TRANSFORMATION THROUGH SURRENDER
Then He spit on the ground, made mud with the saliva, and spread the mud over the blind man’s eyes.
John 9:6 (NLT)
And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice— the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 (NLT)
The blind man in John 9 took a step of surrender to Jesus. How do we know that? Because he allowed Jesus to touch him and spread mud on his eyes. And not just any mud; it was mud that Jesus made with dirt and His own spit.
I know some women who use mud as a facial treatment, but I don’t know anyone who puts it on their eyes to improve their sight, especially not mud made with spit!
What a humbling act of surrender expressed by this blind man. In front of a crowd, he risked appearing foolish and allowed Jesus to rub spit mud on his eyes, trusting that Jesus knew what He was doing, even before he knew the transformation that was about to happen.
The mud made from the mouth of Jesus and applied from the hands of Jesus brought a miraculous transformation to this blind man who simply trusted Jesus.
How can we allow the mouth and hands of Jesus to transform us today? Hearing from God’s Word, the Bible, is a great way to receive what God has for us from His own mouth. Each day, we can let God spread the mud of His Word on us, words from the very mouth of God.
APPLICATION: Surrender your life and mind to God by reading His Word and listening for what He wants you to know and do.
PRAYER: Father, I surrender myself to You today, trusting You to do Your work in me. Show me what You want me to know and do.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?