13/06/2019 - GOD NEVER STOPS WORKING

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But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working.” John 5:17

Jesus had gone to Jerusalem because of a celebration of the Jews. However, He did not take part in what they celebrated. He went there to have His own celebration.  Our God has a personal work in the lives of all people, which causes much joy in the heart of those who receive it. No matter what you are  suffering; when Jesus comes to you, He sets you free, gives you joy, and helps you to become a conqueror.

Arriving in that city, the Master went to a sad place. There were five pavilions, where the sick and suffering gathered. One of them was near the Bethesda well and he had been paralyzed for 38 years. There was a belief that, from time to time, an angel descended from heaven and stirred those waters, and the first who plunged in the wasters received healing.

We do not know if this story about the angel was real, but we cannot deny it either, because people believed so. Jesus saw that sick man who had been waiting for a long time to receive the blessing. The Master asked him if he wanted to be healed. He began to explain that when the water was stirred, no one helped him, so another person would go down to the well before him. Christ told him, Rise, take up your bed and walk (John 5: 8b).

The man believed the word he was given, took his bed and went home. When the Jews saw him carry his bed, they asked him why he was doing that, because, on the Sabbath, such an act was unlawful. So the ex-palsy answered them, “He who made me well said to me, ‘Take up your bed and walk.’ ” Then they asked him, “Who is the Man who said to you, ‘Take up your bed and walk’? (verses 11,12). The man did not know that Christ himself had healed him (v. 13).

Later, the Savior found him in the temple and addressed him. Then the man asked for the name of his Benefactor and then went to tell the Jews that it was Jesus. So they went to meet Christ and soon after began to persecute Him for healing on the Sabbath. However, He told them that His Father worked until that hour, and so did He (verse 17). This response enraged His inquirers because He equaled Himself to the Almighty.

The Jews did not accept the fact that Christ was the Son of God, because, being a Son, he was also God. In this they did not compromise. For them, there was only one God. They were right, but they did not know that the Creator is composed of three distinct Persons, forming a single Being. Even today, this mystery is incomprehensible to mankind, but it can be accepted by faith. This difficulty to understand led the Jews to want to kill the Messiah, for He spoke the truth!

At this very moment, you can believe that both the Father and the Son are working to help humanity. We can call for help at any time, for God is always ready to help those who seek Him, giving them the solution to their problems, as well as the understanding that will make them wise.

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares