THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: CARRY YOUR FRIEND TO JESUS
Jul 7, 2016 2053
By Ritchie Way
When Jesus arrived in Capernaum, some men brought to him their paralysed friend, lying on a mat. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven” (Matthew 9:2).
Jesus offered to help this man because of the faith of his friends who carried him to the Master. He called this man, “son”, which probably indicates he was a young man, which makes his crippling infirmity even more tragic.
Significantly, Jesus focused not on the state of the man’s body, but on the state of his soul. He could see the paralytic was more distressed over his state of heart and the sins he had committed than over his terrible physical condition. So he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven”.
There were five people who sang God’s praises all the way home that day: the healed paralytic and the four men whose faith had been richly rewarded. And the lesson for us is this: Is there someone you should be ‘carrying’ to Jesus by faith – someone who needs your help?
The Saviour is no less willing to restore such people today, to give them the assurance that their past has been taken care of, and that they have a glorious future with him. They just need you to introduce them to Jesus. You could start today by carrying them to God in prayer.
Temba Magorimbo
Jul 21, 2016
Celebrate with friends through Jesus Christ