In John 5:1-15 we read of a man lying paralysed by a pool in Jerusalem, waiting for 'an angel of the Lord [who] came down to the pool and stirred up the water. After the angel did this, the first person to go into the pool was healed from any sickness he had' (John 5:4 NCV). Great place to wait, and a good amount of hope that he may get healed. But, he'd been waiting 38 years! When Jesus met him, the man explained 'I have no one to put me into the pool when the water bubbles up. Someone else always gets there ahead of me' (John 5:7 NLT). So close but so far. No friends helping him and no help from the religious leaders (see John 5:9-10). The story went well after he met Jesus though - he was miraculously healed.

If we're struggling in church, for whatever reason, we can still have hope. Even if it's been years, if we've been in the right place but haven't had any help, there is hope. Jesus can meet us, even in that same church.

If we can answer his 'Do you want to get well?' (John 5:6) and his 'Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk' (John 5:8) with an obedient, faith-filled step toward him, we can get well even where we've been sitting waiting for years.

So what now? Next time you have some alone time, pray through anything that you need healing for. Tell Jesus that you want to be well.

Even though the Church is meant to reflect God here on earth, we can, and do, still let one another other down. If there is serious, negative stuff going on inside a church, it's important to seek help or (safely, and graciously) call out the wrongs and talk things through.

But sometimes, sadly, it's the little things that occupy our thoughts and build up irritations with fellow believers. Things like the quality of the coffee, that song the worship leader played again, or the preacher who never quite gets to the point. Sounds a bit like being in a family... which is what we are as Christians, part of the family of God. We're created to live in community, with all its challenges and irritations, and if our preferences distract us and cause resentment, we're missing the point.

Paul wrote that the Church is the 'Body of Christ' and that 'each one of you is a part of it' (1 Corinthians 12:27 NIV). He also said we all 'fall short of the glory of God' (Romans 3:23 NIV). Together, those two verses tell us that, exactly like a body, the eternal Church and each individual church here on earth take work and understanding to stay healthy. All of us, then, should be working to build churches that look more and more like Jesus.

So what now? Take it back to the basics. Grab some friends, get together to worship, chat through Scripture and share a meal together. That is where the Church starts.

The Bible is full of life-changing and soul-changing goodness. If we're already a frequent Bible reader, let's keep going. But when we're unsure of where to start reading, many recommend starting with the Gospel of John (or the SoulFood readings below each day's reading in Word For You Today will help us read through the Bible in a year). The point is, once we start reading, that's half the battle tackled.

Why is God's word so important? In Psalm 19, David shares about how God uses his word to help us. Time for a David-inspired Bible FAQ: Feeling down? God's word will revive our soul (Psalm 19:7). It also brings 'joy to the heart' (Psalm 19:8). And why should we follow what God says? We'll benefit from it - his ways of living are 'sweeter than honey' (Psalm 19:10), and there's a 'great reward for those who obey them' (Psalm 19:11).

King David knew that he needed God's help to 'Cleanse me from these hidden faults. Keep your servant from deliberate sins! Don't let them control me. Then I will be free of guilt' (Psalm 19:12-13 NLT). There's power in the words of the Bible, and God uses them to change us for good.

So what now? Read Psalm 19 this week. Soak in its encouragements and truths. Bring your thoughts to God, and ask him to show himself through what you read.

As followers of Jesus, our desire should be to become more like Jesus. This may sound like a mammoth task; but we're not being asked to form planets or put the sun in place or perform miracles everywhere we look. God made us to be just like Jesus as we go about our day-to-day lives.

The apostle Paul writes about how God 'created' us for good works (see Ephesians 2:10). King David marvels at God: 'You knit me together in my mother's womb' (Psalm 139:13 NIV). Before we were even a thought in our parents' minds, God knew who we were and what great things we would do on earth.

How do we know how God created us to be? Galatians 5:22-23 shares the fruit that comes out of a life devoted to Jesus: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. When we allow God to work in and through us and see this fruit in our lives, we know we're doing the 'good works' he created us for. Also, remember: God believes in us. He created us to be this way. If we're willing to become more like him, he'll never leave us or leave this work 'unfinished'. That's a promise.

So what now? Philippians 1:6 (NKJV) says: 'He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.' Thank God for his masterplan for you. Ask him to give you more 'good works' to do with people you interact with today.

The Bible encourages us to do things like looking out for others, being patient, loving those who hurt us. Nowhere is it promised that life will always be easy; often there's just hard work involved.

So why look out for, be patient, show love? Because, as we extend ourselves to others we grow more and more into what God wants us to become - like Jesus. And the more we become like Jesus, the more God can use us. God gives us amazing promises about what he has in store for us (see Jeremiah 29:11) and, working through us, the world can be completely transformed by his Kingdom. The best way he can do that for (and through) us is if we allow ourselves to become more like Jesus.

It may sound daunting, and we're not meant to become cloned robots; but in fact we'll find that the more we let Jesus mould us, the more we'll become 'the real you'. Jesus' picture of this is a grain of wheat. On its own, a grain isn't that impressive. But plant it, and it multiplies. Becoming like Jesus isn't our own work, but when we give God ourselves as the grain, we'll see amazing things happen.

So what now? Find a small seed. Place it in your hand and think about how small it is. How small is your life right now? Think about how big and useful the seed will become. Likewise, your life can be large and productive for God. Surrender the seed of your life to God.

Little actions can tell a big story. A driver who instantly honks and swears at us when we pull in front of them suggests they weren't a rose-garden of peace beforehand. (It may not say much for our driving, either!) Always being the first to be served food and never buying someone a coffee sends signals to others about what our character is like. Also, people can form a negative opinion of God through our not-so-attractive character traits.

In the Bible we're told: 'The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God' (Psalm 92:13 NIV). Our not-very-Godlike actions are not the 'flourishing' the psalmist meant.

We looked at palm trees yesterday; let's look at the courts analogy today. In Bible days, the king's courts were where people gathered to talk business, and the king was always close enough to call in when he wanted to. God wants us kept close. If we're in his 'courts', if our business is his business, and we're regularly popping in to chat, then we'll find ourselves flourishing. And, on top of that, those around us will see something of the character of our King in us too, which is only a good thing.

So what now? Galatians 5:22-23 is the 'fruits of the spirit' passage; it's a list of the wonderful attributes we develop when we draw close to God 'in his courts'. Thank God he wants us to flourish.