Friends Who Tear Open Roofs

This evening I ate word from Mark 2.
I read how Jesus forgave a paralysed man and healed him. The faith of his friends stunned me!

Mark 2:4 ... "Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, THEY MADE AN OPENING IN THE ROOF ABOVE JESUS BY DIGGING THROUGH IT and then lowered the mat the man was lying on."

I believe it was a lot of efforts. Oh, and it reminds me that my friendships do matter! And a beautiful thing here is, bcoz of his friend's faith, Jesus forgave his sins. Does that mean He was saved that day? So my faith for my friend's salvation actually matters to God! Wow.

Another thing that made me pause and think was how Jesus sat with sinners, and being around them did not make him become like them. Instead, his presence drew them towards repentance.

As I become a Christovert, I should also learn to love people without compromising the character of Christ in me. I should not isolate myself from people who need Jesus, but neither should I become like the world in order to reach the world. I want to be so rooted in Christ that when I enter someone's brokenness, I don't get pulled into it, but instead become a means through which they encounter Him.

Finally, I’m reminded that Jesus is the Lord of the Sabbath. The Pharisees were so focused on the law that they missed the One whom the law was pointing to. This reminds me that Jesus should always be number one, not any rule, tradition, routine, or religious practice. Even good things can become wrong when they take the place of Jesus.

I don’t want to become so focused on doing Christianity correctly that I miss Christ Himself. The goal is not simply to follow rules, but to follow Jesus. When Jesus is truly at the centre, everything else finds its proper place.

Precious Holyspirit, Make me more like Jesus, a little more than yesterday... And please help the readers to also become like Jesus. Amen!