Consider This: Can You Get on the Mat?

In Mark 2, four friends bring a paralyzed man to Jesus to be healed. The house where Jesus is teaching is full of people. There is no way they can get close to him, so they use the stairs on the side of the house, go up to the flat roof and then start digging through the mud and thatch covering. Once the hole is large enough, they take the mat the man is lying on and lower it down through the hole. In this way, they get their friend to Jesus. This impresses Jesus so much that he forgives the man’s sin and heals him as well (Mark 2:1-12).

This incident can be taught from several different angles. I have heard it focused on Jesus (He is the powerful Son of God), the four friends (Have faith, bring people to Jesus and do not let anything stop you), and I have even heard a lesson about the doubters in the room (if you do not believe, you will not receive God’s blessings). Each of those lessons is good and has merit.

I wonder, though, if we have missed the point. What if the real lesson is, “Be the person on the mat”? In other words, be able to admit that you need help. Acknowledge your weakness, failings and inability to fix your own problems. Be the one who confesses that they need God’s help and healing.

Now, here is the problem: I do not want to be the person on the mat.

Why? Because my pride gets in the way!

Pride makes me pretend that everything is ok even when it is not. Pride makes me keep my problems to myself and not share them with anyone. Pride makes me compare and compete with my friends. Pride makes me think about what I should be getting rather than who I could be serving. Pride is a huge problem.

In the story above, there is no miracle without someone getting on the mat.

No one wants to humble themselves, but that is exactly where God’s grace is found.

“God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (James 4:6)

Comments

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly. https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for. Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task. In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut. It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why. Ben became stuck on the glacier. He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below. That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice. He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety. Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....

Consider This: Press The Button!

Consider This: Press the Button! My favourite TV game show is Jeopardy. I used to like it even more when my kids were younger, because I could easily beat them and look smart. These days, after they have grown up and gone to university, it is much more difficult. However, Jeopardy is still the only game show I will watch. In a book I read, a contestant who did very well on the show shared the secret to his success. He said (and I am paraphrasing here), “You must press the button before you know the answer. Everyone on Jeopardy is smart. Everyone knows the answer. The key to winning is to act. You must jump in and press the button, assuming that your brain will catch up and supply the answer. If you wait until you are sure, you will be too late!” Press the button! Too often, we hesitate, not because we do not know what to do, but because we do not want to do it. Sometimes, we fail to act because we are not sure how the situatio...

Consider this

Subscribe

Get new posts by email:

Search This Blog