“Do you want to get well?” John 5:6 NIV

What an amazing question Jesus asked the paralyzed man: “Do you want to get well?” Who wouldn’t? You might be surprised! Kay Arthur told of passing a beggar one day on a street in the Old City of Jerusalem. As he sat begging, his trouser leg was pulled up to reveal his terrible sores. She wrote, “My nurse’s heart brought my feet to a halt. I wanted to bend down and shield the open wound from the dust…It should be washed, medicated, and dressed by someone who cared. My friend gently took me by my elbow and propelled me toward our destination. I was a tourist and did not know about these things. She then proceeded to tell me that this man did not wish to be made well. He made his living from his wound! As I looked back…I caught one last glimpse of someone who was less than what he could have been.” The man lying helpless on a cot by the pool called Bethesda had been there for 38 years. Question: how long does it take before a problem becomes a way of life? Jesus said to him, “Get up…and walk” (v. 8 NIV), the inference being that it’s time to get up and go to work – to become a father to your children, a husband to your wife, a contributor to your community, a solution to someone else’s problem – it’s time to take responsibility for your life. Are you letting your past or present circumstances keep you stuck and stop you from moving forward? If Jesus asked you, “Do you want to get well emotionally, physically, and spiritually?” what would your answer be? Today let Jesus make you whole!

The Word for You Today is authored by Bob and Debby Gass and published under licence from Celebration Enterprises, Inc. Copyright © 2024