Tell the Neighbors

He answered, “The man called Jesus made mud and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed and received my sight.” John 9:11 ESV

When Jesus changes your life or mine other people will want to know why. That may not be as dramatic as healing a man blind from birth but when God intervenes we are not the same. It feels intimidating talking to our neighbors about God and not everyone wants to hear your story for the right reasons. But if we are honest with others about our own problems and how God helps us to get through them, there will be some who will want to know more.

What also catches my attention every time I read this story is the crazy way Jesus goes about healing. He spits on the ground, makes mud and then smears it on this guy’s eyes. That I have definitely never seen at my church! While the details of how God fixes our issues may seem strange His results are undeniable. Maybe God chooses what seems different to catch people’s attention. We might be embarrassed but then nobody really thinks much about the mud on our eyes. They are mostly amazed at the Savior who gave us back our vision. God saw something in you and me when no one else would give us a second glance. God didn’t choose us because we were the best and the brightest. He chose us when we were blind so that we could say; “Now I see!”

Knowing Jesus

What do any of us have more precious than knowing Jesus? But will we live today with our treasure buried like a pirate’s treasure chest? Will people need to be like Indiana Jones trying to decipher our words in order to discover who Jesus is? Maybe we’re worried about how they would react if we simply shared the good news of salvation and forgiveness with them. In the long run though it will nor matter what they think about us, but rather what they think of Him. I can still remember the man who first told me about Jesus as I was walking through an inner city neighborhood in Boston one night. He simply said, ” I want to tell you about Jesus…that’s J…e….s….u…s. He loves you!” As he spoke I felt the power of Christ for the first time in my life. I have no idea who he was but when I meet him in heaven I will thank him for taking telling me about the greatest treasure. Because I heard and experienced the message of God’s grace I one day prayed to receive Jesus as my Lord, Savior and closest friend. Who can I tell today about the wonderful riches of knowing Him?