Wallowing or Walking?

In a recent Bible study we were looking at various areas of dominion that Jesus had authority over. Nature, diseases, demons, death and SIN.

In Mark 2:1-12 Jesus was in Capernum teaching at someone's house. Four men that had a paralysed friend brought that same friend in faith trusting Jesus could heal him. When all their efforts were hindered by the crowd they boldly and ingeniously lowered their friend through the roof. Jesus seeing their faith said - 'Son, your sins are forgiven you.' -
My thought, If I were him, would be ' well great, but that's not what I came for, how 'bout that healing.' - anyone with me?
What's amazing is - THAT is what that guy needed. Unrecognized perhaps by him, his friends, the crowd, - That was the first order of business! That was paramount to his life. (now I'm not saying that his sin was the cause of his physical state - though certainly let's say I drink and drive, have a bad accident, and am paralysed, yes, my sin caused inadvertantly my physical condition. BUT that's not where I'm going)
What Jesus wanted to establish was a FREE man, free from the bondage of sin, free from the guilt of sin, free from the weight of sin. How many times when we sin, we become a slave to it, paralyzed by it, unable to freely live and move and have our being in HIM. I have often wallowed in my sin, 'I'm no good, I'm a disgrace, I'm .....' beating ourselves up as we go, handicapping ourselves as we live.

Now that's not at all to say that sin doesn't have its consequences - IT DOES, and we are called to WALK that out with HIS forgiveness and mercy regarding it and His Equipping POWER to no longer be subject to it.

When Jesus Tell us that our sins are forgiven, it doesn't end there... He doesn't leave us on our sick bed in our paralyzed state - He calls us to get up and walk forward, in the Freedom He Provides to live HOLY no longer subjected as a slave to that taskmaster!

Hebrews 4:16 'Let us come boldly to the throne of grace (POWER) that we may obtain MERCY(for our messups, sin and error) and find grace (the equipping power of God to overcome) to help in time of need!



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