Do you want to be made well?
That’s the question that Jesus asked a man who had been laying by a pool waiting to be healed in it’s holy water for 38 years. For 38 years the man had been lying there sick, unable to get himself to the water. For 38 years, no one helped him take his turn. And then Jesus showed up and asked him if he wanted to be made well. When the man said yes, Jesus helped him.
This month we are leaning into God’s heart for forgiveness and reconciliation by laying down our grudges. Last week, we saw how the righteousness of God is not expressed in the punishment and destruction of the unworthy. No–that’s human self-righteousness. The righteousness of God is revealed when undeserving people receive what they do not deserve from God–forgiveness, healing, and new life. And we are given the righteousness of Jesus. For those of us who have been born again in Christ, forgiveness is our birthright. It is a spiritual gift meant to be shared.
But many of us…can’t seem to do it. We feel unable to forgive those who have hurt us. We’ve tried and tried and tried, maybe even longer than 38 years–but we seemingly cannot forgive. We cannot make ourselves well. We can not get to the place of healing.
And so Jesus asks us that same question. Do you want to be made well? Do you want to be able to forgive?
If the answer is “yes”–or even if it’s a struggled “no”–I hope you’ll listen in. We’ll be learning a practical 3 step 21-day spiritual process to seek the healing of Jesus in our unforgiving hearts.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS