Wednesday January 27

“They came…bringing a paralytic…carried by four.”  Mk 2:3 NKJV

Bringing people to Jesus (2)

Some people have to be “carried” to Jesus because they can’t get to Him by themselves. Like the man in the story, they are paralyzed. “Paralyzed by what?” you ask. Paralyzed by an out-of-control behavior. Paralyzed by a belief system that tells you you’re too sinful for God to ever love and redeem you. Paralyzed by the memory of something that happened in your childhood and now you’re afraid to talk about it. Paralyzed by an addiction to illegal substances, prescription drugs, gambling, pornography, alcohol, work, or money. Whatever your addiction—one thing is for sure—it’s paralyzing. You can be paralyzed by fear, anxiety, depression, a bottomed-out sense of self-worth, or a nightmarish childhood of neglect and abuse. On the other hand, you can be a self-made man or woman paralyzed by success, materialism, greed, self-absorption—not acknowledging any need in your life for God. Is any of this hitting close to home? Jesus began His ministry with these words: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord” (Lk 4:18-19 NKJV). The New Living Translation Bible paraphrases the latter part of verse nineteen by saying, “The time of the Lord’s favor has come.” Here’s the good news! Life may not always have been good to you, but God’s grace and smile of favor can change all of that—starting today.