Stand up. Pick up your mat. Walk.

Question to think about: Are you waiting for life to happen to you or are you actively engaged with the work of God?

Christ invites humanity to be a part of the work of God. There are people that know God but they choose to live on the sidelines. Why? Participating with the work of God requires action, living beyond what can be seen and often in an uncomfortable place. That said, those who actively engage with the work of God live with passion and purpose.

The sick man had to make a decision to do what Jesus said to do. He had spent a lifetime of letting life happen.
Jesus told him, "Stand up, pick up your sleeping mat, and walk!" (John 5:8, NLT)
Jesus asked the man to take action:

1.Stand up. Along the way, we must determine what our stance in life will be. Will we live stuck in fear or stand in faith? Christ, God with us, told the man to stand up. The man had not stood for thirty-eight years. He would have been incredibly weak. The thing is, when we choose faith, God will empower and strengthen us to stand. "LORD, by Your favor You have made my mountain stand strong." (Psalm 30:6a, NKJV)

2. Pick up your sleeping mat. We need to acknowledge our responsibility in how we live. The man relied on his sleeping mat. It was his band-aid answer for life. While it was not a place of health for him, it was where he felt comfortable. When unhealthy behavior is repeated, it becomes comfortable. God has created us for a purpose; however, God leaves us with the choice of how we will live. Christ, God with us, purposed for the man to be well. The man had the responsibility in becoming well by changing his behavior. In other words, we are invited to engage our life with the divine work of God. "The LORD will fulfill his purpose for me"(Psalm 138:8a, NRS)

3. Walk. Living the way we are created to live requires action. The man had not walked for thirty-eight years. Can you imagine what it must have felt like to be told to walk by Christ, God with us? Certainly, he must have thought about what it would be like to walk . . . he had positioned himself at the edge of the pool where others had been healed . . . wanting to be free of the illness. Freedom from the things that oppress us require action. Jesus told the man to do it. The man could have told Jesus that walking would be impossible, refusing to take action. When we chose to go the way that God leads, we will discover a pathway that pushes through the impossibilities. "Teach me your way, O LORD, that I may walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart to revere your name." (Psalm 86:11, NRS)
Stand up.
Pick up your mat.
Walk.
Learning with you to do what God says to do,
Shalom,
Kerrie
(All devotions written by Kerrie Palmer ©2008 All Rights Reserved)