By Lisa Wilmore
Scripture:…Now there is at Jerusalem the sheep market a pool, which is called in the Hebrew tongue Bethesda…And a certain man was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. When Jesus saw him lie, and knew that he had been now a long time in that case, he saith unto him, Wilt thou be made whole?…Jesus saith unto him, Rise, take up thy bed, and walk. And immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was the Sabbath. Then asked they him, What man is that which said unto thee, Take up thy bed, and walk?…The man departed, and told the Jews that it was Jesus, which had made him whole (Selected Scriptures from John 5:1-15).
My Christian Friends,
To begin with, we cannot do anything without God. He is our source. It is the Lord who wakes us up in the morning, protects us throughout the nights, and provide food for us day by day. He is our daily bread. He is the One who guides us around seen and unseen dangers. Therefore, it behooves us to cite our Source and realize that without God we could do nothing.
In the aforementioned text, the man who laid at the pool of Bethsaida gave credit to Jesus, even though it was not the most popular thing to do during those days.
Recently, I listened to a Baccalaureate message given to students who completed their journey at the Morehouse College in Atlanta Georgia. The Pastor of the Alfred Street Baptist Church of Virginia, Rev. Dr. Howard John-Wesley, shared with the graduates that they were familiar with the “highest crime in college, which is plagiarism”. Plagiarism is when the writer does not give someone credit for their work.
He furthered shared that the only way to avoid plagiarism is to place a footnote on it so that others will know who the “source” of the information is. Dr. Wesley said to them, “When you get that degree tomorrow and before you put it in a frame, put a little footnote next to your degree, on the back of the page; declare that if it had not been for the Lord on my side…” In other words, give God the credit-He is our Source.
How often do you take credit for God’s handiwork in your lives? How many times have you received a complement of a great work and did not give God the glory for being the author and finisher of it? We must always remember to “not” plagiarize and take credit for God’s work. Cite Him as our Source
