November 17, 2025

Stop Blaming and Rise Up

When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he already had been in that condition a long time, He said to him, “Do you want to be made well?” The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; but while I am coming, another steps down before me” (John 5:6–7).

This guy was basically saying, “It’s not my fault. I’m in this condition because of what someone else won’t do for me, and because of what someone else has done to me.”

Think about it, “I have no man to put me in.” Paraphrased that says, “I’m stuck because of what someone won’t do for me.” Or, “While I’m coming, another steps down before me,” which paraphrased says, “I’m stuck because of what someone else has done to me.” Either way, “It is not my fault.”

After making up our minds that we want to be free, the next step is to stop shifting the blame to others.

A friend of mine migrated from Mexico to the U.S. many years ago. He didn’t understand the culture or the language and seemed to be hopelessly locked into a dead end job.

His employer took advantage of him and it seemed like he had no way out. But instead of blaming others for his situation (which would have been easy for him to do), he decided to get unstuck and do something with his life.

It took several years, but today he has several businesses and is quite wealthy.

Do not get caught in the trap of blaming others. Instead, make the decision to rise up (something we will be talking about in our next devotional.)

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