MARK 2:1-5 – And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
THEME OF THE DAY. THE FOUR GREATEST WORDS EVER HEARD. It is our greatest need in life and eternity. Nothing is more important. Without this, we are not prepared to die nor will we have the strength to live life amidst many fears and trials. The “it” is the first words Jesus would say to the paralytic man – “Your sins are forgiven.”
For every Christian, those four words from our Lord Jesus are indeed the greatest words ever heard. Though all us would agree, one of the most subtle but real challenges we face as we live the Christian life is losing the wonder of God’s forgiveness. The Gospel of the Lord Jesus isn’t pondered and marveled over in our lives. I am not referring to living in known sin. It seems paradoxical, but the longer we live the Christian life, the more we are tempted to forget the powerful simplicity of what made us Christians – the grace of God in the Gospel of the Lord Jesus. To prevent this spiritual drift into “Gospel forgetfulness”, here are two things to help us live with sustained joy and wonder over the four greatest words we may every hear – “Your sins are forgiven.”
First, make it a regular spiritual discipline, maybe even daily, to read a portion of the Gospel for one reason – to behold the Lord Jesus as He walked upon the earth. Walk with Him as He talks to the woman at the well. Sit with Him as He washes the disciples’ feet. Enter His life and remember we are walking with Him who so loved us that He gave Himself for us. And here is how easy it is. If we read three chapters of the Gospels daily, we will have read through all four each month. Imagine if we did this for a year. We will have read the “life of Jesus” through all four Gospels twelve times! No doubt, we would recapture the wonder of being forgiven our sins as we see Him up close and personal who says, “Your sins are forgiven.”
Another thing to do to make sure we don’t lose the wonder of the Gospel and forgiveness of our sins is never miss a day, even if only for a few minutes, to meditate upon Christ’s cross. In our minds’ eye, by faith, sit at His feet as He hangs on the cross. Let the sight of the bleeding Jesus, the innocent Jesus, the substitute for us Jesus, the Son of God Jesus, and the forgiving Jesus capture our minds and hearts. We will be changed. We will be held in the “chains of divine love” when we fix our gaze on Him who is “Divine Love.” Stay near the cross to keep yourself near the heart of Him hanging on that cross.
Yes, the four greatest words we will ever hear are “your sins are forgiven”. And He speaks them to us each day. Do we hear them? Are we listening? I hope. They are the gateway to a life of joy and peace from the One who said, “Your sins are forgiven.”
PRAYER: “Father, I praise You for reconciling me to You through Your Son.”
QUOTE: “Our greatest need in time and eternity is forgiveness of sin. Nothing is more important in our lives”