Daily Devotionals

Believe It or Not Week 1 Wednesday

Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. Luke 5:18-19

Many of us think of faith as a noun, as something that we have. The truth is, faith is also an active word. For example, if I have faith that the chair I’m sitting in will hold me, I will act on that faith by sitting in it. The same is true in our faith in God. If it is true faith, it will be active. As we think about having faith that God will change our story, we have to act on that faith. We must believe that He wants to change our stories and live like we believe He can and will work in our lives.

 Luke 5 tells us a beautiful story about the faith of a group of friends who were desperate for Jesus to change their friend’s story. Jesus was teaching, and people were gathered from Israel to hear Him teach and see His power. A group of men wanted to bring their friend who was paralyzed to Jesus so that He could be healed. However, there was a problem, and that was that the crowd listening to Jesus was so big they could not get him inside of the building that Jesus was in. Convinced that Jesus was able to change this man’s story, they did not let this stop them. They found a way to get their friend to Jesus. The Bible teaches that they went to the roof and began taking off the roof tiles until there was a hole big enough for them to lower their friend down the roof until he was right in front of Jesus (verse 19). As you can imagine, this got Jesus’ attention. Because of the faith of this man’s friends, Jesus healed this man and gave him the strength to walk again. He completely changed this man’s story.

 What strikes me about this man’s story is the way the friends were so confident that Jesus could change this man’s story that they literally tore through the roof of the room Jesus was teaching in. Their actions demonstrated their belief in Jesus’ power and ability to heal their friend. They believed in Jesus’ power, so they acted in faith by getting their friend to Him however they could. This is what faith truly is, and it is the faith that we are called to. Friends, Jesus can change your story. He wants to. Will you live like you believe it is true? Will you tear through rooftops so your friends can be changed, too?

Moving Toward Action

Let’s be people who do everything they can to bring their friends to Jesus so He can change their stories. Think about one friend who you know who needs Jesus to come and change their story. Pray for them. Pray that God would work in their life so that they, too, will know Him. Next, invite them to come to church with you this weekend.

Going Deeper

Luke 5:17-26 (NLT)

17 One day while Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and teachers of religious law were sitting nearby. (It seemed that these men showed up from every village in all Galilee and Judea, as well as from Jerusalem.) And the Lord’s healing power was strongly with Jesus.

18 Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a sleeping mat. They tried to take him inside to Jesus, 19 but they couldn’t reach him because of the crowd. So they went up to the roof and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat down into the crowd, right in front of Jesus. 20 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

21 But the Pharisees and teachers of religious law said to themselves, “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

22 Jesus knew what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 23 Is it easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up and walk’? 24 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

25 And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped up, picked up his mat, and went home praising God. 26 Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, “We have seen amazing things today!”