Guest Contributor: Jennie Osborne
My daughters have heard me talk about the impact
friends can have on your life. Sometimes
that impact can have lasting effects, whether they are positive or
negative. I made a decision when I was a
young adult to have friends in my life that were going to create “positive peer
pressure” in my life. I wanted friends
who encourage me to walk more with God, and help me point my moral compass in
the direction of the Bible. Friends who
are evening willing intercede for me. INVALUABLE. Luke 5: 17-26 gives us one of
the best pictures of true friendship, especially when we are like the paralyzed
man.
Luke 5:17-20 One day Jesus was teaching, and the
Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every
village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the LORD was
with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat
and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could
not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and
lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in
front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith he said, “Friend, your sins are
forgiven”.
Notice Jesus didn’t see the paralyzed man’s faith. He saw the faith of his friends. Let’s be honest, our friends can get us through some pretty tough times, if we let them. We all need friends who faith will make their way through an impossible size crowd, hoist our heavy bodies up on a rope, break the roof, just to intercede on our behalf Jesus! There are many times in our life when we will do for our friend, whether they are our spouse, family member, child, or someone we are close to. I have found that not only has my life been blessed because someone took the time to be one of the men who interceded for me, but I have gained so much by being of those men for someone else. Being used by God to be a loyal friend is one of the best gifts that God has given us.
A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to
help in time of need. (Proverbs 17:17)
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