Today I encourage you to either read and meditate the chapter below, or pull out your paper Bible to read John 5:1-15, or visit @biblegateway.

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬-‭3‬, ‭5‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “‘Do you want to get well?’ ‘Sir,’ the invalid replied, ‘I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.’ Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. The day on which this took place was a Sabbath, and so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, ‘It is the Sabbath; the law forbids you to carry your mat.’ But he replied, ‘The man who made me well said to me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’ So they asked him, ‘Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?’ The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there. Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.’ The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.’”

Bonus: For a visual, you can watch this scene in The Chosen series.

Worship with “Get Up and Walk” by CFC Music, featuring Ryan Griffith.

Take time to meditate on today’s chorus: “You are making all things new. Turning faith to favor. All Your promises are good. I will choose to trust in You.”

Bonus: Song Story

Psalms‬ ‭63‬:‭1‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV — You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water. I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory. Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you. I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands. I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you. On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings. I cling to you; your right hand upholds me.‬‬

Join us for See You Saturday as we talk about all the God Winks we have experienced throughout our week.

Ephesians‬ ‭6‬:‭10‬-‭11‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.

Join us on YouTube for See You Saturday as we talk about gratitudes and lent.

Psalms‬ ‭69‬:‭30‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Books referenced are “Pauses for Lent” by Trevor Hudson and “Don’t Give The Enemy a Seat at Your Table” by Louie Giglio.

‭‭John‬ ‭5‬:‭14‬-‭15‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

In today’s verses, Jesus found the unnamed man and revealed that He was Jesus. He made two requests of this man, that he would not sin and that he would share who his healer was with the Jewish leaders. Jesus knew that this radical healing would result in this man and others believing and trusting who Jesus was. 

We have talked recently about sharing our vulnerability with others. Jesus was the ultimate example of vulnerability. He knew that this healing would lead to His crucifixion. Just like Jesus leaves the ninety-nine to search for one lost sheep, His love continually finds us. He loves us so much that He died for you and I.

Let’s pray. Dear God, thank You for finding me and loving me. Thank you for wanting to be in a relationship with me. I desire to help others be found so they, too, can experience Your love. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭11‬-‭12‬ ‭NIV — Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul. Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.‬‬

Often to the human eye, our good deeds go unseen. Unfortunately, our sinful nature and mistakes tend to make more of a lasting impression on those around us. Satan would love for us to get stuck in our sins and keep our good deeds to ourselves. Thankfully through the strength of God, when we share in good deeds and show Him praises, we can trample our enemy, Satan. 

We can thank God this day by joining together and proclaiming His name in unity as the Psalmist writes in ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬ — Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. 

Will you make Him known among the nations? Water Walkers is one way we can share God’s word together one blog post, one story, one photo at a time.

Let’s pray. Dear God, I desire to give You praises so all who know me, see You. Help me to rise above the enemy’s schemes and share good deeds. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Worship with “Christ Be Magnified” by Cody Carnes.