By Bobby Thornhill

“Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Be-thes’da, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of sick people, blind, lame, paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had. Now a certain man was there who had an infirmity 38 years. When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Rise, take up your bed and walk.’ And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath.” John 5:2-9 (NKJV)

“Do you want to be made well?” seems a ridiculous question, until we see the numbers of Church folk who are satisfied with their, less than holy, condition. Satisfied with coming to church, or going to church, or maybe, doing church, they never make it to the healing place so that they can be made whole and become the Church. Some depend on others to “put them in the pool.” This half-hearted commitment, and the resulting shallow relationship with Jesus is sorely lacking. He seeks our whole-hearted surrender.

There was once a men’s hair treatment slogan: “Brylcream, a little dab will do ya.” It was a great testimony to the effectiveness of Brylcream, not so much for our relationship with Jesus.

We must, as Paul said in Ephesians 4:22, “put off the old man.” Jesus heals our spirit and soul when we receive His grace, it is still our duty to walk in the grace that has made us whole. He didn’t heal us so that we could slink back into a life of half-hearted service and commitment. He heals us so that we can walk away from our sinful nature. Jesus told him to take up his bed and walk; so many get up and walk, only to return to their “bed” of sinfulness. 1 Peter 2:22 tells us, “The dog returns to his own vomit, and the sow, having washed, to her wallowing in the mire.”

“Rise and walk!”