ICS Daily Devotions
Godly Friends
Luke 5:18-20 Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus. When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”
In this passage, a paralytic was trying to get to Jesus for healing. Because of the crowd, his friends decided to lower the man from the rooftop into the midst of Jesus. This paralyzed man was very blessed to have four friends who helped him.
Can you imagine the conversation between the four friends and the paralyzed man prior to their act of faith to lower him from the rooftop? Perhaps the paralyzed man shared with his four friends how he wished to be healed by Jesus. The four friends must have believed that Jesus was able to heal. They must have also agreed that Jesus is the Son of God with the power to heal in order for them to make the journey. They must have been determined to climb onto the rooftop when there was no way of getting into the house. They might have to have ropes to lower him down. They would have agreed on the plan, the deity of Jesus and would not back down until they have achieved what they had faith to do!
Do we have friends like these in our lives, especially to journey with us during the “storms” in our lives? Are you like one of these four friends to your friends? Many relationships in the church are kept at a superficial level. Some are uncomfortable sharing their pain and struggles because they don’t want to be vulnerable to others, while others just want to mind their own business. Unfortunately, challenges in life can be unbearable and we all need godly friends to journey with us while we cast our cares upon the Lord.
We also need to learn to befriend someone who is in need and show love and care to those around us. We need to re-learn the art of communication and how to relate to others, and not be too engrossed in our phones/gadgets. We need to learn how to have open and honest sharing from the heart to agree how to pray effectively as a group. Even if we are not currently in a “storm” in our lives, we can be a blessing to others like how the four faithful friends were to the paralyzed man. God has placed us in a community of believers to love and be loved.
Sermon Series: Faith-Filled Friends
