by leaps and bounds

After this there was a feast of the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. Now there is at Jerusalem by the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the water. For an angel went down at a certain season into the pool, and troubled the water: whosoever then first after the troubling of the water stepped in was made whole of whatsoever disease he had. And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole? The impotent man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steppeth down before me. Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the sabbath (John 5:1-9).

There is no doubt that Jesus came to be the Savior for the whole world. God so loved the world that He gave His only Son. All that believe in Him and confess Him can be saved. However, please note that every “whosoever” represents one person.

Jesus is concerned about the one person. He is the Savior of the world, but He is a personal Savior also. Keep this in mind as we look at His dealings with one person- the man at the pool of Bethesda.

Look at this man’s surroundings. The pool area was called Bethesda which means “House of Mercy” in the Hebrew language. This was literally a public infirmary. Bethesda had five porches- or arches. There were covered collonades that protected the people from the weather. An angel periodically troubled the water- the first person in was healed.

Look at the man himself. He was afflicted for thirty-eight years- a long time in our eyes, but no time at all in the eyes of the Lord. “… one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” (II Peter 3:8)

This man was virtually friendless. He said, “I have no man to put me in the pool.” He was lonely with no one to show any empathy toward him. His situation was very similar to the Psalmist’s words in Psalm 102:7: “I watch, and am as a sparrow alone upon the housetop.” He was in the “House of Mercy” but no mercy was to be found- he was not healed.

Let’s compare this man’s situation to the situations we sometimes find ourselves in:

We suffer weeks, months and years- often needlessly.

We may not be friendless, but only God can help us in many situations. We are in the House of Mercy, under the covering of His church, but we are not made whole.

Like this man, we have looked for the healing, but the Healer is looking at us.
Like this man, the Lord wants us to answer this question- “Will you be made whole?”

Notice the question is not just, “Do you want to be healed?” The question is not just, “Do you want to feel better?’ The question is, “Do you have the desire in yourself to be made whole?”

What about you? Do you want to be?

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. Glory ye in his holy name; let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord. Seek the Lord and his strength, seek his face continually. Remember his marvelous works that he hath done, his wonders and the judgements of his mouth (I Chronicles 16:9-12).

Singing is a major component of worship. Sadly, music style is often a controversial topic in the modern church. This ought not to be the case.

After all, we are singing songs that God has given to us. Psalm 40:3 says, “And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord.” Not only has He given us a song to sing- we get the honor of singing His song to Him. When we approach worship this way, others can be drawn to God through our worship.

Glory is a component of worship. We deserve no glory; we give all glory to Him. The Psalmist wrote it this way: “Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name; worship him in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2). Anything that we have and anything that gets done is all because of God. “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Seeking is a component of worship we cannot ignore. How are we to ever draw closer to the Lord if we don’t seek after Him. Time is of the essence according to Isaiah 55:6:” Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” Ephesians 6:10 says, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Seeking Him in prayer and through hearing His Word strengthens us so we can do His will in our lives.

Finally, remembrance is a component of worship we often pay little attention to. We need to remember what the Lord has done for us and what He provides for us. Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection are the reasons we worship. He brought us out of our sins. He helps us overcome our doubts, fears and flaws. We can’t do this Christian walk without Him. Psalm 103:2 says “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.” Certainly, we cannot afford to forget.

In the final analysis we need to make our worship real. We truly worship when it is no longer about us- it is about Him.

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

Then Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbors together and says, rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep. I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.” (Luke 15:3-7)

Have you ever looked back at things in your past and perceived them differently than you did when your past was your present? I have done much of that regarding ministry in the last three years.

During my years of pastoring, I often felt pressure to grow a larger church. You know, keep the numbers up! To some of my colleagues, large numbers equaled success. Honestly, I viewed it differently. I wanted to reach individuals that were outside the four walls of the church. Some folks were surprisingly critical of that- especially when I became involved in prison ministry.

In Luke 15, Jesus was criticized by religious people simply because He was often seen with sinners- the very people He came to save. You see, Jesus wasn’t trying to build a castle for Himself- He was trying to build the Kingdom of God. In Scripture we can see that this meant one individual at a time. Let’s consider some of them.

There was Bartimaeus- the blind beggar. There was Zacchaeus- the despised tax collector. There was the woman at the well- living in sin and confused about worship. There was Peter- the impulsive, quick-tempered disciple. The list is endless. These people were not important by society’s standards. Yet their lives influenced many people by their later actions or simply by having their stories recorded in our Bibles. What about the influence we can have on the individuals with whom we associate?

Sometimes it seems we are not helping very many. If success is measured by numbers it can be a discouraging endeavor. But, let us ask this question: What if the one…?

What if the one really changes and totally commits to serving God? What if the one wins more people to God than we could ever hope to reach? What if the one does something extraordinary with their life? What if the one…?

You see, the ninety-nine sheep were important, but the one was lost. We may be dealing with many people we consider important, but there is one who is lost. Again- what if the one?

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Romans 6:23).

He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (I John 5:12).

Jesus declared, “The thief cometh not, but to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” This statement embodies pure, simple truth.

Satan is the thief who desires to steal our salvation, kill our opportunity to really live and to destroy our souls. Jesus wants us to not only exist- He wants us to thrive. Abundant life can be ours- life worth living here and eternity in Heaven when this life is over.

Notice there is only one source of life. It cannot be found in anyone or anything else. When we allow Jesus into our lives, we have life in us.

Proverbs 21:16 says, “The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.” The way of understanding includes really knowing who the Lord is and sincerely walking in His ways. Without him we are as dead men walking- just shells of the people we can be if we have Him in our lives.

Once we surrender our lives to God, everything changes. His Spirit dwells in us and we are brought to life- life that is abundant. Ephesians 2:1 tells us, “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Notice, we were spiritually dead, but we are now very much alive.

All of this is possible- not because of our abilities- but because of what Jesus has done for us. From I Peter 3:18 we understand that He took our place: “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.” II Corinthians 5:21 points out that He took our punishment: “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” Finally, He rose again to be all that we need to live life abundantly. He is wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption to us (I Corinthians 1:30).

Let us view the gospel in its simplest terms. Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again for us. He is coming back for those who have Him in their lives. If we have Jesus we have life. After all, the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.

Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” (Matthew 12:38-40)

I have always been amazed at the attitudes of the Pharisees, Sadducees and scribes in Jesus’ time on earth. Despite seeing Jesus perform one miracle after another, they still demanded another sign to prove to them that He was indeed the Son of God.

The sign seeking didn’t stop there. It followed Him all the way to the cross. Bystanders yelled, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” A dying thief said “If you are Christ, save yourself and us.”

In this passage of Scripture from Matthew 12, Jesus was short and to the point when they asked for a sign. All they needed to do was think about Jonah’s experience with the fish. He was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights; Jesus would be in the tomb three days and three nights. They just could not understand the real purpose for Jesus being on this earth. While they wanted a sign, Jesus wanted to be their Savior- and ours.

In John 4:34, Jesus said, “My food is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work.” He knew His real purpose was to do more than miracles. He knew His purpose was to die for our sins and resurrect to assure our eternal life. His determination to fulfill His purpose was evident when He “set His face” to go to Jerusalem knowing what was awaiting Him.

One final sign could have been given according to Matthew 26:53-54. Hear the words of Jesus as He was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen this way? He could have given one more sign and been spared all the agony He suffered. He could have- but He didn’t.

Why? It is because we needed a Savior so much more than they needed one more sign.

Dave Snyder is an Ordained Bishop with the Church of God – Cleveland, Tennessee. Before entering the ministry on a full-time basis, he was a school teacher. He also coached middle school basketball for eight years.

Dave and his wife, Sara, have two children  — Craig and Karen. They also have one ten year old granddaughter  — Breanna. 

Dave and Sara pastored in West Virginia for thirty-six years. Sara is now retired from the banking industry, and Dave is retired from pastoring. However, Dave currently serves as prison Chaplain for the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. 

Writing essays, articles, and devotionals is a real passion for Dave. He also enjoys playing musical instruments and singing.