And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." (Mark 2:5)
If I brought a live grenade to the dinner table and pulled the pin, what would you do? If you believed it was real you would take some kind of action (like getting out of the room as quickly as possible!).
The paralytic had four friends with the kind of faith that leads to action. They dug a hole in someone’s roof for crying out loud! (Mk 2.1-12) And when Jesus saw their faith in action He responds by forgiving and healing the paralytic. When Jesus looks at our lives, what is He seeing? Does He see us taking active steps to conform our lives to His? Does He see people living on the edge, patiently waiting on God’s provision? Does He see men and women of faith taking bold steps to advance His Kingdom even in the face of danger and ridicule? Or does He see us as ones who simply have our faith neatly tucked away in our heads, safe from any danger of being exposed to real life? (Jm 2.17)
If I brought a live grenade to the dinner table and pulled the pin, what would you do? If you believed it was real you would take some kind of action (like getting out of the room as quickly as possible!).
The paralytic had four friends with the kind of faith that leads to action. They dug a hole in someone’s roof for crying out loud! (Mk 2.1-12) And when Jesus saw their faith in action He responds by forgiving and healing the paralytic. When Jesus looks at our lives, what is He seeing? Does He see us taking active steps to conform our lives to His? Does He see people living on the edge, patiently waiting on God’s provision? Does He see men and women of faith taking bold steps to advance His Kingdom even in the face of danger and ridicule? Or does He see us as ones who simply have our faith neatly tucked away in our heads, safe from any danger of being exposed to real life? (Jm 2.17)
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© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved
© 2008, 2009 Following Jesus by Chuck Wood All Rights Reserved
