Daily Devotions
Today’s Reading: John 9 & Psalm 141
“Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.” John 9:3-4
All too often when life deals us a hard blow, we jump to the conclusion that God is angry with us. Intense suffering presupposes intense sinning, so the thinking goes. But for children of God, nothing could be father from the truth! We are not colossal sinners, but forgiven saints.
Though we sin every day of our lives, God has forgiven us on account of Jesus Christ. The Bible says it best: “The blood of Jesus, His Son, purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). God is not angry with you or me, and He is not chasing us down in hot displeasure.
But what about those hard blows of life? A carpenter hammers a nail not because he’s angry at the nail, but because he wants it to stay firmly in the wood and perform its mission. Likewise, God sometimes permits life to give us a hammering—not because He’s angry, but because He wants us to stay firmly in Him so we can carry out our mission.
Jesus selected this blind man to be an instrument of God. He performed a miracle not simply so the blind man could see, but so others could see who Jesus really is. “We must do the work of My Father before the working day ends,” Jesus tells His disciples, “and this man born blind is the instrument God has selected for us.”
The honor of being selected has not passed us by. Just as He did with the man born blind, He selects you and me as His instruments to show His grace and glory to others.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, open our eyes to the ways we can show Your love and mercy to others, in all things giving honor and glory to You, who lives and reigns with the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Response
In what ways can you show God’s love and glory to others?