Greg Laurie Daily Devotion - July 31, 2007
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Arise and Walk
Then behold, they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you.”
—Matthew 9:2
The Gospel of Mark gives us the account of a group of men who wanted to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Jesus was teaching in a home, and the men could not get in because of the huge crowd. So they climbed up on top of the house and dug through the roof to lower their friend inside (see Mark 2:1–5).
When Jesus saw the faith of these men, he looked at their paralyzed friend and said, “Son, be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven you” (Matthew 9:2). Jesus was saying, “You no longer have to be afraid of the penalty for your sin. Your past is behind you. I am giving you another chance in life.”
Jesus then told him to get up, pick up his bed, and go to his house (Matthew 9:6). This man had a choice. He could have stayed on his sickbed forever. He could have said, “I can’t,” or “I won’t.” He had a choice, and he decided to respond.
There are people today who don’t want to change. They don’t want to leave their lifestyle or turn from the choices they have made. They will not take hold of God’s promises and provision and power.
If you want to change, if you want to break free from a vice that has you in its grip, a lifestyle you are trapped in, or an addiction that you can’t seem to shake, then Christ has a word of encouragement to you: “Get up and walk. You can do it. Be of good cheer, and arise.”
Greg Laurie :: Harvest 07
Free music featuring P.O.D., David Crowder Band, TobyMac
August 3-5; Angel Stadium; webcast
socal.harvest.org.
Copyright © 2007 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions,
