God's Display Cases

After the discourse with the Jews in John 8, Jesus left the temple and came upon a man blind from birth.  Do you think that this meeting happened by chance?  No!  We see from what Jesus tells His disciples that this was a divine appointment.  Divine appointments generally happen when we least expect them, because God does not operate on human time and schedules!  And because of this, we can easily miss them.  So be open to God’s schedule so that when He brings you a special appointment, you may be available to experience the awe and wonder generated by His power at work.

Now going back to John 9, when Jesus saw the blind man, He recognized and acted upon the divine opportunity.  But His disciples’ didn’t see it and reacted with an attitude of condescension.  They tried to blame the man or his parents for something he had no control over.  The poor man had been blind since birth!  There are people, like the disciples, who believe and will tell you that physical affliction is a direct result of sin committed.  While this is true in some cases—if one habitually smokes, they should not be surprised if they get lung cancer!—it doesn’t apply to all situations.  For instance, Job was afflicted by many things, physical illness included, but it was not because he had committed a grave sin.  On the contrary, it was a test to prove his faith and trust in God!  Similarly, the man in John 9 was born blind not because he or his parents had done wrong, but that he might be an avenue through which God would display His glory and power.  And God wants to do this in all of our lives!

None of us are perfect, and we all have areas in our lives that are literally or figuratively weak, damaged, broken, or blind.  And like the blind man, we cannot fix or heal ourselves.  Only God can.  But in order for Him to do so, we need to relinquish these shortcomings to our loving Father and allow Him to work in us to bring about a glorious transformation through which His glory may be displayed.  This work is often painful and seemingly unnecessary at the time, but when we look back from the other side, we see that it was absolutely essential in order to bring about the growth needed to transform us from an ugly caterpillar to a glorious butterfly.

So the question for the week is…. are YOU willing to give God unhampered access to your heart so that He can go about His life changing work? And in what areas of your life are YOU going to allow God’s works to be displayed?

Join me in resolving to be walking display cases of God’s transforming past and present work!  And may we continually give Him all the glory for the great things He has and is doing within and through us!

“We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; 
night is coming, when no one can work.”
~John 9:4