Word for the day by Christian Education Forum

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Honor the difference

Bible Reading: John 5:2–9

Key verse:  

V8,9 Jesus said to him, “Stand up, take your mat and walk.” At once the man was made well, and he took up his mat and began to walk.

DEVOTION

The pool of Bethesda had become a place of waiting. Many gathered there with hope, but only a few ever found healing. One "invalid man" — forgotten, overlooked, and with no one to help him had waited thirty-eight years, depending on the possibility of stirred waters. Around the pool were people of every condition and struggle. Jesus did not turn away from the differences; He stepped right into them. In a world that often excludes those who are different, Jesus shows us how to honor each person who is in God's own image.
The invalid man was not chosen by his merits, but Jesus’ love reached him just as he was. His love embraces all.
Thirty-eight years of waiting must have felt like a lifetime of disappointment. The man confessed, “I have no one to help me.” His hope was gone. Yet Jesus spoke life where despair had settled. Even when we’ve waited too long and feel forgotten, Jesus is the living hope who never fails. Jesus shows us that no matter how long our pain or disappointment lasts, He has not forgotten us. His timing brings hope when all hope seems gone. Hope may fade, but Jesus is the hope for the hopeless.
Jesus didn’t push him into Bethesda; He lifted him up to walk into a new life. Jesus validated the invalid man and sent him with a new mission of witnessing. The healed man didn’t just walk away; he carried his mat as a testimony of Jesus’ love. Just as Jesus embraced the vulnerable man to a life of possibilities, we are called to stretch our hands to people in need and honor the people who are differently abled to life and wholeness.
Healing did not come through the stirring of the pool but through the living presence of Jesus. Bethesda just sat there and was still unreachable for many. But Jesus is reachable for all. Bethesda will not come to you and ask you, but Jesus comes to you and offers you new life. Bethesda waits for you, but Jesus comes to you. Don’t trust in limited pools. Trust in the unlimited Christ.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus, we thank You that You see us even when the world overlooks us. Teach us to honor the differences in others like You did. Amen.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Healing is not in the water, but in the Savior.

Rev.  Brazin K. Mon
St.  Andrews MTC, NY. 

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