the gospel of John, Jesus answers those that were quick to lay blame on someone for this family and their blind child.
Over and over again, Jesus’ teaching shows us how far off the mark we are in our understanding of what is godly and what is not. Pointing fingers and judging is not ……. putting our faith in the Sovereign Hand of God is.
I believe that the Father sent the Son not only to save us from our sins, but to show us how we should process life from day to day. If you think about it, Jesus had just a few priorities in His ministry…..
-Spend as much time with the Father as He could in prayer. Even if it meant He missed his sleep.
-Help, encourage, heal, bring good to as many people as He could.
-Teach the Kingdom of God, not just that it was coming, but that when we are living like Jesus did, we are the Kingdom of God to others. He gave us a better understanding of the Law. Not rules and condemnation. But faith, grace, mercy, goodness, compassion, understanding, unconditional love, righteousness.
-And fulfill the will of the Father, every day. Whether it was the person right in front of him or the eternal purpose of the Cross.
The more I read my Bible, the more I see the threads of connection between the Old Testament and the New. The teaching is the same in both.
-Love God, Love People, Live like you do both.
Today is a good day for all of us to be a little more like Jesus.