I love this truth bomb from my pastor @andy_stanley! When you think about just a few of the things Jesus said to people you quickly understand not one of them would have experienced his miracles, if they had not obeyed his simple commands.
There was this guy who sat by a pool in Bethesda paralyzed for 38 treacherous years. Jesus told him to “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” John 5:8 He walked away from that pool. Before this Jesus attended a wedding where the wine supply was running low. He told the servants there to “Fill the jars with water.” John 2:7 The plain water was transformed into outstanding wine. And there was a woman desperate for healing who had been bleeding for 12 years who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. Jesus told her, “Daughter your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.” Mark 5:34 She left Jesus healed.
What situation has you paralyzed? Has your joy run out? Do you need Jesus to transform your nothing (water) into something of value? Do you need freedom from suffering? If what Jesus says is true, you may have some work to do! Three summers ago Jesus spoke to my heart in a situation I felt paralyzed in to:“Get up! Pick up you mat and walk!” Like the man who sat begging for 38 years, I too got up and what an incredible adventure it has been. What is Jesus asking you to do? Please share with me. We can do the hard things obedience requires longer and stronger if we do it together.