Sixth Sunday after Epiphany: Monday, February 13, 2006

Sorry, one last day of a short devotional, and then things should return to normal tomorrow. Sorry about no devotional last Friday, I was on the road.

John 9:1-17

Two things of great, great importance in this text. This is one of the best stories in all the bible. First, the disciples ask Jesus who was to blame for this man's blindness, was it his sin or his parents? Jesus says neither, rather it was so God's glory could be seen. When something bad happens it us, it does not always mean that God judging us. Sometimes we do things that have consequences, but sometimes, bad things just happened for no real reason, other so that God's glory can be sin. Our sin does not always cause these things to happen. This man in the text was not blind because of his sin, or the sin of his parents. God is not up in heaven, with lighting bolt in hand, waiting to get us. He is a loving father that longs to know his children better, and will discipline them if they need it, but he is not looking to get us. How many of us as parents are looking for a reason to punish our children? We do when they need it, but we do go around, looking for trivial things to punish them about. Neither does our Heavenly Father. He will punish when we need, but this man's blindness was not a punishment for sin, and neither are our tragedies in our lives.

Secondly, Jesus used spit and dirt to heal his blindness. As Max Lucado says, if God can use spit and dirt, he can use me to. And He can use you, as well. Will you let him use you today in your lives? He used spit and dirt. He can use us as well.