April 17, 2018 – John 9
"Neither this man
nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the
works of God might be displayed in him.” John 9:3
Circumstances are a
consequence of our decisions, effect of others decisions, or God's opportunity
for making His own decision.
Fairness is somehow an expectation of life, even though we
know that life never ends up being fair.
For instance, why is it fair that many of us were born in the richness
of the United States, while others are born in much poorer nations? Why is it fair that some people have great
physiques and others struggle with their body size? Why is it fair that a child can be abused but
evil people can be protected?
Jesus was asked by the disciples one day what was the
fairness behind a crippled person’s predicament. If people were born with a defect, it was
assumed that their parents sinned or they sinned (somehow in the womb), or they
were going to sin, and God was punishing them with a consequence. The fact is that most of the time we associate
consequences with somebody’s wrongdoing.
Otherwise --- it wouldn’t be fair!
Jesus never associated circumstances with fairness. He associated them with possibilities. Every circumstance, good or bad, has the
potential to be used by God for a greater purpose. If you have been given a blessing or shown
favor, you have the chance to use that blessing to support God’s Kingdom. If you have been given a challenge or faced a
trial, it is an opportunity to lean on God or be trained by God. Jesus answered the disciple’s questions by
changing the paradigm. Yes – sometimes
our own sin causes consequences.
Sometimes the sin of others affects our circumstances. But circumstances are not about punishment or
fairness, they are about purpose. God
uses EVERY circumstance to create an opportunity for His Glory to shine.
Now that may not be helpful initially to the crippled boy
and his family, but it can give them courage to face tomorrow. It may not help the grieving couple who lost
a pregnancy, but can give them hope to try again. It may not delight those who have lost a job,
faced a divorce, struggled with a rebellious child, or been abused by someone
at the time, but it can be a reminder that God is not done with us yet. God excels in working His power THROUGH our
circumstances, not just helping us avoid circumstances.
Consider that young man for a moment. His years of struggle were used by Jesus to
show the world that the Savior had arrived.
They not only witnessed a miracle, they experienced one, and they met
the Savior Himself. All of those years
of difficulty were solved in one shining moment of God’s Glory.
Our trials will end the same way – it may happen in this
life, or at the end of life on earth, but all those circumstances will be used to
bring God Glory. In the mean time, ask
God to use our circumstances to bring Himself Glory. You may just find yourself the subject of a
miracle.
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