Thought for July 19

History:

• 1553: Lady Jane Gray deposed after 9 days
• 1692: 5 people hung during Salem Witch Trials
• 1848: First women's rights convention -Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Wesleyan Chapel at Seneca Falls NY
• 1910: Cy Young wins his 500th game
• 1941: US Army flying school at Tuskegee AL dedicated
• 1945: USS Cod saves 51 sailors from Dutch sub--only sub-to-sub rescue
• 1957: Firing of first rocket with nuclear warhead-Nevada
• 1984: Geraldine Ferraro is first major party female VP candidate
• 1996: Olympics open in Atlanta
• 2007: Madmen debuts
• 2018: Duck Boat sinks in Table Rock Lake killing 17
• Born: Samuel Colt, Edgar Degas [painter], Lizzie Borden, Charles Mayo [Mayo Clinic], George McGovern, Al Haig, George Hamilton IV, Vikki Carr, Ilie Nastase, Stuart Scott, Benedict Cumberbatch, 
• Died: Syngman Rhee [President South Korea], Clyde Beatty [circus animal trainer], Mary Jo Kopechne [passenger with Ted Kennedy], Jack Warden, Frank McCourt [Angela's Ashes], James Garner, Garry Marshall, Rutger Hauer [Bladerunner] 

Thought:

Continuing with the man by Bethesda Pool in John 5. The man is healed instantly and miraculously but there is a problem--it is the Sabbath. Notice the response of the Jews in 5:10--rather than celebrating and praising God for this miracle, they tell the healed man--you sinned by carrying your pallet on the Sabbath. The man faces the dilemma we often face---Jesus has given us a command for our good, but society says that to obey Jesus violates a rule, maybe even a religious rule. We have seen wedding planners, bakers, and others face this very issue. 

The rules of the Jews had 39 classifications of work and carrying a burden on the Sabbath was work. Of course, a needle in your robe was considered a burden as was wearing a wooden leg or having false teeth. 

The man tells the Jews I just did what the man told me to and they want to know which man? I need to learn something from this encounter between the healed man and the Jews who were questioning him. Notice:

• When I follow Christ's command, I may find myself at odds with the society.
• Or when I follow Christ's commands, someone may ask me why did you do that, no one else does. You are unusual.
• I should be ready to tell people why I am acting contrary to the worldly norm, why my actions, words or attitudes were unconventional. It is an opportunity to tell them about Jesus. 
• Rather than be like Flip Wilson and say, "the devil made me do it," use every opportunity to tell someone "as a follower of Jesus I am compelled to act this way, think this way, talk this way." 

This story is a reinforcement of the concept that the Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath. The Pharisees had taken a commandment that God intended for the good of man and created a burden on people. 

Today, do something that Jesus would do that the world will find unusual or unbelievable--then when they ask why, tell them I did it to be like Jesus. 

Blessings

Larry