Gigi's Blog

"get up, take your mat, and go home"

visioncgbc | January 09, 2008 13:48

Today Chloe forgot her vocabulary book, and she went  into typical Chloe panic mode.  What were we to do?  It really wasn’t that big of a deal.  She wouldn’t get the Prinicpal’s Pal Award, and she would have silent lunch, but I mean she would live.  But, not in Chloe’s mind.  In Chloe’s mind this was a huge life-changing problem.  Now we had a choice.  We could say, “Chloe there’s nothing we can do” or we could do anything within our power to try and get the book.  Well, of course that’s what we did.  Mark called our next door neighbor who’s in Chloe’s grade, but he didn’t have his.  Mark then looked on caller ID and found the number of a class mate who lives a few minutes from us.  They were still on the school bus, because her mom drives the bus, but they said that when they got home and she was done, we could come and borrow the book and then return it.  Wow!  This a pain and inconvenience, but we’ll do it.

 

This is how our Christ-walk is often times.  We have to take a different avenue or do something out of the ordinary, which causes us to make a decision: Do we

  1. Turn and walk away instead of to that closer walk? or
  2. Find the way in, not matter how difficult
 

I want to choose b.  But we often search out people who tell us what we want to hear.  That it’s ok.  That it’s too difficult, so we’re excused.  Have you ever noticed that when you want absolute validation you go to a person with relatively lower moral standards?

  1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."  6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"  8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"   

Did Jesus know that man was at that door trying to get to Him???

If He did, and he cared, why didn’t He make the way for the man??

 

We often want God to move and want to make no effort to get to Him.  Don’t you like to be needed and wanted? The thing about it is we truly must have Christ to breathe and He inhabits our praise.  I remember when I would go visit my grandmother in Tx.  she was so excited to see me and made so many preparations. She cleaned and prepared my favorite goodies and scheduled me to see my family.  What if she would have just said “Well, she’s coming.  I’ll just wait.  There’s nothing to do.”?  But instead she did so many things, so that I knew she wanted me and was so glad I was coming home.  This is sort of how I’ve lived with Christ lately.  There’s nothing I need to do, God I’ll just wait here.  You do it all. 

 

I firmly believe that spiritual highs are often promptings of Satan that you are becoming a threat to him and so he has to try harder to bring you down.  If you’re saved he can’t actually do this, but as long as you believe or think he can, you become very ineffective.  Just like when Jesus was baptized he was lead  to be tempted.  This man on the mat encountered negativity, but it was for the sake of Jesus, and I think when we view negativity in this way, it’s not as devastating.  Have you ever encountered negativity for the sake of Jesus and effectively handled it?  How about ineffectively??  There are no chances or coincidences in Christianity, so if you’re getting “junk” dealt to you, God knows.    

 

The payoff came for that man when Jesus said “Take up your mat and walk.” Well actually when He forgave his sins.  But what if that man would’ve said the doors closed, I guess I’ll go home?  Think of what He would’ve missed out on.  I think we are all facing doors that are closed in our face, windows that are sealed tightly shut, and we are facing the decision of whether to cut a hole in roof.  But wasn’t it worth it for that man?  It will be worth it for you too and me!!!  

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