The Upper Room Daily Devotional from The United Methodist Church of Nashville, Tennessee, United States for Monday, 30 October 2017 “Do You Want to Get Well?” by Roland Rink (South Africa) - John 5:1-15
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DAILY DEVOTIONAL FOR MONDAY, OCTOBER 30, 2017
A few years ago fallen power lines sparked a wildfire that devastated more than 5,000 acres of pristine bushveld (savanna). The fire made the veld look like a lunar landscape. A vast stretch of land was reduced to black and gray ashes with many burnt tree stumps protruding from the ground.
On a recent visit to the area, I could still see evidence of the fire. But on closer inspection, I could see evidence of healing. At the base of almost every burnt tree stump, I could see the supple green shoots of a small new tree. The veld is definitely in a slow process of healing. The evidence of the new trees gave me reason for optimism and renewed hope.
Our lives can resemble that burnt landscape — especially when devastating, unexpected events occur. With time, however, if we look closely, we may find that healing is on its way. Tragedy and disasters can overwhelm us, but we as people of hope can call out to God seeking new growth and new life. When our lives are uncertain and in need of renewal, Jesus asks us, “Do you want to get well?” Are we willing to risk answering, “Yes”?
TODAY'S PRAYER:
Dear Lord, help us turn to you for healing when we feel devastated by the circumstances of our lives. Amen.
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John 5:1 After this, there was a Judean festival; and Yeshua went up to Yerushalayim. 2 In Yerushalayim, by the Sheep Gate, is a pool called in Aramaic, Beit-Zata, 3 in which lay a crowd of invalids — blind, lame, crippled. 4 [John 5:4 Some manuscripts have verses 3b–4: . . . , waiting for the water to move; 4 for at certain times an angel of Adonai went down into the pool and disturbed the water, and whoever stepped into the water first after it was disturbed was healed of whatever disease he had.] 5 One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 Yeshua, seeing this man and knowing that he had been there a long time, said to him, “Do you want to be healed?” 7 The sick man answered, “I have no one to put me in the pool when the water is disturbed; and while I’m trying to get there, someone goes in ahead of me.” 8 Yeshua said to him, “Get up, pick up your mat and walk!” 9 Immediately the man was healed, and he picked up his mat and walked.
Now that day was Shabbat, 10 so the Judeans said to the man who had been healed, “It’s Shabbat! It’s against Torah for you to carry your mat!” 11 But he answered them, “The man who healed me — he’s the one who told me, ‘Pick up your mat and walk.’” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who told you to pick it up and walk?” 13 But the man who had been healed didn’t know who it was, because Yeshua had slipped away into the crowd.
14 Afterwards Yeshua found him in the Temple court and said to him, “See, you are well! Now stop sinning, or something worse may happen to you!” 15 The man went off and told the Judeans it was Yeshua who had healed him;
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What new way is God showing me today?
wildland firefighters
READ MORE:
BY ROLAND RINK (SOUTH AFRICA)
Roland's pictures of the Bushveld 
- More from Roland Rink BY ROLAND RINK (SOUTH AFRICA)
I was born and raised in the city of gold, Johannesburg, and continue to call it home. Perhaps it should be named the green city as it is reputed to have the most planted trees of any city on earth. I guess this means that I live in an urban forest.
Two little known facts about me:
Roland's family Firstly, I have always been surrounded by women. Two younger sisters, Renee my wife of 44 years, two daughters, two sisters-in-law, countless nieces, female dogs & cats have combined to give me much joy and multiple reasons to celebrate women in general.
Secondly, because I love music of every genre, I really enjoy going to rock concerts. They’re great places to sing and dance and to forget the cares and troubles of the world for a few hours. I recommend them unreservedly!!
For the past 17 years our unit, Africa Upper Room Ministries has been printing and distributing The Upper Room Daily Devotional guide in South Africa, Angola, Mozambique, Lesotho, Swaziland, Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
The subscriptions and sales have grown over the years. In 2001, we printed 6,000 copies of the magazine. This year we will print almost 200,000 copies of the magazine in Portuguese and English. In my opinion, these numbers reveal a very real hunger. People want to spend time with God each day. The Upper Room magazine is a trusted resource that helps all of us keep our daily appointment with God.
It is a blessing to know that there are millions of people, in more than 100 countries around the world , “on the same page”. Christians practicing the basic disciplines of spirituality — joined together in prayer, reading scripture and meditating on the heartfelt words of people from every conceivable walk of life, on any given day of the year.
I encourage you to seriously consider writing for The Upper Room. Everyone has a story worth telling. All you need to do to tell your story is to write about where you have seen God at work in your own life.
You can submit your writing for consideration here: http://submissions.upperroom.org/en/meditations/new
I look forward to reading your stories!
We go forward!
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Header Photo Credit: "Harvested Land," Beth Shumate. August 15, 2014. (link)
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