Winning souls for Christ [2]

Memory Verse: Mark 2:3 – “Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by fourmen.”

The Word for Today devotional by United Christian Broadcasters (UCB) says

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 paralysed. ‘Paralysed by what?’ you ask. Paralysed by an out-of-control behaviour.

Paralysed by a belief system that tells you you are too sinful for God to ever love and redeem you. Paralysed by the memory of something that happened in your childhood and now you are afraid to talk about it.

Paralysed by an addiction to illegal substances, prescription drugs, gambling, pornography, alcohol, work, or money. Whatever your addiction - one thing is for sure - it’s paralysing. You can be paralysed 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 paralysed 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 broken hearted, 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’(Luke 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 is the good news! Life may not always have been good to you, but God’s grace and smile of favour can change all of that - starting today.