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Aug 17, 2019

Pick Up Your Mat and Go Home


Many years ago, I heard my now favorite Bible story in Mark 2:1-12. It literally changed my life. The story is about a paralyzed man. His friends go to great lengths to get him in front of Jesus to be healed. They remove a roof and lower him on a stretcher right in front of Jesus in the middle of a crowded house, with no standing room to accommodate them. Imagine having friends that are so committed to you they stop at nothing to get you to Christ? Maybe you do. Perhaps you are a Christian because you had a friend just like that. 

The story though, is more than about amazing friends. The story touched me because Jesus gave instructions to a man that was paralyzed that He gives to you and me. "Pick up your mat and go home." Don't let this world and all the chaos and challenges paralyze you. You may have the weight of the world weighing you down, keeping you from moving forward, causing you to be stuck or paralyzed. You may have given up trying and quit moving forward. You are not alone. Like the man in the story, you have a friend in Jesus. He is your answer. 
Whatever is causing you to be stuck, dismayed, feeling hopeless, and unable to move ahead is removed when you trust Christ. Get up! Pick up whatever is keeping you down, roll it up, put it away and go forward in Jesus. 

“I tell you, stand up, pick up your mat, and go home.” Mark 2:11

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Very powerful message. :)