October 16, 2024 Devo

October 16th, 2024

“It’s All About Jesus!”
Jesus & the Man Born Blind (John 9)
“As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, ‘why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?’ ‘It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,’ Jesus answered.” – John 9:1-3 (NLT)
“When Life Happens”

It’s interesting how some people tend to attribute everything that happens to either God or the Devil. If I get sick, or trip and fall, or have a conflict with someone at work, the Devil is attacking me. But what if your sickness is simply a virus? Or what if your fall is because you’re clumsy? And hard as it is to believe, what if your conflict at work is because you act like a jerk sometimes?
And the same with God. Is EVERY good thing that happens as a result of His divine intervention? I remember a woman telling me that God blessed her with a $5000 lottery win, so she could go to the Holy Land. She seemed confused when I told her I wasn’t sure God rigged lottery winnings…and that I wasn’t sure God was in favor of the lottery at all!
The danger in seeing the Devil or God in everything that happens is that we forget that lots of the same kind of stuff happens to EVERYONE, both good and bad. In Matthew, Jesus tells us, “The rain falls on the just and the unjust, and the sun shines on the good and the bad.” Simply put, life gives us rainy days and sunny days, regardless of our faith or connection to God. That’s the point Jesus makes here in the passage. The disciples saw a man born blind and thought it must be because of something BAD. But Jesus didn’t see it as something “bad.” It was simply something “sad.” And it was something God could give him victory over.
This is an important truth, especially for some of you who may be going through some tough times. Cutbacks happen. Health issues happen. Accidents happen. The Devil will try to make you think that these things are because you’re BAD. He’ll use them to discourage you, condemn you, and cause you to doubt. But they’re not “bad” things. They’re sad things. And they are things that God can give you victory over. So when it’s your turn to get some of that rain that falls, don’t take it personally, and don’t let the Enemy make more of it than it is. Life happens sometimes to all of us. Thankfully we have a God who is bigger than life! That’s God’s Word for you today.