14th day...Ministry on the go

I have continued my reading in the Gospel of John for now. I came upon the well known story of Jesus healing the blind man. However, it was the preface to this incident that caught me (Chapter 9):

1 As Jesus was walking along, he saw a man who had been blind from birth. 2 “Rabbi,” his disciples asked him, “why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins?” 3 “It was not because of his sins or his parents’ sins,” Jesus answered. “This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. 4 We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us.[a] The night is coming, and then no one can work. 5 But while I am here in the world, I am the light of the world.”

I had a couple of thoughts on this. First, I saw the obvious of what Jesus was doing. He was challenging the notion that destructive disabilities, diseases, pains, ect. are originated by God as punishment for sins. He was giving the people of that day (as well as ourselves) an example of how God can use any circumstance to further the kingdom.

However, the second thought was more impactful to me. Jesus made a quick statement following that example..."We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned to us by the one who sent us." Can we say "divine appointment"? I wonder if the disciples picked up on that one? Jesus was showing His people (then and today) that if they keep their eyes open they can be used to accomplish amazing things for the kingdom of God. Think about the context...the passage begins, "as Jesus was walking along." He had previously finished putting some Pharisee's in their place, and he was just "walking along" the roads of Jerusalem. Keep in mind that what followed was one of the most talked about miracles in history. Can you see the urgency in which he makes that statement? Don't we want to be like that? Shouldn't we be able to forget about our destinations for a minute and just stop and take advantage of the opportunity to serve the kingdom?

Lord let me take heed to that statement. Let me be the one who sees the opportunity to serve at any point in my journey. Give me wisdom and boldness in the process of learning. Thank you for walking with me thus far. I love you. Amen.