Monday, February 28, 2011

You Got A Friend In Me

Friends—like the paralytic man on the mat whose friends carried him to Jesus. Nothing doing, they were going to see that he got to see and hear Jesus, even if that meant carrying him up to a roof and breaking through to lower him down.


Have you ever wondered how that paralyzed man felt ? Did he really want to see Jesus? Did he feel insignificant and try to talk his friends out of taking him there? What was all the fuss about? He had been like this for years and knew he would continue to be.

Or was it him that prodded his friends to take him to the roof and lower him by ropes so he could hear Jesus talk? How many times had he tried to see Jesus and been thwarted by the crowds because he could not stand or get near enough to hear him speak?

Were his friends tired of carrying him everywhere and just wanted healing from Jesus so they wouldn’t have to deal with his handicap any more?

Do we look on the sacrifices we make like this? Do we go to Church on Sundays just to please our parents or do we go because we really want to experience Jesus in person? Do we need the help of our parents to get us there? Not just because we may not be old enough to drive yet, but because we can’t get out of bed on time?

This reading also shows us the importance of good friends. Would you own friends go to all the trouble this man’s friends did to get him somewhere he really wanted to go? Do your friends go the extra mile for you? Do YOU go the extra mile for them? Do you help your friend when he is down, when she is upset and needs someone to listen?

This example of friendship should be a sign to us that the friends we choose should help us grow in our faith life. They should be leading us TOWARD Jesus, not away from Him. Do YOU lead your friends toward Christ by your words and actions? What movies do you suggest you go see? Do you gossip about others? What is your Facebook status positive? Or is it complaining or mean sounding?

What kind of friend are you?

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