A thought from reading 1 Kings 8:22-53 is how Solomon prayed not only for himself, but the people of Israel. In the same way, we should pray for our family, our friends, and associates. Some are facing difficult issues. They may be running on empty and that’s when hope can fuel their future.
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6
Brought out in “Walking the Straight Path” is the need to study Gods word to understand what the enemy wants to do which is to block your progress. To get in the way but you can read the Word, listen for instructions, loosen up, and keep stepping ahead with confidence because God’s grace is enough to lead you to heaven’s victory.
This day with God, do as the song First Things First by Consumed By Fire says and seek God’s will. To live God’s Truth and walk His ways.
We keep walking the straight path on this journey and are grateful that Jesus has paved the way so we can constantly pray and get advice or insight as we listen to the Spirit for guidance. It’s going to be a great day because God has given us the resources needed to step ahead with confidence.
Because Jesus healed the disabled man at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath, the Jewish leaders used this to go against Jesus saying Jesus had broken a Jewish law. They began to persecute Jesus as stated in John 5:16.
Reading further in John 5:19-29, the leaders confronted Jesus and then it only got worse as Jesus explains that God is His Father and that He can only do what he sees his Father doing (v. 19). Then Jesus explains further that He can give life (v. 21) and pronounce judgment (v. 22).
Jesus became God in the flesh with the power and authority to grant eternal life or judge unbelievers to eternal damnation. Those who hear the word and believe Jesus is the Son of God will have eternal life but those who have not will be condemned (v. 29).
A takeaway for me is the need to study Gods word to understand what the enemy wants to do which is to block our progress. To get in the way but we can read the Word, listen for instructions, loosen up, and keep stepping ahead with confidence because God’s grace is enough to lead us to heaven’s victory.
When we pray and develop a plan each day with God, there is confidence because we know what to do and we set out to accomplish these tasks for God’s glory. Jesus has removed the road blocks and Holy Spirit tells us what to do and where to go.
This day with You Lord we know where we are going because the path has been laid out and all we have to do is keep stepping ahead. Your Way gives direction for each step. The roadblocks like distraction are removed and we now have set aside time to come to You for direction as we put first things first knowing that everything else will fall into place. We pray in Jesus’ name … amen.
Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. – John 5:8-9
Never give up and always try until the river runs dry… keep going because at any instant, there may be immediate relief. Just as God’s resources never run dry, the Guadalupe River never runs dry because it is fed by springs by the Edwards Aquifer which is one of the greatest natural resources of water in the world.
One devotional thought in “Keep Seeking Solutions” is to read the Word for solutions to my problems, to be patient, and work hard to make things better. The man at the pool of Bethesda was disabled for thirty-eight years yet he was finally rewarded when he refused to quit and followed what Jesus said to do.
So, this day with God, here is a good old country song called The River by Garth Brooks to inspire today to never give up but always try. So, my friend, stay between the shores and never be satisfied but sail your vessel ’til the river runs dry.
This picture was taken while riding a boat down the San Antonio River in the summer of 2021. The resource for this river never runs dry because it is fed through a cluster of springs about three miles north of Downtown San Antonio near the University of the Incarnate Word. In the same way, God’s resources never run dry and are always available to help us go further and never stop so this day with God, dream big and keep going like the sick man we read about today in John 5:1-18.
The sick man in today’s passage wanted to be healed and spent thirty-eight years thinking that getting into the pool was the way. The blind, the lame, and paralyzed would wait for the water to stir because they believed an angel would cause the water to move and the first person to step into the water would be healed (v. 4).
When Jesus came to the pool, He asked this question to the man in verse 6, “Do you want to get well?” The man answers Jesus with kind of an excuse by saying he couldn’t get into the pool because of his physical burden and others always went ahead of him so he could never be the first one in the water to receive the blessing.
Many times, we are like the disabled man and kind of have excuses for the problem areas in our life. We think thoughts like if I just had enough money to buy this or that. If I had this skill or if I looked more like that person … or had their car … or had what they wear so I could get noticed … or that house to live in but maybe that’s not what we really need.
Maybe it comes down to simply not having enough faith to take action to make the problem better. The disabled man at the pool of Bethesda followed the command of Jesus in verse 8. The immediate cure came when he did what Jesus told him to do. All he needed was faith in Jesus and his willingness to take action.
The thought for me in today’s passage is to read the Word for solutions to my problems, to be patient, and work hard to make things better. The man at the pool of Bethesda was disabled for thirty-eight years yet he was finally rewarded when he refused to quit and followed what Jesus said to do.
This day with God, help lift people’s burdens by sharing the Word with them. Maybe they’ve tried for years to be free from some burden but all they really needed was faith in Jesus. Today, you have an opportunity to listen to someone’s burden, pray for them, and spark an interest in the Great Physician who can bring the solution they need.
Lord, we pray today that we get up and get moving. Grace has freed us so no one can restrict us and it unlocks our potential to fulfill the purpose You have for us. We’ve started by reading Your Word, praying, and now we ask that we go forward in the Truth for Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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