THE GOD-ADVANTAGE

“When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” – John 5:6 

REFERENCE:

John 5:1-9

Life can sometimes be ruthlessly mean. How do you explain that life detained this man in one spot for 38 years? This situation can break the stoutest hearts and wear out the strongest of men. The race of life left this lame man behind for 38 years. Someone always outsmarted him, outran him, outperformed him, and outwitted him. He lacked the network of friends or associates that he could leverage to get help or to answer his deep need. All of a sudden, he realized how limited and incapable he was. His contemporaries fared better than him.

Jesus saw this man and knew his situation. I believe He came to Bethesda that day for the sake of this man who lacked the privileges and advantages of others, to give him an advantage. It didn’t matter who did not help him, how long the situation had been, how he could not afford to pay for a physician, or how he lacked the mobility to move towards help, Jesus gave him a God-advantage. At Bethesda’s pool, fortune only favored the strong, agile, and able-bodied; however, mercy triumphed over merit on that day. It is not of him who wills or runs, it is of God who shows mercy. Jesus’ work in the man needed no man’s aid, effort, or participation.

God does not want you to consult your disadvantages to determine how far you can go in life, how much you can have, or what you can expect God to do for you. When God gets involved in your matter, all those do not matter. When Jesus showed up for the man, his lameness, lack of people to help, old age, or bodily weakness no longer mattered. You may not have a godfather to help you move up on the ladder of life, but you have God the Father, who is greater than all men. You may have suffered disappointments, denials, loss, and rejection, but these cannot stop what God will do for you; He doesn’t need your past to fix your future. He will walk to your Bethesda, the place of your rejection and disappointment, and He will give you a big testimony.

People may think you have been left behind, but we serve a God who has a plan and a place for even the last. The world is yet to see you at your best. Look away from your weakness and your lack of human help. Fix your eyes on Jesus, the One who has the power to heal, promote, deliver, and help the disadvantaged. The world may call you last but God will yet make your life ‘a wonder and a miracle,’ in Jesus’ name. Hold your head up, you have the God-advantage!

TODAY’S THOUGHT:

ADDITIONAL STUDY:

Isaiah 41:10-14, Ecclesiastes 9:11, & Romans 8:31-32

PRAYER POINTS

+ Father, by Your mercy, lift me from every disadvantaged position where I have found myself.

+ Cancel out all the minuses in my life, O Lord, and Introduce the God-advantage in all my endeavors.

+ Thank You Lord for bringing me out of every helpless situation and giving me a testimony of mercy, in Jesus’ name.