Don’t Go Back

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’” – John 5:8 

Continuing our discussion from yesterday regarding the paralyzed man at a healing pool who was healed by Jesus, this was not the last time that Jesus encountered this man. In John 5:14, it reads, “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.” By confronting the healed man, Jesus recognizes that although there was a physical healing within the man, there was still a spiritual renewal that needed to take place.  

Verse 15 continues, “The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.” Prior to this incidence, the healed man was interrogated by religious leaders on how he was able to be cured on the Sabbath. To take the blame off himself, he tells those religious leaders that it was in fact Jesus who made him well. The persecution then turns to Jesus for healing on the Sabbath.  

There is no gratitude shown from the healed man, no indication that he is truly thankful for the miracle. When Jesus comes into our lives and makes a change, it can be tempting to want to take the credit or forget that God was the one who changed our situation. But we must acknowledge where our help comes from.  

When it is no longer fresh in our minds what the Lord has done, our motives and convictions to dwell in the Spirit can often become less powerful. We must fight the urge to go back to our old ways.

As you take the journey of getting up and walking, do not return to that which enslaved you. God is trying to create a new and improved you. He wants you to continue to walk in freedom. What will you do today to make sure that you continue down the right path?