Bible Reading: 2 Kings 24,25; John 5:1-24
“When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?” John 5:6 (KJV)
God’s plan for you and me has always been health and wholeness. Even healing was not in the plan initially but made necessary when man sinned and came short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Glory is heaven’s plan for man since he was God’s masterpiece, created in His pleasure to give Him glory. But man traded all of that to the devil.
God is the greatest of all manufacturers. And no manufacturer will see any of his product malfunctioning and be happy. No! God is not happy seeing man, his masterpiece, functioning below the level he was created to function. This, we see in Jesus’ character when He walked on earth. He is God in human form. He told the people “… The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” John 5:19 (KJV). God was in Christ cleansing and making people whole from all their sins.
Even though God knows what we need more than we do, He still expects us to ask. That is what the bible says in Matthew 7:7 (KJV), “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened unto you.” Jesus asked the man in our memory verse if he wants to be made whole, reminding us that getting anything from God must be done through prayer to show that we agree with His plan on earth here. God wants you whole more than you do.
After the man was healed and made whole, Jesus later saw him and warned him to “sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon thee” John 5:14b (KJV). Sin was behind the cause of the man’s sickness but God, in His pain at seeing His product malfunctioning, had mercy and made him whole. Please, my dear reader, sin is a destroyer. The devil uses it as a tool to steal, kill and to destroy. Stay away from sin. If you are finding it difficult to disengage from any sinful practice or habit, ask Jesus to help you, for that was why He came to the hearth.
Remember, God will never put sickness on anyone because of his sin. Our evil desires gives birth to sin (James 1:14-15) and puts us in an undesirable and unpleasant position. But thank God for Jesus, who forgives and takes all sins away.
Prayer: Father, in the name of Jesus, I ask for grace to not to fall into evil and temptation. And thank You for making me whole.
Bro. Onyema Aghanenu