Previous Challenge Entry (Level 1 – Beginner)
Topic: Straight From the Horse’s Mouth (11/14/13)
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TITLE: The Voice | Previous Challenge Entry
By James Cox III
11/21/13 -
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John, Chapter 9 (KJV):
Benny the blind man had never seen sunshine or a rose or a puppy. He had never experienced the joy of seeing a newborn baby or staring at a beautiful woman or gazing at the nighttime stars. For almost 40 years, his life was one of darkness, an imagination made of ingredients from his remaining senses. But it was mostly darkness and memories and broken dreams.
The few friends he had often asked him how had this terrible thing happened to him? Did Mom and Dad sin too much? It was a horrible thing to be blind from birth; there was even honor in an accident or sickness, but to come from the womb with something like this HAD TO be the result of sin. Even so, Benny got up every morning, got dressed, sat down to eat with Mom and Dad, and then found his way to “his corner” where he occasionally begged. This was his life, day in day out, time flowing like an endless unforgiving river. He had resolved in his mind and heart that “this was the way it was going to be…nothing was ever going to change.”
But it was on this day that Benny heard a new voice; a gentle voice but clear and firm as a trumpet sounds! THIS was a voice of authority and power and it was nothing like he had ever heard before. He heard the voice talking about “God being glorified” and “…not the fault of Mom or Dad” and “...light of the world” The next thing he knew, he felt warm, very moist dirt being plastered all over his eyes….something…..was…..not quite……right….yet it was. The voice told him to go wash off the dirt in Siloam, a local pool. Helping hands quickly guided him there and he could hear a crowd growing around him. He nervously splashed the cool waters against his now very warm face, and as the mud cleared away, he could see a…..what a minute!!!!!! Benny was so anxious to wash his face he completely overlooked that he could see his reflection in the clear waters!! He could SEE the waters, the feet surrounding him, the blue sky!!
Before he could move another inch, he found himself in front of the Pharisees! And the questions and comments flowed like the waters he was just washing in: Who was he? Wasn’t he born blind? Who was it that healed him? Where was he? They even dragged his Mom and Dad into the building, asking many of the same questions over and over again. Now they were questioning him again, and finally Benny reached his limit, “Look” he said, “I don’t have all the answers to your questions, but here’s what I DO know” and then Benny paused, he could FEEL the JOY welling up inside him, his “new eyes” gushed waterfalls down his dusty cheeks as he continued….” I was once blind, since the day I was born”, but 10 minutes ago, I washed my face in a pool and I am SEEING YOU for the first time! I NOW I see! There is nothing else to be said is there?”
The Pharisees rewarded Benny’s “honesty” with expulsion from the temple. Oh, well. He had a new life now…Sitting on the steps of the temple Benny heard that a man called Jesus was looking for him and before he knew it, this man of sorrows, and power and peace and piercing eyes was standing in front of him, strong calloused hands shook Benny’s hand. In a crowd, Benny would have surely overlooked him, but not now. Then the voice: “Do you believe in the man they call the Son of GOD?” he said. Benny heard himself say one word, the ONLY word that fit, “Lord,” Benny said, “You show me who that man is and I WILL believe on him”
The voice and the man smiled and answered “Benny, you are looking at him, I am the man, straight from my lips to your ears.” Benny couldn’t wait to scream out in joy, “LORD!” I believe!” Then ALL Benny could do…what he HAD TO DO was WORSHIP this man Jesus, right there on the temple grounds. That’s all any of us can do when we encounter the ONE who heals us and saves us! It’s His spoken words straight from His mouth, to our situation then give way to our worshipping and loving Him! What a glorious God!
Amen.
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I took Peter in Acts 2 a lot of preaching to get his listeners to come to believe that the one they had turned over to ruthless hands to be crucified was both LORD and Christ. But when they believed they obeyed what Peter commanded so they might have their sins forgiven.
There are many stories like this that will illustrate that Jesus is both Lord and Christ. They just need to be told in their fullness so people will believe and obey.
Good writing.
God bless~
Be careful about overusing punctuation like exclamation points. Try to limit them to dialog, and then only use one. The same thing with ellipses. Use them sparingly to show a pause in the story. Always only use three dots or if it's the end of a sentence you use three and then a period. You do an excellent job of using your words to do your exclaiming and painting a picture, you don't need to rely on punctuation for that.
You did an amazing job of bringing the characters to life. I felt like I was there watching it unfold.
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