Feel a sense of urgency to share the gospel with that person on your heart today. Run the risk and make the effort. Be prayerful about your friend, that coworker, that neighbor, or roommate, your loved one who has needs – Jesus is their answer.
Oh I’ve just got to share a truly heartwarming passage from Mark 2.
I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I have read it often, and with each time? I always learn something new. But, ok let me set the stage. In Mark 2, Jesus had been moving across the countryside, healing the sick, the demon possessed, the lame, the blind and word had spread among the people. Now let’s pick it up the scene in Mark 2, “A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 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. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”
And we know the story from there; Jesus healed that man who was paralyzed. But it would not have happened without his four friends. Thank the Lord, this guy had friends. Four determined people who, that morning, had heard that Jesus was back in town; and They wasted no time in bringing their disabled buddy to see him. But it wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t without great effort. When they arrived at the house where Jesus was preaching, there was a crowd. A thick crowd. But that did not deter these four fellows – all they could think about was bringing their friend within reach of Jesus. Now, the gospel of Mark says, “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.”
You have to love those four guys. Their faith found a way! A crowd may have jammed the front yard, treading on the flower bed; the house itself may have been a solid mass of people; and a roof with tiles may have presented a formidable obstacle. But there is always a way when it means bringing the needs of a loved one before the Lord. And right now, you may be scratching your head, wondering how to do the same. How to bring the needs of your friend before the Lord. Or your coworker or neighbor. Up to this point, they are barely an acquaintance, you hardly spend time together. So, what now? Are you willing to make the effort just like those four friends in Mark 2? They were not about to be put off, or sidelined, or delayed. They could have said, “Oh well, maybe some other time.” But no, they persevered. They dared greatly. They found a way. And you can find a way also to introduce your friend or neighbor or coworker to Jesus Christ.
So, draw inspiration from the four friends of that guy in Mark 2; the one who needed Jesus, the one who needed him desperately. Don’t let obstacles deter you. The cosmic stakes are too high for that individual on your heart. So, feel the sense of urgency; God wants you to share the gospel with that person on your heart. So run the risk. Make the effort. Think outside the box. Be creative. And don’t get sidelined. Most of all, be prayerful about his salvation. Your friend, that coworker, that neighbor, or roommate, your loved one who has needs, and Jesus is their answer. Rip up the roof, as it were. And your faith can find a way. Good words today from joniradio.org. That’s your good word today from Joni Eareckson Tada Sharing Hope.
© Joni and Friends