THE IMPACT OF FAITHFUL FRIENDS!
Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” —Matthew 9:2
Faith in our Lord as you are working with others can have a great impact on their lives. These four friends strategized together as to how they were going to get their friend near Jesus. They knew Jesus could heal him if they could just get His attention. They would carry him to the house where Jesus was at, thinking they would enter the door. But when they arrived, they saw they couldn’t get in because of the crowd. But these four were determined to get their friend to Jesus and came up with a secondary plan.
They carried their friend up the outside stairway. Then they opened the roof with a large enough hole to lower their friend down through. That meant they had to get four lengths of rope (or whatever they used) from somewhere to attach to the mat the man was lying on. Then they purposefully “lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus” (Luke 5:19). Yes, these men, because of their faith, were persistent until they found a way to bring their friend to Jesus. “When Jesus saw their faith, he said, ‘Friend, your sins are forgiven’” and then to show that He had authority on earth to forgive sins, “he said to the paralyzed man, ‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home” (Luke 5:24).
“Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” —Luke 5:25-26
Our faith put into practice can affect others in many ways. Today, allow our Lord to move in your life to impact others. Yes, Dear Father, may this be so by the power of Your Holy Spirit and in the authority of Your Son Jesus. And may this be all for Your honor and glory! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rGE3AcEBEs&list=RD4rGE3AcEBEs&start_radio=1