Home and Heart Maintenance!  The scriptures remind that we can be blind, especially if we just don’t know.  For me, I feel that I don’t know a lot of things and I’m always trying to learn, which is probably why I NOW know a lot of things.   I knew PRACTICALLY NOTHING about my heating system, but there’s no reason why I should, until it went down, it’s not a sin but a situation, so now I research options and timelines.  I have learned oh so very much!

I’m close to a decision,  many reasons to continue with my oil, spending 2 weeks to cover my bases (and my baseboards). With all my investigation, simple pieces of advice help me immensely. Something that I knew I already knew, but rarely paid attention to, is that I was blocking my own heating systems airflow. I was blind. Yes, I did back vacuum the my baseboards, once a year, but not always below if I could not reach them because of blocked pathways. And of course I remember the airflow is crucial to the heat flow.  Blockages where I actually need heat, or the opposite of open heater coils where I don’t need so much heat… yeah I can only do better… so regardless of money thoughts, an oil/gas conversation discussion, what’s best to do? Improve the air flow. 

I was blind and now I see.  I see the papers that snuck underneath the baseboard in one room. No they have not been there long, just since the summer, but if left, the blockage would be severe. The 1st paper I picked up (classic Holy Spirit fashion) is of a tremendous teaching: Jesus, gives sight to a blind man. 

“If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”  How good it is to open my eyes to my blockages, and yet it still took someone else reminding me how heated air flow works, silly me I know… Fittingly my heat air flow is dependent upon water flow (sound familiar?). Jesus living water is best in flow.

Jesus let the man discover his own answers of who gave him sight, God!!! The man did this by reasoning – all good things must come from God… This blind man likely already knew that, and had seen the glory of God within His heart. Given the opportunity, the now sighted man told the truth, even if it got him tossed out of the temple and shunned by his parents. He knew the Way this unknown man performed a miracle could only have been thru God. Then, Jesus confirmed that He indeed was the Son of God. Jesus said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”   “Who is he, sir?” the man asked.  “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

We often need a small reminder, sometimes a big wake up call, or at least a clue… Maybe we just need to take time to think? talk it out? pray on it. When we do know, we are also called upon to witness, give advice, notice things and pray to help others open . Harnessing the Holy Spirit is a flow to know. 

Mostly, like my baseboards, we are to do maintenance, clear blockages, and think. How else can we harness and be a part of the POWER of God, unless we ask to see and we then believe… Like in a Pharisee, who speaks of God but refuses to believe the signs of Jesus, blindness and blockages come thru pride, unbelieving stubbornness, and fear of losing control. Give up the unknown for the known: Love God, because you can see Him without using your eyes. 

“As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

Know the Power of God in your heart. Believe in Jesus, heat up your faith.   

Go for the FLOW!!!

Amen 

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John 9

Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. 2 His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

3 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. 4 As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. 5 While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

6 After saying this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. 7 “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

8 His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” 9 Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”   But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”  10 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.  11 He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.” 12 “Where is this man?” they asked him.  “I don’t know,” he said.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

13 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. 14 Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. 15 Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided. 17 Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.” The man replied, “He is a prophet.” 18 They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. 19 “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

20 “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. 21 But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” 22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. 23 That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

24 A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God by telling the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.” 25 He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!” 26 Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” 27 He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

28 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! 29 We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

30 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. 31 We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. 32 Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

36 “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

37 Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

40 Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.