God's Words, My Voice

Jesus and the Paralyzed Man

Matthew 9:1-8

Sometimes we are this paralyzed man. We don't know what to do with our life. We don't know how to get up and walk because of the wrong we have done. We can't forgive ourselves for what we've done so we have nowhere to turn. We just lay there. But the Savior he comes along and he can give us life. He can give us hope. He has the power to say first, "I forgive your for your sins." If God, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, can forgive us, why can't we learn to forgive ourselves? We're not perfect. We're human. We're gonna make mistakes, and we're gonna sin everyday. That's a given.

VERSES 1-8: THE BIG IDEA

Some are gonna look at your past and think that it's crazy that you're a Christian. They might laugh and scoff and say, "How can God forgive and use you?" We can't listen to them. The Father says WE ARE FORGIVEN. No matter our past we can be used by God. Don't look down upon others either. Just because we know their past, that does NOT define them. We can't keep judging people by what they used to do. We can not judge others. Before you judge someone else, look in the mirror. Think about your past. Think about where you've come from. We all have a past, we all have made mistakes, we all have done stuff we shouldn't have, and we definitely all sin. So why do we continue to look down on others like we are better than them? Remember to stay humble and start picking others up when they are paralyzed and laying on the ground instead of standing over them and scoffing them for what has happened.

VERSE 5-6

Sometimes it is easy to say you forgive someone. Sometimes it is easy to just say, "Oh it's okay. But then continue to judge them behind their back. We have to understand that instead of just forgiving others, we have to continue to love them and live life with them. We have to tell them to stand up and walk with us. We have to encourage them when they are laying down, no matter what they've done to us. Saying you forgive and love someone is easy. But, the real challenge we all need to accept is SHOWING that we love and forgive that person. Encourage them. Pick them up off of the ground. Do as Jesus did and prove to them that the love of God forgives all.

VERSE 8

Remember that God DOES have to power to pick us up. When we are paralyzed and we are laying there and we don't know what to do, he picks us up and he tells us to stand up and walk. He has the power to forgive and love and heal. And let's not forget to praise him and thank him for that. THANK GOD THAT HE LOVES AND SAVES AND HEALS AND FORGIVES AND PICKS US UP WHEN WE ARE DOWN. Thank God for those things. Because I don't know where I would be today without being picked up from God SO MANY times and forgiven SO MANY times. I would be nowhere. I would still be laying on the ground paralyzed. We all would without the love of Jesus Christ. But HE has the power to stand over us, to heal, and to say, "Stand up and walk." And thank God for that.

Not only do we have to understand that God has the power to do that, but we have to understand that after he heals us, we can't just not walk. When God tells us to stand up and walk, we must stand up and walk and head on our way home to the Kingdom of God. We can't continue to do the things we did before. We can't continue to do the things he has forgiven us for and not care and abuse his love and grace. When God heals us and tells us to walk home, to walk towards HIS kingdom that is exactly what we must do. We can't continue to walk in the ways of the world because if we do we will just fall right back down and become paralyzed again.

So, if you're saying, "I feel like I've been paralyzed all my life. I don't know what to do with my life. I don't know where to go or who to turn to, but I want this amazing love that you're talking about. I want peace, I want someone to pick me up and help me walk. I want Jesus." This is all you have to do to let Jesus into your heart and to become saved. All you have to do is admit that you have sinned and say in your heart that you believe Jesus is your Lord and Savior and that he died on the cross for you and your sins. If you pray that, BAM you're saved. It's that simple. But, it doesn't stop there. Now that you have this amazing love in your heart, it's your job to share it with the world. Tell others. Spread the love of Jesus. Let him do great things through you because his plan for you is unique and perfect. 

XOXO,

Kenzie 

P.S. love you :)