Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven." (Matthew 9:2 NIV) When we visit with friends, relatives and new acquaintances in the hospital we come to realize that people are often filled with "flashbacks" of their lives, as they lie helpless in bed wondering if they will ever be well enough to go home and re-start a normal life. Such solitude allows a person time to ponder over what has really been going on for the past ten, twenty or thirty years.
Such time alone will often turn a person to thinking about the mistakes made in relationships with other people and sins before God. People who are suffering from life threatening injuries or illnesses will often make verbal resolutions to a loved one or a minister – "If or when I ever get out of here, I'm going to be a better husband or wife, father or mother, and a regular member of the church.
In some cases, this dream of a second chance never materializes and the person dies before having time to make things right with loved ones, enemies and the Lord. The wistful dream of holding a loved one in their arms and explaining how sincerely regretful they feel about some mistake and ask forgiveness never comes. The resolve to walk upright into the church and let everyone know that he or she has repented before God never comes. This small story that is contained in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke gives us great insight into the manner in which Christ our Lord knows the deepest needs of our souls. Loving and concerned friends had brought this paralyzed man to Jesus because they sincerely believed that Jesus could heal their friend. We know from Mark's account that they had to go to great trouble get their friend close to Jesus. They dug a whole through the roof when they realized that they could not get close to Jesus because of the crowd of people. When Jesus saw the great faith of this paralyzed man and his friends, he said, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Jesus, the Son of God knew that the greatest need of this person was the removal of the stain of sin from his life. The crippling effects of sin are widely known. Guilt can choke and cripple a person as much as the strongest virus. Jesus saw that the greatest need was forgiveness rather than the ability to walk. God truly desires for all of us to live a full and abundant life without carrying around all the garbage of past sins. Jesus came to seek and save the lost. We need to simply own up to our greatest need and confess our sins and obey the Gospel of Christ. We seek out doctors, search the web for medical advice or watch the "healers" on TV for hours on end hoping that we will find the joy of living again. The attitude of sincere and humble repentance will introduce us to the joy of forgiveness. Once we realize the energizing impact of our own forgiveness, we will begin to forgive others. Comedian Buddy Hackett once said, "Don't carry a grudge. While you're carrying the grudge, the other guy's out dancing." In addition, as Marlene Dietrich reportedly said, "Once a woman has forgiven her man, she must not reheat his sins for breakfast." Stop and think for one moment about what is really bothering you today. You will no doubt realize that you are often tormented about something that someone did to you long ago. You may be blaming your parents, grandparents, schoolteachers, former employers, spouses or friends for all your troubles in life. Start to live a fresh life by obeying Jesus and ask for forgiveness even while forgiving others of all those bad things. Wash it all down the drain in the same way God does to our sins whenever we come to Christ Jesus in obedient faith. Listen to the word of God from the prophet Micah. "Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea."(Micah 7:18-19 NIV) Peace, joy and happiness are possible for everyone on this day. Reach out for with love to others in the same way God is reaching out to you with the incredible offer of eternal life in His paradise which is being prepared to all those who love Him and obey Christ as Lord. Do you need healing today? Why not submit to Christ Jesus as your Lord and Savior by confessing your faith in Him and repenting of your sins and obeying Christ in water baptism. God loves you. God will heal your greatest problem – unforgiven sins. Begin at once to forgive others and feel God's power at work in your life. Has God given you a second chance to live again and make things right with Him and those you have hurt? Do it now. Stop putting this off. Go see those people. Go to church. You will live a more healthy and productive life by forgiving and being forgiven. You are invited to all services of the Cedar Key Church of Christ. Write me with any needs, comments or questions at PO Box 186, Cedar Key, FL 32625 or binkley@bellsouth.net. | 