Faith of Friends
18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to push through the crowd to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him. So they went up to the roof, took off some tiles, and lowered the sick man down into the crowd, still on his mat, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” – Luke 5:18-20
I would not be in love with the LORD had someone else not carried me to Jesus. We often think that we do everything for ourselves, and we try to. Yet this is not how God planned life or how it is in reality.
God puts people in our lives; some for us to help guide, some to help guide us. If we ignore the friends and family God has given us, we also ignore the gifts God is trying to give us through them. Beyond our current friends and family, God also wants us to seek out new relationships, to bring others to Christ – especially those who cannot carry their own mat.
I am so thankful for the members of my small group. They continually provide views i hadn’t (and wouldn’t have) thought of on my own. They offer fellowship freely, but most of all, they allow me to freely share my love of Christ. Without them, i don’t know that i would be growing as fast spiritually, or even growing at all without their help.
We don’t get to God on our own, at the very least Jesus takes us to the Father. I have friends who don’t yet know Christ. They say that they see a change in me, but that “Religion isn’t for [them].” I let them know that religion isn’t for me either, Christ is. I try not to pressure them – i know God will bring them around, and when he does, i hope i get to help lower their mat in front of Christ.
