Day 9 [April 6]
This chapter provides a great picture of one man’s spiritual transformation journey. When Jesus heals the blind man, it sends the man on a spiritual journey that ultimately leads to faith in Jesus. The story is filled with great elements of failure, triumph, joy, sorrow and even moments of humor. It is one of my favorites!
As you read through this chapter, take time to look at how the man addresses or speaks about Jesus. Do you see the one-word descriptors? They show a clear progression. Check it out.
v. 11 – “the man”
v. 17 – “a prophet”
v. 33 – “from God”
v. 38 – “Lord”
Isn’t that beautiful? It’s awesome! He starts out as a man unable to see anything; but 38 verses later, he is able to look up the King of kings and Lord of lords and worship Him.
Each of us has our own journey. There are ups and downs and twist and turns; but in the end, we all need to get to the point that we say, “Lord, I believe.”
If you are already at that point, take some time today to praise Him for your salvation and worship Him for who He is. If you find yourself somewhere else in the journey…i.e. calling Him a “prophet” or even acknowledging He is “from God”… consider taking the next step in the process and receive Him as the Lord of your life.
Keep pressing on.
April 6, 2014
Sometimes the hardest thing isn’t acknowledging, and then receiving Jesus as savior and Lord, it’s putting up with living in a secular culture that dismisses Jesus, and treats Him as just another option in the spectrum of spiritual choices. To the pagan and non-religious segments of society, Jesus is often seen as mostly irrelevant at best, and outright dangerous at worst. Either he doesn’t matter to the larger culture, or he matters too much to those of us who threaten the status quo by lifting Him up as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. We make waves, we rock their boat, and their often negative reaction makes it a challenge to hang in there and live the Christian life in spite of all of the hostility and prejudice.