Spend time with God…
Use this format to help you study the Bible. There is so much wisdom there to help us on our journey. You don’t need to be intimidated by it. Just dive right in and see what God will show you. You might be surprised at how easy it is once you get going. The hardest part is just getting started.
Title
Reference
Observe
What caught my attention?
Apply
How does this apply to my life?
Question
Questions I need to ask myself?
Prayer
My response to God…
Date
April 7, 2008
Title
Take Up Your Mat and Go Home!
Reference
Luke 5:20, 23-24 (New International Version, ©2010)
20 “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
23 Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
Observe
What caught my attention?
GET UP
Jesus gets to the root problem — OUR SIN. Everything else we struggle with really comes down to that. Once Jesus forgives OUR SIN, He cancels its power over us. But it is OUR CHOICE whether or not to “Get Up.” Jesus gives us the keys to unlock our prison cell. But we have to make the choice to walk out from behind the prison walls. The door is open…
TAKE YOUR MAT
What did that mat symbolize? It was a painful reminder of all that had gone wrong! (“Forgetting all that is behind you…”) Your mat =
- your past
- your experiences
- your failures
- your pain and sorrow
- your regrets
- the people who made fun of you (or criticized you)
- the people who told you, “You’d never change”
- loss of a dream
GO HOME
Go back to the place where you first got off track. Home is supposed to be a place of belonging, comfort, protection, safety, acceptance, unconditional love. Go home… Begin Again! Go back to the place where you first started.
Apply
How does this apply to my life?
Forgiveness is a chance to start over . . . BEGIN AGAIN. When God forgives you, what He is really saying is:
- Get Up
- Forget the Past (“Mat”)
- Start Over (“Go Home”)
- Begin Again!
Question
Questions I need to ask myself?
What are the things in my life that I need to forget and start over? Am I really taking advantage of all God’s forgiveness offers me?
Prayer
My response to God…
God, Help me! I need a re-do. I need to let go and let YOU re-make me. Help me to not stay a prisoner of my own mind when you have made available to me everything I need to re-start my hard drive. Transform my mind, so that I won’t be held captive to my past. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to begin again.
Amen
