EXPRESSIONS |
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BEST OF 2002-2003 Photogallery of flags and candles remembering September 11,2001 victims Jewish students walk for Israel IMPRESSIONSA patriotic war is just to protect people (1)Americans face their toughest challengeProud beyond words to be an AmericanWar is necessary for justiceNot all Middle Easterner's are suspectFailure ought to be the stepping stone to successA lot of good Lott's apology did! It is a matter of principle and ethicsEXPRESSIONSConstitution supports God and patriotism One Numb-er Vote for the perfect candidate 24-7! What if Jesus talked football?
Gospel revealed through semantics and word play HOTPRESSIONSHomosexuality examined in light of Scripture and ScienceNo choice is not an excuse to do wrong!Consequences do not imply hate!PHOTOGALLERY
Photogallery of students enjoying Thanksgiving feast
at the Marketplace
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“Beautiful Lord Intervenes Now Delivering!” (B.L.I.N.D)
By Ramesh C. Reddy Devotional Times for Thu, Oct 09, 2003 I want to share with you what I learned today from my study of God's word! Today, I looked at John 9:1-3 and the rest of the chapter. “As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned,’ said Jesus, ‘but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life.’” (John 9:1-3) I found it interesting that the disciples automatically thought that the man’s blindness was due to his own sin or his parents. For them to have thought that, they must have seen a lot of consequences happen because of an individuals’ sin or a family members’ sin. This was very prevalent in the Old Testament. I was reminded of this also in John 5. In this instant, Jesus refutes the reasoning by letting them know that the man’s blindness was not a consequence of anything but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. There are important implications for our own life. When bad things happen the first reaction is to ask, ‘why it happened?’ Sometimes people wonder if they did anything wrong to make that happen. There are times when bad things happen it is because of consequences of our actions or those around us. However, it is good to know that is not always the case. There are times that things that we do not want happen anyway but the good news is that the work of God can be displayed in a person’s life through that situation too. I also found it significant that the man had been blind since birth but one day Jesus decided to intervene and work in the man’s life. The man was so thankful to Jesus and decided to believe in the Messiah. It is profound to see the amount of gratitude the man had for what Jesus did for him after all this time. God did work in the life of the man in His timing. This shows us that sometimes things happen in our life and they continue that way but when God is at work, things will change. We should not give up! To take an extreme example, what would have happened if the man committed suicide or just gave up on life? Instead, he decided to wait it out and live his life blind. But now not only did he receive physical sight but also spiritual sight. It is also significant that Jesus used mud from the ground, spat on it, and applied it to the man’s eyes. This shows Jesus’ desire to be personally involved in the man’s life. He could have just spoken the words and the man would have been healed. Instead, Jesus wanted to be more personal in his life. Mud also signifies how God made Adam and now God used the mud and His own perfect saliva to restore sight to the man. I ask you now dear friends, where do you feel blind? Dear friend, there are times that things happen in people’s lives that make them feel like they are in darkness and blind to the situation they are in. It can be so frustrating too. I don’t know where you feel you are blind at but Jesus knows what you are going through. Don’t automatically think that when bad things have happened, it is your fault or your loved ones fault etc. We live in a sinful world that situations happen. Yet, this chapter is so encouraging because we are reminded not to give up. How dire the circumstances, it could be a circumstance the Lord wants to use in our lives to make us better. Now the blind man not only could see physically but he was given new spiritual health and followed Jesus. Jesus wants you to know that all things work together for good to them that love God and are fitting into His purposes. He loves you so much and wants to work in your life. Won’t you let Him? Jesus even cares for the little desires of our hearts. I say that because I wanted to go badly to the Notre Dame game but I work on Saturdays from 7:30 a.m – 3:00 p.m. as a supervisor at Einstein’s in Posvar Hall. Another supervisor usually switches with me on game days but he could not on Oct 11. At the time I did not even know when the game was going to be at, whether it was 12:00 or 3:30 p.m. I heard it was at 3:30 p.m. and told the Lord that if we delight in Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. One of my desires was to go to the game. At the same time, I told my managers that I want to keep my word and not let games come in the way of my work so I planned to come to work anyway depending on the Lord if that be His will I am able to go. I usually like to be there 2 hours early when the gates open. Amazingly, the game was moved to 6:00 p.m. so ESPN could carry it. I ALSO COULD MAKE IT IN TIME! Even in the little thing, I saw how the Lord worked. I know if I am to be there, He will make a way! “Beautiful Lord Intervenes Now Delivering!” (B.L.I.N.D) /”I ask you now dear friends, where do you feel blind?” Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, you know the things that cause us pain. You know when we wonder and are upset. Oh Lord thank you so much for healing the blind man. Thank you for intervening in His life. Please Oh Lord, come help those who are suffering and feel blindness in their lives whether it be physical or spiritual. You know what we face and our worries and fears. Please have them! We want to be surrounded by your Arms of Love holding us near never letting us go. Thank you Lord that bad things are not always because of consequences of our actions! That can also be much harder because we feel we don’t deserve it so it is more painful. We need your help in those situations. Please forgive and strengthen those whose actions have resulted in pain for themselves and others. Thank you that we can leave to you all our worries for you are always thinking about us and watching everything that concerns us. I entrust our lives to your care Jesus. Thank you for being there for us. In Your Name I Pray Jesus! Amen! Friend, this is the best day of your life. Being a follower of Christ maybe new to you or a rededication experience! No matter what, you have made the best decision of your life. You do need help to grow in your Christian walk. We all do! If you need someone to talk to, study the Bible with, find Bible believing church to be part of, let me know. You can email me at rcrst6@pitt.edu or call me at my cell at 412-720-4579. I will try to get back to you as soon as I can. Love in Christ, |
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OCTOBER 09, 2003
October 08,03
October 07,03
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