Today’s Devotional—October 2, 2023
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. (19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. —Matthew 28:18-20
Throughout my life, I have heard countless sermons on God’s divine purpose for the Christian believer—to witness Christ’s love, the plan of salvation, and our duty to help those in need. As decades have passed, the content of sermons has changed from Christ-focused to being people-focused.
Fewer churches have community outreach programs and only the members who have dedicated themselves to Christ are actively using their free time to help others. No longer do most pastors preach of our duty found in Matthew 28, verses 18-20 to go and make disciples [followers of Christ]. And when have you heard a sermon on the story of the paralytic and his four friends who dug through the roof to lower their friend so Jesus could heal him?
Christ’s Divine Gifts to Every Believer
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. —Ephesians 4:11-12, NIV
Christ created us with spiritual gifts to be used for works of service. Every believer is considered a disciple—a follower of Christ. Witnessing is our primary spiritual task. It is our love for Christ and steadfast faith that propels us to “Go” and tell others there is a Savior who loves them and died to redeem their sins.
Today’s disciples should not only witness Christ, but also care for others by alleviating their suffering, whether it be spiritual, mental, emotional, or physical pain. We always offer to pray and verbalize one of God’s Scriptural promises that provide hope, healing, and encouragement. Then we ask, “Is there anything that I can do for you?”
“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” —James 1:27
Although we cannot meet every individual’s financial needs, we assist them by finding out which local churches and social service agencies can provide help. Giving of ourselves to others is our primary service to God. How important is our God-given mission of helping others? “And behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to give to every one according to his work” (Revelation 22:12).
In Mark, chapter 2, the beautiful heartfelt story of the paralytic and his four friends represents our duty to God and humanity. “An unforgettable story about five men is recorded in the second chapter of Mark’s Gospel. One of them was hopelessly ill. The other four were his friends. These men had heard of Jesus, and they attempted to bring their friend to Him.” Walking Through the Bible Devotional
“And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.” —Mark 2:4
Homes at that time did not have roofs like your house or mine. The roofs were made with branches that were laid across the ceiling beams. The branches were packed with mud that dried in the sun. They were sturdy enough to walk on but could be dug through. Often, there were outside staircases leading up to the rooftops. Bible.org
The background of the story includes a large crowd of people who prevented his friends from passing through the crowd carrying the man on his pallet bed. Yet, they persevered by taking their friend to the roof [in Palestinian houses, the roofs were flat] and they removed the dried clay and lowered their friend to see Jesus.
Jesus’ Response
“When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.'” (10) “But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—He said to the paralytic, (11) ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ (12) Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!'” —Mark 2:5, 10-12
Jesus’ priority was always spiritual. Throughout His earthly ministry, He reiterated the necessity to have faith in God. We cannot separate the spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical components of our mind-body connection, therefore, without faith in God, we cannot connect to God.
With a loving heart, faith, and the commitment to put God first, we use our gifts to serve others. Helping the poor and spiritually oppressed removes the sinful character traits of selfishness and hardheartedness from our naturally carnal hearts, and exemplifies and honors Jesus as our Compassionate and Loving Savior.
Every Christian’s destiny relies on their willingness to obey God [not from a legalistic perspective of “I have to witness and help others”], no, we feel that it is a privilege and blessing to represent the love and compassion of Christ in our service to God and humanity.
Scripture: “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace…” —1 Peter 4:10
Prayer: God, we pray for the body of believers who do not see the need to give of themselves in their service to You and those in need. We pray for the hardness of their hearts to melt and be transformed into the loving and compassionate likeness of Christ. We ask for the Holy Spirit to give strength to those who are tirelessly serving others and witnessing the love of Christ. In Jesus’ Loving Name, we pray. Amen.
© 2023 Steps 2 Success with Spiritual Solutions and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries
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