ARISE

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” 

(John 5:8, NKJV)

Our title today invites us to take action, stand up and be attentive as some instruction has been given.  The verse above is from a common bible story where Jesus met a man who had an infirmity and had stayed at the pool called Bethesda for 38 years – that sounds like a lifetime.  Looking at the duration, we might find it difficult to connect with this man and his life but when we look deeper, we realize that this man’s situation and story relates with us in many ways.  The man had been grounded all those years, he had given up on ever getting help noting that he had no one to help him into the water when the angel stirred the water, he had accepted the waiting space as his fate for life and sadly, he had no expectation of a change in his life.

 Brethren, as I mused over this story, it occurred to me that these are instructions for our days hidden in this message, in the simplicity of this story we could miss out on what could be helpful to our present times.  Reading the story, we tend to deflect the message by looking at the response of the man, dissecting it to see that he did not even realize it is Jesus speaking to him while we forget that we are not different.  We are as guilty as this man was, if we can honestly look into our lives and identify how and what we have accepted some inconveniences as part of our lives, as our portion and fate.  It is the will of God that our lives would glorify Him in all areas of our lives.  Paul admonishes us to put off our old self and to be renewed putting on the new self which is in the likeness of God (Ephesians 4:44-24).  When we are invited into the likeness of God, it makes us know that there is a place of transformation from where we are to where our Father calls us to. I hope that this gives us some thinking that there is a space we have not entered into, yet it is available for us. 

 God’s word has power to change our lives.  (2 Timothy 3:16-17) reminds us that all scripture is breathed by God and profitable to teach us with the singular purpose that the children of God may be competent and equipped for every good work for His glory.  God has provided in His word instructions to change our lives, we are not to stay despondently in a place of discomfort, we have a way out given by God.  Our lives should not be pictures of frustration and fear when we have almighty God on our side, we are called to live in power and victory as He does.  We know the verse (Philippians 4:13), that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, so what stops us from rising up and changing our situations, any living faith has to have action (James 2:14; 17).  Beloved, how does it profit our witness when our faith has no works of God changing our lives and presenting to us a witness of His doing.  When the man was healed by Jesus in the story above, others noted to the point that the Jews questioned him about his healing.  When we follow God’s instructions to rise up so that our situations change, God gives a witness to those around us and to ourselves too that His hand has done us good.  Beloved, step in confidence and faith, for you are a child of promise just as Isaac was (Galatians 4:28).  When we know who we are in God, we will step forward to find God’s will for us without accepting the status quo as our life.  I encourage us all to arise from where we have dwelt so long, move to where God has called us to and become who He has allowed us to be, His children of promise. Brethren it is our time to Arise, Move and Become.

Thoughts:

What have you accepted as your life when you should not?

What are you doing to change situation(s)

Where do you need to move to?

Whom are you purposed to become?