Daily Verse: Luke 5:18-20

Some men came carrying a paralytic on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven."

 

Imagine if the guys carrying this paralyzed man saw the task of reaching Jesus just too difficult. What if they looked at their friend and said “Hey buddy, it’s just too crowded. We can’t reach Jesus. Sorry, you’re out of luck”…and returned the man to his home, going about their business for the day. Thankfully they did not, for their love for their friend and their belief in the healing power of the Savior was so great that they sought out a creative, and likely difficult way to reach the Lord…they climbed to the roof, with the paralyzed man in hand, then lowered him down before the Lord. No doubt this was a strenuous and challenging task…yet they did it, and the man was healed. In our lives today, do we attempt to bring people to Jesus with the same determination and commitment as the guys in this story? Do we display the love of Christ to others when it is inconvenient, uncomfortable, or difficult? Or do we only seek those opportunities that are easy, safe, and comfortable? As followers of Jesus, we hold an incredible hope and peace that is foreign to many in this world. Each day we get to wake up knowing that no matter what the day brings, we can’t be torn from the promise of salvation…we can’t be separated from the Lord. Through faith in Jesus, are sins are forgiven and our ticket is punched…we don’t have to fear death, we don’t have to worry about what happens when our last breath is taken…we have the promise of heaven….the promise of genuine peace, joy, redemption! This doesn’t mean we need to walk around attempting to “convert” the world to our church denomination…thumping that old Bible and quoting Scripture. We can simply love them…love them as Chris has loved us…love them with our time, our words, our hands, and our feet…our talents, our abilities, and our wealth. And when someone turns to us in gratitude (and maybe a little confusion even), we can point to the Savior…giving Him all the credit…letting the world know that it’s ALL about Him! To God be the glory!