Prior to the healing He was asked who sinned in regard to the blindness, him or his parents. Jesus clearly states it was neither but so that the works of God my be displayed.

The irony in all of this is that the blind man trusted and received sight. No matter how much evidence Jesus shows to the educated religious leaders, they still chose not to see.

They were trained in the Word. No doubt they have seen all the prophecy regarding the coming Messiah. They have seen more then everyone, yet they refused to believe and choose blindness.

We have God’s word freely available to us 24×7. We see the evidence around us every day in the complexity of design in every species that points to a designer. My own eyes have seen the impossible become possible through prayer.

Let us not be lo like the men who saw and heard but choose to be blind and deaf, but instead as those who were blind and now see. Let our mouths not remain silent of what we have seen of Him.

#MPWarrior

#DontBeBlindAndDeafToTheruth

#TheBlindSeeAndTheDeafHearThroughJesus

It ought not be so. Our salvation is meant to be the beginning, as well as the catalyst, that propels us deeper into relationship with God. As we thank God each day for the victory He has given us throughout the Christ, the gift seems to grow. The depth of His love is magnified as we see the depths of our depravity and need of Him.

We also see the power of His grace conforming us in the image of Christ. This ought to increase the excitement of our journey with Him. Each day is more glorifying then the previous. The glory days are now and ahead of us!

Reflection

When was the last time you thanked God for Your salvation?

When was the last time you praised Him out loud for all He has done.

Take a moment today to sing your own song of praise to Him. It doesn’t need to rhyme. Just sing words of praise to Him out loud, in the shower, car, or wherever you are.

Prayer

Heavenly Father, we thank you for your victory secured for us through the blood of Your Son. May our hearts be filled with gratitude and praise and may it cause each day to be better than the last. For You are worthy of glory all the days of our lives. For the best is yet to come. In Jesus’ name, Amen!

I believe there are two motivations in this verse worth considering as we live and pray this side of life:

1. TRUST – Jeremiah speaks clearly and confidently boasting in what the LORD can do. There is no “if” used.  Nothing is impossible with God.  Jeremiah didn’t just declare it, he believed it with his whole heart. 
2. GLORY – We all glorify something whether it’s the movie we watched last night, our local football team, or our amazing Heavenly Father.  Here we see that praise is reserved for only One.  Jeremiah simply boasts that the LORD is his praise. Again, he doesn’t just declare it, but wholeheartedly believes.  

So as we pray for those around us, are we just selfishly throwing up request after request or at the core of our request, is there a desire for God’s glory to be seen by all onlookers in order that they we see and know the LORD is who He says He is; the one true living God?
While compassion compels us to help, Trust and His glory give us the wisdom and desire to go to the Father who gives every good gift. 

Even James reminds us:

“But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.”

And the Apostle Paul instructs:

“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

Let us always know confidently that our help comes from the LORD, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.  And may our desire be to praise and glorify Him!

Reflection

What is your motivation as you bring requests to the LORD?  

Do you care more about God’s glory or your request?

Do you pray fully trusting that God will answer and desiring for His glory to be seen?

Prayer

All powerful LORD, our Father, You are our everpresent help in time of need. Teach us who You are, so that everything we are bows down and worships You.  May our words be confident, filled with trust, and desire Your glory above all else.  In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

Later in life as God continued to mature me, I realized that this was all an outflow of my pride.  My “good” was not fit to be counted as righteousness apart from Christ. God defines my value not man 

I concluded that like finances, you can spend your reward now or invest for the future.  My goal is to make daily deposits in the heavenly treasure account; not for the approval of men, but to one day hear my LORD say, “Well done good and faithful servant!”  Not to earn anything, but to thank Him for all He has done!

Personal Reflection

Do you struggle with wanting your reward now?  Do you feel like you have to hear well done?  Perhaps your real struggle is self-worth like mine was.  If that’s the case take some time to read this post on value:

https://brianfriedl.com/am-i-valuable/

I read these four reasons/truth daily until it banished the lies I had been believing about myself and took up residence as MY truth.  With my self doubt and worry out of the way I was free to serve God and being comfortable with His future reward. 

Prayer Focus

Amazing Father, you are our great reward. The truth that we get to spend all eternity with you gives us joy upon joy!  Sanctify us with the truth. Your word is truth!  Free us from the clutches of pride and self-focus that we may serve You unhindered and focused on Your glory.  May we firmly fix our eyes on Jesus, in His Name we pray, Amen!

#truthtalk4life

@brianfriedl

Pride comes in many forms and sometimes passes under the radar in families, business, and even in the smallest places when we are all alone in our mind.  It’s like a small child unrelenting to get his question answered…Am I somebody?  It never seems to go away.  Therefore we must be on guard and know that we are not the Christ. As a matter of fact we are not worthy to even untie His sandal or mention His Name.  

I lost a friend this week who liked this quote, “I am just a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save anybody”.  Our pride hates to even hear these words because we’ve been pelted with how special we are because of us.  As a true follower of Christ we must become comfortable with no spotlight, no accolades, and always pointing to Jesus as the superstar. 

Personal Reflection

I confess I’m a work in progress.  I’m constantly learning more of who my Savior is, who I am not, and how we are more than conquerors in Him, with Him getting all the glory.  How about you?

1) Do you find yourself wanting to be the center of attention?

2) Do you feel you need to be told good job after everything you do?

3) If you were to die today what would others say was your biggest interest and most talked about subject?

My hope is not to bring guilt, but awareness.  Pride is sneaky.  Don’t let it steal God’s glory for the mighty work He has done. Rightly He needs to increase in our lives and we must decrease.  

Prayer Focus

Almighty God and Creator, You have set all things in motion. For the universe is Yours and proclaims Your glory.  We pray against our pride.  We ask that Your salvation would give us all the approval and value we need; that we might spend the rest of our lives speaking about all You’ve done rather than our feeble attempts at righteousness. May Your Son be lifted high, in His Name we pray, Amen!

Get up 20 min early and take a mile prayer walk.  This not only dedicates some time to praying/thinking about things, but also affects your physical health and brain activity.  If early isn’t your thing, trying taking a walk before supper.  Sometimes just seeing God’s beauty is enough to provide me hope and energy to make some necessary changes.

Set a day retreat from everything so you can spend some time in God’s Word, prayer, and planning.  When we are caught up in so much activity, we usually neglect our time with God and don’t spend very much time thinking because we’re in survival mode keeping up with our schedules

Take a class on time management.  This can give you the skills to manage your time so it’s not managing you.  It’s important to be close and connected to God and to have some practical skill to carry out the vision that God has given you.  There are several classes available online both free and paid options.

Time is one of the most important resources that we have.  We need to carve out time for our selves and our relationship with God before all else.  Jesus modeled this for us as He conducted His ministry and walked on His path to the cross.  He made time for prayer and reflection. Let us do likewise as we journey through this life.

Reflection

Ask yourself and answer these questions:

1. Do I know what my role is in the mission God has given to us? (See Matthew 28:16-20)

2. If not, What am I doing on a daily basis to discover what that is?

3. Once I know what it is, what am I doing to carry that out daily?

Living a life that matters includes at the heart of it to be intentional. Being productive isn’t as much about quantity as it is having progress on the right things.

Prayer

Father, help us to be intentional about our lives in respect to our mission. For You have designed us with purpose and meaning even before you knit us in our mothers’ wombs. Help us see Your vision for our lives and live it out to full measure! Let every moment be intentionally used for Your glory, in Jesus’ name, Amen!

#timewithJesus, “timemanagement, #prayerwalk