{"id":21653,"date":"2017-11-09T00:05:46","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T08:05:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/?p=21653"},"modified":"2017-11-07T14:12:37","modified_gmt":"2017-11-07T22:12:37","slug":"november-9-2017","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lccredding.org\/church\/2017\/11\/09\/november-9-2017\/","title":{"rendered":"November 9, 2017"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div><\/div>

HIS WORDS<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\u201cAnd His disciples asked Him, saying, \u2018Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?\u2019 Jesus answered, \u2018Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.\u2019\u201d<\/i>\u00a0 John 9:2-3<\/p>\n

Born Into Blindness<\/b><\/h2>\n

HIS EXAMPLE TO US<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

Everything Jesus did reveals a good, loving, just Father to us.<\/p>\n

MY STORY<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

I admit that I struggle with events that don\u2019t seem fair. This biblical event is an example. I wrestled with God about the man who endured lifelong blindness so that the works of God should be revealed in him. I won\u2019t bore you with my ramblings about it, but I will tell you that my struggle ended for me when I rested on the final word about all events: Sovereign God has His good reasons.<\/p>\n

We don\u2019t know if this bothered the man. We don\u2019t know if he was a willing participant, or if he\u2019d really rather not be blind, thank you very much. We do know that even our Lord prayed, \u201c\u2026nevertheless, <\/i>(no matter how I feel), Your will be done.\u201d <\/i>He knew what was right: glorifying God is always right, because He is always worthy of glory, honor, and praise.<\/p>\n

Truly, God\u2019s works were revealed in the blind man being healed. It confronted the attitudes of the Pharisees; it showed (yet again) Jesus\u2019 power and authority over sickness and disability; it revealed His deity and equality with God; it opened conversation about spiritual darkness and the Light, belief and unbelief, and sin and righteousness.<\/p>\n

Perhaps most importantly, this event portrayed salvation. We were all born into spiritual blindness. Darkness. But in offering salvation, through belief in Christ, our eyes are opened. We\u2019re healed of that blindness we\u2019ve had since birth. It is a divine miracle of a much greater magnitude than the physical healing of eyes.<\/p>\n

MY RESPONSE<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

I should be living my life in ways that reveal the Father to others. Even the hardest things will be used for good. My only proper response is exactly what the man responded: he worshiped. \u201cThen he said, \u2018Lord, I believe!\u2019 And he worshiped Him\u201d <\/i>(John 9:38).<\/p>\n

\u201cOh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD our Maker\u201d<\/i> (Psalm 95:6).<\/p>\n

MY PRAYER<\/i><\/b><\/h4>\n

\u201cOur Father, You have done for us what we could never do for ourselves. You have given sight to us who were once blind, and now we see. We bow, we kneel, we worship You. Amen.\u201d<\/i><\/p>\n<\/div>

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