January 30, 2009
DAY 13
Posted by KI Contributor
Scripture: Luke 5:17-20
Four Friends – Care & Compassion for the Helpless
At first glance, this account seems almost comical. Four friends lower their disabled friend through an opening in the roof so that the friend can hear and experience Christ. Very little is known about the four. They didn’t do anything miraculous in this account. Jesus healed so often and most of those accounts were not mentioned in the Scriptures. So then, why should their action be recorded in the Bible? Two points stand out.
First, four friends had compassion for their disabled friend. The compelling aspect of this story is that the whole group took action. What are you doing with your friends or accountability groups? Are you spending time solely on yourselves or can you think beyond yourselves? Oftentimes the greatest growth happens when we can step out of our self-centeredness and serve. How much sweeter it is when we can serve with our friends than serving alone! Imagine if that paralyzed person only had one friend with him. The disabled friend would never have been lowered through the roof. As a community, we need to stop the “lone ranger” mentality of serving God and see how we can speak into one another’s lives toward stretching God’s kingdom.
Secondly, God cares for the disabled and neglected. How are you facilitating Christ to reach the disabled as well as to those who cannot easily encounter God? Are you helping them open up to the Gospel message? Do they have enough proximity to your life to see the hope of salvation? Maybe it is you who has sheltered your life away from the disabled.
After seeing the faith of the four friends, Jesus healed the paraplegic. What a blessing that must have been for the four! What type of faith does Christ see in you and your group?
PRAYER FOCUS: Disabled People in Southeast Asia
Pray for the disabled in the developing countries of Southeast Asia, who have little or no access to health care/therapy and are ostracized by their communities, that God will restore and redeem them in His beauty and love. Pray for YNCC workers who are reaching out to this particular group of people, that they will be a ray of hope and love for them and their families.
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