July 21, 2024 Devo

July 21st, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Jesus at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1-15)
But afterward Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” Then the man went and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had healed him. – John 5:14-15 (NLT)
“The Miracle After the Miracle”

I was talking with a friend today at lunch about the miracles and moves of God. We were sharing about some of the crazy things that God does that leave us in awe of who He is and what He can do. The unbelievable way that God heals. The unmistakable times He speaks. The humbling way that He gives insight and understanding, and how he has supernaturally intervened.
However, one of the things that hit me as I left was how none of those things are supposed to be an end in themselves. They aren’t meant to simply astonish and amaze us. They aren’t meant to make us clap our hands and say, “Give us some more!” God moves and works among us to CHANGE us, not amuse us. His goal is the transformation of our hearts, our character, and our faith. Not the fascination of our minds. When God miraculously heals, if all that happens is that our bodies are better, then it’s a very shallow miracle. His desire is to bring healing and change all the way through.
Notice in our story what Jesus says to the man he healed at the Pool of Bethesda when he runs into him at the temple. “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.” In other words, “If this miracle only helped you walk on the ground, then it’s not much of a miracle. It was meant to help you walk with God.” This miracle should make this man praise God, thank God, and seek after God. There’s something worse than being lame. It’s having two good legs and still having a dark soul and selfish heart. Jesus healed the man’s legs so he could walk. But Jesus wanted the miracle after the miracle: the man to have a heart that would chase after God!
Has God moved in your midst? Has God answered a prayer that is nothing short of a miracle for you? Has God done something for which there is no other explanation than to say, “The Lord has done this”? Don’t let the move of God or the miracle of God be an end in itself. Don’t receive this gift or this blessing and just go back to living the way you’ve always lived. Let this miracle cause you to go deeper with God, be more intentional with God, and be more obedient to God. Let this work of God be a CONTINUED work within you and through you. Miracles are wonderful. But it’s the miracle after the miracle that Jesus is looking for. And THAT miracle is in YOUR hands! That’s God’s Word for you today.