I remember one gentleman sitting close to the front during the worship service and listening intently. This would be his last worship service to hear about how much Jesus loved him and died for his sins. Early the following morning, this middle-aged man unexpectedly died from a heart attack and passed into eternity. Only the Lord knows our heart and if we are believers in Jesus when we take our last breath.
Focused on the Wrong Thing
As Jesus ministered in Jerusalem, He healed a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. Jesus told him to pick up his mat and walk, and he did. The religious leaders complained. They told the man carrying his mat was against the law because it was considered work on the Sabbath. John 5:11 But he replied, “The man who healed me told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ ” 12 “Who said such a thing as that?” they demanded. 13 The man didn’t know, for Jesus had disappeared into the crowd.[1]
This man encountered Jesus, who healed him, but the text doesn’t say if he thanked him. In addition, the man did not even ask what Jesus’ name was. Sometime later, Jesus met with him again to give him spiritual advice. John 5:14 But afterward, Jesus found him in the Temple and told him, “Now you are well; so stop sinning, or something even worse may happen to you.”[2] Jesus’ warning was clear: if the man continued sinning, it would lead to something worse than the illness from which he had been healed. The healing he experienced was terrific, but Jesus did not want him to neglect his soul.
The Most Important Gift
The Apostle Paul gives insight into the importance of salvation. Philippians 3:7I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. 8 Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ 9 and become one with him.[3]
The world can be a great distraction, resulting in people neglecting their souls and not thinking of eternity. God’s plan is always for each person to respond to the call of the Holy Spirit to come to faith and be transformed. If the Lord is calling you today to place your faith in Jesus, don’t wait another minute. The day the Lord calls you is the best time to come to faith and be transformed!
Don’t miss the gift of salvation. To learn more, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/healing-at-a-pool
[1-3] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.