Tools for Growth 01-18-16 (part V) Healing our Blindness

3. A Redemptive Miracle: There’s another classic story about Jesus recorded in the Bible (John 9) that describes this powerful resource God offers. Jesus and His close friends come upon a blind man. The current Jewish philosophy and theology stated that blindness came as a result of sin, either the man’s sin or his parents’. But Jesus offers a radically contrasting paradigm when his friends ask him about the cause of the man’s deficiency. Jesus says, “Neither this man or his parents’ sin caused this blindness. He was born blind so the power of God could be seen in him.” (John 9:3)

In other words, Jesus refuses to get into the debate about what caused the man’s disability. Rather, Jesus is interested in what God wants to do about it in the present. How does God want to reveal His power in this man’s life right now? So to show that new reality, Jesus ends up healing the man of his blindness – powerful evidence to observers that God is all about bringing good out of evil. It’s His redemptive miracle.

Just before healing the man, Jesus makes this statement: “While I am still here in the world, I am the light of the world.” (verse 5) In other words, it’s His mission to bring light into darkness. Wherever darkness and evil exist, He comes to bring the goodness of His love into the middle of it. And we all know that when light shines into the darkness, darkness is dispelled. Even a little bit of light puts a noticeable dent in the darkness. That’s the radical difference God can make in our lives.

Because of this reality, the most prolific writer of the New Testament, Paul, states with confidence: “If God is for us, who can ever be against us? Since God did not spare even His own Son but gave Him up for us all, won’t God, who gave us Christ, also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:31-32)

He goes on to state his conclusion. If this is true, if God is really on our side, then the final truth is that nothing can separate us from God and His loving desire to bring us to wholeness and abundant fruitfulness – death can’t, life can’t, angels can’t, demons can’t, fear can’t, worries can’t, and even the powers of hell can’t keep God’s love away (8:38). “God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for them.” (8:28) This is the most amazing resource of all. God’s redemptive miracle in which He promises to bring good out of even the most evil in life.

What then should be our response? As the seeds have to do, we must simply trust the Farmer, to let the Farmer do what He does best (produce a harvest). So the significant questions are these: (1) Am I willing to trust God with my life? (2) Am I willing to acknowledge His place in my life and find direction from Him? (3) Am I willing to take the time to build a strong connection with God, talking to Him and listening to Him? (4) Am I willing to center my life around God’s purposes? (5) Am I willing to accept His love for me and believe that He will, if I let Him, produce an abundant harvest of fruitfulness and significance in my life?

Paul states this reality with absolute confidence: “And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” (Philippians 1:6) When the Farmer plants the seed, He will make sure it grows and matures into an abundant harvest if we let Him. That’s His pledge! Is this a Resource to the fulfilling life you and I are willing to embrace?