Gone Fishing
Throughout the entire Bible Jesus says things aren't very easy to hear.
He says to not lie. To turn the other cheek when someone says something rude, or mean, or hurtful. He says to stay faithful to your spouse. To not steal.
On and on it goes.
But there is something that we must understand. When we read the Bible we must realize something. We don't read the Bible, the Bible reads us.
Mark 2:1-5
"A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people hear that he had come home. So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
11-12
"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." He got up, took hos mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying "We have never seen anything like this!"
Try to grasp what's happening here. Jesus came a to a town where he was very popular. He was in a house that was very cramped. So cramped that there was nowhere to even stand in the house. People were leaning in the windows and standing outside the doors to hear just a glimpse of what this wise man was saying.
Now there was one man who needed to see Jesus. He was a paralytic. He couldn't walk at all.
Now his friends knew that this Jesus could heal him. He could make him whole again. But when they got there it was so full. They knew that there was no way to get their friend to Jesus.
But desperate times call for desperate measures. His friends climbed up onto the roof of this house. They carried their paralyzed friend up onto this roof. They then proceeded to cut a hole in the roof and slowly lower their friend down. They loved their friend so much that they were willing to do anything for him.
These people were willing. God is looking for willing people.
Because they had such love for this man, they believed.
Because of their love faith in Jesus, Jesus healed their friend.
If you love Jesus you will obey him. Jesus told the man to pick up his mat and walk. The man obeyed.
We don't know what happens to this man after he was healed. Perhaps he led a successful life afterwards, perhaps not. But God never called us to be successful, he called us to be faithful. This man could have just layed on his mat and continued to pray for his healing. Maybe his healing would have come, but probably not. Answers come through obedience. Quit praying and start obeying! A lot of times God is giving us our answers but we won't obey.
Like this man's friends, we have to see the need. They saw his need, paralyzed. And they acted on it.
People may not be physically paralyzed but they are spiritually paralyzed.
Jesus came to seek out our needs. We need to be like this man's friends. We need to be like Jesus.
Vision produces passion in people. It's time we found a new vision. One of healing and restoration.
Just seeing the problem isn't a solution for the problem. You can't just see the need, you have to do something about it.
The paralytics friend could have seen the problem. Their was not room for the friend. They could have just walked away and given up on their friend. But instead they saw his need, and they did something about it.
We need to be the generation that digs a hole in the roof! Just because someone says no doesn't give you the opportunity to quit. Quitting isn't a choice!
It's not about what happens in your life, it's how you respond to it.
Hold open that door. Whatever you do, do not shut that door!
Just like the man's friends they saw the need, they made the effort, and they knew who the source was.
It's time we step out of our comfort zone and do what God is calling us to do.
Do you know who the source is?
Your faith matters for other's destiny.
Jesus is the source.
He is everywhere, in everything.
