It's always struck me at how drastic a double standard Christians can apply to their view of the world. It's so easy to reassure people that God will work out everything in their lives - that their troubles will work out in the end, that their financial strains will ease, that their relationships will improve. But it's so much harder to believe that the same things will happen in our own lives. We see all of these miraculous movings of the Lord in other peoples' lives, and never doubt the validity of God's love for them. But then we turn around and look at our own lives, and are convinced that He has abandoned us!
I was struck by this paradox as I sat down this morning and read the story in Mark 2 about the paralytic man that Jesus healed. Of course in this particular situation, the paralytic man could not seek out Jesus on his own. But I was struck by how passionately his friends believed that Jesus could and would heal him. They were so confident, that they were willing to crawl up on top of a house and tear the roof off so that they could get their friend to Jesus.
On one hand, it's encouraging to see how passionately these men believed in Jesus' ability to heal their friend. But on the other hand, it's also rather convicting. When I look at my own life, I have to ask myself if I would really go to such lengths to find the Lord. How desperate am I, not only to see God in the lives of those around me, but in my own life, as well? Is it something that takes precedence before everything else? Or is a secondary element, an afterthought, even? I charge you to seek the Lord while He may be found. Seek Him with all your heart. Don't let anything get in your way. Become desperate to know Him, and He will not return your efforts void.
I was struck by this paradox as I sat down this morning and read the story in Mark 2 about the paralytic man that Jesus healed. Of course in this particular situation, the paralytic man could not seek out Jesus on his own. But I was struck by how passionately his friends believed that Jesus could and would heal him. They were so confident, that they were willing to crawl up on top of a house and tear the roof off so that they could get their friend to Jesus.
On one hand, it's encouraging to see how passionately these men believed in Jesus' ability to heal their friend. But on the other hand, it's also rather convicting. When I look at my own life, I have to ask myself if I would really go to such lengths to find the Lord. How desperate am I, not only to see God in the lives of those around me, but in my own life, as well? Is it something that takes precedence before everything else? Or is a secondary element, an afterthought, even? I charge you to seek the Lord while He may be found. Seek Him with all your heart. Don't let anything get in your way. Become desperate to know Him, and He will not return your efforts void.
Mark 2:1-5
1 A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 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. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” 
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