Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Today's Passage: Mark 2

What a lesson in priorities! As I read this entire chapter, I could almost hear Jesus saying, "First things first." When He healed the paralytic, He first forgave the man of his sins. As he had dinner with Levi, he declared the sick to be his priority over the healthy--sinners over the righteous. When it comes to fasting, Jesus emphasizes the importance of spending time with the disciples while He was still on earth--fasting could wait. And He pointed out to the Pharisees that they had no understanding for the meaning of the Sabbath--they couldn't see the purpose through their own priority of the law.

After reading today's passage I realized that my priorities tend to get out of whack more often than I thought. The people in these accounts had let other seemingly good things become more important than the condition of their hearts. The four friends who brought the paralytic to Jesus desired healing for their friend. They were even willing to carry him to the house and cut out the roof to lower him down to Jesus--all good things. Jesus, however, forgave his sins first. He did heal the man, but took care of first things first. I began to think about all the seemingly good things that I enjoy doing. I would venture a guess that most of us enjoy helping others...in whatever way that may be. I am challenged today, however, to make sure that at some point I am fulfilling Jesus' Great Commission to us: to make disciples. While it is true that my actions should reflect my faith, Jesus has called us to share the gospel. Sometimes it is necessary to work at starting and cultivating a relationship before the gospel is shared, but I know that I have wasted opportunities to share it when I could have. Let us strive to not only serve people with our acts of kindness, but by sharing our faith with them as well.