WEDNESDAY, June 25th, 2008

Goodmorning Everyone! I hope that you are making plans to attend church tonight! We are going to have a great service! We will also be giving out all of the information about our rewards trip, so make sure that you are there! I am so excited about this weekend! We are going to have so much fun!

A Few Thoughts From Yesterday:
Drum Roll: My Verdict: ... Brooke Started her devotions first, Jon finished his devotions first! There you go.
Great Job to the both of you!
Phil: I talked to your mom, and she said that you are aloud to do your devotions only! So, why didnt you do them? Unbelievable! :)
Jeff: I like your solution to the blog today :) Am I picking you up today?
Brooke: Thank you for your compliments and your encouragements! I appreciate you and I must say: "I Love My Job"!!!!!
Amy: I am so excited too!! I am glad you will be here tonight!
Gaby: Yay!! For the Laptop! Did you go to starbucks or Panera or something?
Rob: Hey man! Thanks again for last night! And thanks for "the other thing - for this weekend"
Lucy: WHAT?? "Attitude" are you kidding? Lucy would never have an attitude... NOT! Sorry you were in trouble! :)

John 9:1-12
1 Now as Jesus passed by, He saw a man who was blind from birth.
2 And His disciples asked Him, saying, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
3 Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him.
4 I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
6 When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva; and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay.
7 And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
8 Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?”
9 Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.”He said, “I am he.”
10 Therefore they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?”
11 He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”
12 Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.”

What a great story of another miracle. This story teaches an incredibly important truth! There are many people that believe that any kind of sickness or handicap at birth is some kind of punishment. That is what the people in this passage believed. That is simply not the truth, Jesus makes it clear in this passage that if someone is born with a handicap, it is NOT a defect, but it is Gods perfect plan for their life.

This story explains to us that this man was born blind, and Christ walked up to him, put some mud in his eyes, told him to walk down into the water to rinse it off and then the man could see. Think about this: God says " This man is blind so that the works of God may be revealed in Him." How cool is that! You see, God wanted to do something great in the life of this man and everyone that he knew, so God allowed him to be blind, so that this man could "see" something far greater: "The miracles of God"

We must understand that we have a soverign God! That means that God knows everything, and he reigns in everything, and he has a plan to make it all fit together! That is so wonderful! God allowed this blind man, to live for many years without sight, so that one day, This man could see greater things that most other men would ever see in their lifetime.

God has a plan, and when we see a shortcoming, or a handicap in our life, WE MUST understand by faith that God wants to use us in spite of our handicap, God wants to use us BECAUSE OF our handicap, to do great things for Him and for His Glory!!

Wow! That is amazing! That really makes one verse we have studied even more meaningful:

II Corinthians 12:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

I am weak, so ue me greatly for your glory Lord!