January 16

And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. And being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying. And Jesus seeing their faith said to the paralytic, “My son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:3-5.

I have always admired the faith of those who carried this paralytic through the roof. We would wonder today if this were even possible. We are too sophisticated, our houses are too strong, and our faith is too weak. I am also hoping I would not be in the crowd that did not see the need of the faithful men. Do we get so focused in our church services that we fail to see those behind us or around us?

This paralytic represents all those who are paralyzed by sin. We, in effect, are cripples when it comes to accomplishing the goals of God. Only by receiving Jesus into our lives can we be transformed into a new creation that totally fulfills the desires of God. It takes faith on the part of all concerned, and in the case of this story Jesus saw their faith.

Father, let me serve You boldly today. There may moments when it looks impossible to serve You, but I will only need faith followed by action. I may appear different or even strange to the world, but they just don’t understand. Thank You for Your faithfulness. May it spread to me. Amen.
                                        Back