To Heal Or Not To Heal

Mark. 8:25 After that he put his hands again upon his eyes, and made him look up: and he was restored, and saw every man clearly.

The man from Bethsaida the home town of Andrew and Peter. He was a blind man, probably not from birth, he knew what trees looked like. As Jesus entered the city, the people brought this man to Him believing that Jesus could restore his sight. Healing from God is brought about by faith. When and how this healing is done is given to the Master to decide. For some reason, unknown to man, Jesus touched this man’s eyes twice before complete healing was done. Jesus could have just spoken the word, or rub some mud on his eyes. He could have told him to go wash his eyes out with water, but he choose to give partial healing before giving full healing. As a person who believes in the doctrine of sanctification, I would like to think that this was Jesus’ way of saying, it will take two works of grace to complete the work of full salvation. But, I think this is stretching out the scriptures to fit my doctrine. The reality is God does things in mysterious way that we always don’t understand. Sometime he heals completely and sometime not at all. He told Paul that His grace was sufficient to handle the throne in his flesh. Whether God heals or does not heal, we must still trust Him that He knows what is best, and rest that God is good and will work all things out to fulfill His purpose. 

Faith to be Saved

Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Faith requires some action. James says that “Faith without works is dead” We are not saved by works, but our faith is demonstrated by the effort we make to step out in faith. Taking the first step is an act of works. It requires action on the part of the person who has faith. The blind man begging on the street corner demonstrated his faith when he cried out and was given an audience with the one he believed could heal his blinded eyes. We are all born as sinners and are blinded by sin in our lives. I remember when Jesus passed by in my life. The day my eyes were open to His love, grace and forgiveness. I saw that I was a sinner in need of a Savior. Jesus spoke to my heart and said, “Believe in Me and you will be saved” It will be a day that I will never forget,when my eyes were open to the spiritual world around me. If we but believe, have faith that He is God and is able to open our eyes, He will do it!

I First Saw The Cross

1 Corinth 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those who perish; but unto us who are saved, it is the power of God.”-

It was a just an old wooden altar in a small holiness church where I knelt to pray. It was where I first saw the cross and the light of God revealed to me the true meaning of his death and why He had to die. I grew up knowing that the cross has significant meaning and was a holy symbol of the church, but I was blinded to the realization that the cross was the power of God that could save me from my sins. It was not the church or a man behind a screen wall that was able to forgive me from my sins, It was  Jesus, the One who gave His life for me. The One who gave me a new life, the One that opened my eyes to the spiritual world. It has become the center theme of my life. Through Christ there is power to live a Christian life. Power to overcome the trails and temptation of life. Yes, even in the possibility of failure, there is power to forgive and restore. Power is not in the object of a cross, but in the One who was nailed to it. For those who are saved, it is the landmark and beginning of a journey that will lead to eternal life. Cease the power, through the cross.

Life Happens

John 9:3 “Jesus answered, “Neither hath this man sinned nor his parents, but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.”-

Life Happens! Things happen in our life that we don’t have any control over. We wake up in the morning to a new day and life is good, but life happens, and by the end of the day, the world has changed around us. Our human emotions cry out to God asking, why? We don’t have answers, and in the moment we don’t see how God will use our circumstances for good. When things go wrong, it is easy to blame others and even blame God. As Christian, we endeavor to do our best to do what is right and live according to the word, but then life happens and God begins to work something new in us. God has a purpose for all that happens, even if we don’t understand. “All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose” Rom. 8:28. The purpose of this man being born blind was to demonstrate the power of Christ to heal the blind and show that Christ is the light of the world. He came to open the eyes of sinners that they may see the light of God. God used this blind man that the works of God would be manifested. God’s plan is to use the things that happen in our life to serve a greater cause. At the time of distress and discouragement, it is not easy to accept this. We call on God’s help and grace to help us see that through it all, we can trust the Lord to use it for His glory. When life happens, God is in control and His will is all we want.