Fri Inspiration

Morning Inspiration with Pastor Merritt

Even though Jesus healed blind people on at least five occasions, this is a unique story, because it is the only case on record where Jesus healed a congenital disease. When people saw someone in this condition, they automatically asked the question, “I wonder what this person did to deserve this?” They just assumed that a physical handicap was a sign of God’s spiritual displeasure.

I love the story of a very devout follower of Jesus who went to a pet store. She saw this beautiful parrot, fell in love with it and wanted to buy it. The owner knowing this lady’s spiritual background said, “I cannot sell you that parrot.” She said, “Why not?” He said, “He used to be owned by a very wicked man and when he gets angry he just curses a blue-streak.”

The woman said, “I don’t believe even a parrot is beyond redemption and I do want to buy him. With God’s help, I’ll break him of that habit.”

She took the parrot home and no sooner had she gotten that parrot home that something happened that the parrot didn’t like and that parrot began to spew out curse words and obscenities and profanities that would make Hollywood blush. She looked at that parrot and said, “I’m not going to have that kind of language in this house. I’m going to teach you a lesson. I am going to put you in the freezer for 30 minutes. See what that does for you.”

She puts this parrot in the freezer and a half hour later she pulls him out. Shivering uncontrollably he looked at the woman and said, “Lady, I am never going to curse again, but just tell me one thing. What did the turkey do?”


Now listen to what Jesus says,

“Jesus answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.’” (John 9:3)

Here is the principle. A place of desperation is a setting for God’s transformation. This man was not born blind, because of something he had done. He was born blind, because of something God wanted to do. This next statement is going to sound so simple, but if you don’t get it you won’t understand the story. This man was not blind because he couldn’t see. He couldn’t see, because he was blind. Let me translate that into a spiritual truth. We are not sinners because we sin. We sin because we are born sinners. We are not born with God and then somehow lose God along the way. We are born without God. That is why we must be born-again.