Jesus said to him "Get Up! Pick up your mat and walk!"

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"JESUS SAID TO HIM, 'GET UP! PICK UP YOUR MAT AND WALK'." (John 5:8) - The following quote is credited to Abraham Lincoln: "You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves." Helping a person when he/she is down and out is risky for the person being helped and the person giving the help. Helping should not create a condition of dependency. We must be moved with compassion but we must be aware what we are doing. Are we helping the other person or are we satisfying some need in ourselves? Well, probably a little of both. I observe in the Jesus healing stories that he holds the person being healed accountable by giving them something to do in their healing. Get up and move....Go to the pool and wash...To become dependent can be degrading to self-respect. There is a lot of wisdom in the words: "Give a man a fish and feed him for a day. Teach him how to fish and feed him for a life time."  We work hard as children to stand on our own feet and walk. Wise parents teach a child to do for themselves and their self-confidence grows. None of this is to discourage our helping others. This is a must for civilized people and for Christ followers, but be careful that we help and not weaken....