Topic
 | I Am Blind |
| In John 9:1-7 we find the story of this man who was born blind and Jesus healed him, giving him his sight. Thus a whole new world opened up to him that day. Can you imagine how wonderful he felt, how excited he must have been, how thankful to Jesus he must have been? But others didn't share his joy. In John 9:10-17 the Jews and their leaders pressed him with questions and doubts. What had he done wrong? What had he done to deserve doubt, scrutiny or pressure? Nothing, really. All he did was receive a blessing, a wonderful miracle. But the implications of this miracle was most unsettling to the Pharisees. In their displeasure with the message they troubled the messenger. So the blind man felt the sting of their disapproval. You'd think a man's family would back him up at such a time. You'd think they'd rejoice as well as he. You'd think. But they didn't. In John 9:17-23 the man's parents did the unthinkable. They left their son to his own fate and would not acknowledge Jesus performed the miracle. They invited the leaders to continue their interogation of their son so they'd be left alone. How could parents do that? How could they betray their son? This must have made him feel so hurt. Things got worse. In John 9:24-34 they quized him again, rebuked him then kicked him out of the synagogue. His family, his fellows and his religious leaders have all abandoned him. So what do you do when everyone turns against you? His answer was simple. He turned back to Jesus. In John 9:35-38 the blind man saw Jesus again. Upon learning that Jesus is the Son of God, he believed and worshipped. When in life we have nowhere else to turn, we can always turn to the Lord. In 1 Peter 5:6-7 the Bible says, "Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." We know we can always turn to the Lord for he is our ever present aid. In Hebrews 13:5 he promised to never leave us or forsake us. When all others fail and turn aside, we can always carry our troubles to the Lord in prayer. When every person in life seems to be against us, there's always one who's worthy of our worship, praise and adoration, that's Jesus. So when you feel depressed, down and defeated, turn to the Lord. Speak to him in prayer. Give him your praise and worship. Do this, and you'll never be alone.  |
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I Just Want To Feel Better About Myself | |
| I just want to feel better about myself. Can that be so wrong? After all, everybody tells us self esteem is important. And it's not like I want to be king of the world. I just want a little respect from others and a little respect for myself. I've been able to accomplish some things in life. I feel good and happy about those accomplishments. My boss likes the work I'm doing. But there are some snags. I've got a few enemies. Not too many. But it bothers me. They don't respect me. I feel sort of insecure about things. They act in ways that antigonize me. So now I feel worse. It's just so hard. I feel so misunderstood. I want to do something now to make this all better. Can you help? Who am I and what should I do? |