Week Forty-Seven, 2017
WHO IS BLIND?
“….. it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him.” (John 9:3).
It is one of the greatest short stories in the Bible, all contained in one small chapter, John 9. Jesus is walking with His disciples when they passed a blind man. Believing that sin causes physical problems, they asked the Master if the man had sinned or if his parents sinned.
Jesus said it was neither as the man was so afflicted that the works of God might be displayed in him. Now, the disciples were more confused than ever, whereupon Jesus spat on the ground and made a lump of clay and applied it to the man’s eyes. He told him to go wash his face and when he did, his sight was restored.
He was brought before the Pharisees to tell his story of washing and seeing. Instead of marveling at this great miracle, the Pharisees accused Jesus of not obeying the Sabbath, since he healed (worked) on that day. Still not believing what had happened, they summoned his parents, hoping they would say that the man was not their blind son. When the parents identified the man as their son and said how he was born blind.
When pressed for a more detailed explanation, the man said he didn’t know, but one thing he did know is that he was blind and “now I see.” Still they missed the obvious and put him out. The man said that whoever he (Jesus) was is worthy of worship.
Now, the question of this beautiful story is: Who was blind? The man was physically blind, but now he could see physically and spiritually. The Pharisees could physically see, but were spiritually blind. With all of the evidence displayed before their eyes, they could not see what was before them.
People are often like that … oblivious to the obvious. Are we not sometimes unable to see the hand of God as we examine the world around us. There is a big difference between sight and vision. As Helen Keller said, “The only thing worse than being blind is having sight, but no vision.”
How is your spiritual vision? Can you see through the things of God? Do you long to someday pass from this world to a better place where you can see all things clearly……. the things that only spiritual eyes can see?
Until then, train your eyes on things above and resist the often terrible things of this world.
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SOMETIMES TRUE STORIES
You too may have allowed yourself to become so engrossed in your career and in amassing material possessions you have forgotten what makes you feel fulfilled and truly alive. Indeed, work and the pursuit of material things may have estranged you from who you really are. Therefore, one of the most important aspects of defining a purpose for your retirement is to find out who you really are. Ernie J. Zelinski
TIME CHANGES THINGS:
▪ If you attempt to rob a bank you won’t have any trouble with rent or food bills for the next 10 years, whether you are successful or not.
▪ Oxygen is slowly killing you; it just takes 75-100 years to fully work.
▪ 100 years ago everyone owned a horse and only the rich had cars. Today everyone has cars and the rich own horses.
OBEDIENCE:
Partial obedience will soon lead to disobedience.
Three questions to ask yourself:
1. Am I seeking God’s will deliberately and passionately?
2. If God were to have you leave your comfort zone to take the challenges of the unfamiliar, how would you respond?
3. Are you making obedience too complicated?
—Ken Whitten
TEMPERANCE:
Adult drinking in America has become a “public health crisis” in the past decade, with steepest rise among those 65 and older, according to a recent federal study. The rise in those over 65 was more than double for the general population.
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QUOTES YOU CAN USE
God uses the least likely to accomplish the most glory. —Ken Whitten
Few rich men own their property. Their property owns them. —Robert G. Ingersoll
My riches consist not in the extent of my possessions but in the fewness of my wants. —J. Brotherton
God’s pleasure in you is not based on your performance for him. God’s Pleasure in you is based on His performance for you.
God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars.” —Martin Luther
If you think that you’re too small, too little, too inconsequential to make a difference or make an impact, try going to sleep with a mosquito in the room.
Your worship is useless if your ways are wicked. —Bob Sprinkle
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©2017 John Grant | Florida State Senator (Ret.) | 10025 Orange Grove Drive | Tampa, FL 33618