By[14] Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” — John 5:14 NKJV
Sin has consequences, although God has forgiven and forgotten the sins of the whole world through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ on the cross.
For example, if a man decides to kill his brother, God has already forgiven him because of Jesus, but the laws of the country he’s living in will convict him of murder and send him to prison. So you see, in Christ, you’re free, but if you don’t know how to use your freedom, you’ll invite many trials in your life, which could have been avoided.
One time Jesus entered Jerusalem and passed by the Sheep Gate (Bethesda), where many sick people lay, waiting for the moving of the water to get healed. Jesus saw a man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. He asked him a simple question: “Do you want to be made well?” But then, the man replied with so many complaints. He said,
[7] “Sir, … I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”
John 5:7 (NIV)
Which doctor wants to hear that after asking a simple question? But Jesus, the great physician, still had compassion on him and healed him. However, the man didn’t even recognise that Jesus was the one who healed him. That’s why when people asked him who told you, “Take up your bed and walk,” he didn’t know (see John 5:13).
But Jesus saw him in the temple later and said to him, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you.” Then he recognised that Jesus was the one who healed him.
I believe there were two central sins that man did.
- He did a bad thing in his past years that left him paralyzed.
- He was ungrateful to Jesus when he got his healing.
There are many more scriptures that prove that some sickness happens to people because of sin (see James 5:15, Mark 2:5). So I want to tell you that be careful of how you manage your life today, especially as a believer.
Give no space to the devil to plague your mind with evil thoughts, lest it gives birth to iniquity in your life. May God guide you.
You’re a blessing.
Prayer:
Father, thank You for the revelation that I’m forgiven in Christ. Release the dimension of grace that will make me responsible for living a meaningful life. In the name of Jesus. Amen!
Devotional Code: KGD – 2023 – 297
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