Mark 2, 1-12

Mark Chapter 2

1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ²So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. ⁴Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. ⁵When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."

⁶Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"

⁸Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? ⁹Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? ¹⁰But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, ¹¹"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." ¹²He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"

Generally when I think of this story, I think of the four men and the paralytic seeking to get near to Jesus so that the paralytic might be healed of his paralysis. But upon reviewing this today, I noticed that initially, Jesus did not heal the man of his physical infirmity. He forgave the man's sins. It wasn't until after the teachers of the law began questioning him that he added physical healing. I began to think about what the men and the paralytic were seeking as they dug a hole in the roof of this house. Being that Jesus could sense the intent and motives of those around him, he must have been aware of what the paralytic was seeking from him. The paralytic came to Jesus for forgiveness, not mobility. His faith was that Jesus could heal his soul and he was willing to be dropped into a hole in the roof for that! I find this profoundly important. He and his companions sought after spiritual healing only, not seeking for anything more. However, Jesus used that man to demonstrate his power and gave him more than he sought. This passage drives home the point to me that our physical and earthly needs and wants are not what's important. Our spiritual well being is what we need to concern ourselves with primarily. If we take care of this, our earthly, physical needs will be met as well.

1 John 2:2

He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

Philemon 1

6 I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

This is nice and short but it caught my attention. I find it subtle and very wise. Conventional wisdom would state that to be active in sharing your faith, this would bring better understanding to OTHERS. However, Paul states that being active in sharing your faith increases YOUR OWN understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. I found this to be a very powerful concept. Service, sharing, and reaching out to others is not just for the benefit of those we reach out to. It also serves as a tool for our own development. Praise God for his wisdom.

Titus 3

1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.
3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
9 But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. 10 Warn a divisive person once, and then warn him a second time. After that, have nothing to do with him. 11 You may be sure that such a man is warped and sinful; he is self-condemned.

I really like this passage. It covers all the basics and gives simple instructions on how we should live as Christians. It reminds long-time believers where we came from before we knew Christ. It also provides to most basic foundation of Christianity in the grace that God gave each person through His Son Jesus. As you may have picked up by now, if you are a regular reader, is the consistant theme of my choice of scripture: Do what is good, always. There is no other way to achieve maximum joy and benefit as a Christian than to follow this command that is given repeatedly throughout the Bible.

2 Thessalonians 1 (part two)

6 God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. 8 He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the majesty of his power 10 on the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed. This includes you, because you believed our testimony to you.

11 With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling, and that by his power he may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. 12 We pray this so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Thessalonians 1

3 We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.

This verse is perfect after wraping up last night's 4 week financial fun series. I thank God for my brothers and feel that our small group is displaying just what Paul was communicating here to those Christians in Thessalonica.

1 Thessalonians 5

12 Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. 13 Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. 14 And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. 15 Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.

As we have seen in some of the previous scriptures that I have posted, these versus emphasizes the importance of how you live your life. I've said it before and I'll say it again. God knows better than we do, what makes for a good life. This concept is very difficult for us to grasp most of the time. When we are young we have the same kind of reaction to our parent's direction and suggestions. We think we know better. Then we get older and realize that they were right in what they said. Most adults feel that they have overcome this rebellion and laugh about it with their friends telling stories about how they did this and that as a kid and "I'm sure glad I got past that stage." But we find ourselves doing the same thing to God and his guidance for our lives.

16 Be joyful always; 17 pray continually; 18 give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

This scripture comes up a lot around Thanksgiving, and while we are less than a month away from that holiday, that was not then intention of this post. I feel that this scripture is all-to-often forgotten after the holiday season. How much better are our lives when we adhere to these three commands?

19 Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20 do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21 Test everything. Hold on to the good. 22 Avoid every kind of evil.
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

May God bless each of you in your walk.