Burning Question:
Who do you wish would write you a letter?
Morning Devotional:
They Dropped Him… So Many Times
I help out on Wednesday nights with a kids’ activity at our church, working with the littles—not the real little littles, but the slightly bigger littles. The 3-to-5-year-olds.
Recently, I was teaching them the Bible story about the friends who carried their paralyzed friend to Jesus. The crowd was so thick that they couldn’t get through, so they climbed onto the roof, tore it open, and lowered their friend down right in front of Jesus.
To illustrate the story, we used a blanket and a doll, letting the kids take turns carrying their “friend” across the room. Each child grabbed a corner, eager to help. But let’s just say… if their friend had really been paralyzed before, he would have needed a little extra healing by the time he got to Jesus. They dropped him. Over and over again. Thuds and giggles filled the room.
Watching them struggle to carry their friend reminded me of real life. Sometimes, we’re the ones being carried—broken, weak, completely dependent on others to bring us to Jesus. Other times, we’re the ones doing the carrying—helping, encouraging, praying for someone who desperately needs Him. And let’s be honest, we don’t always do it perfectly. We stumble. We drop the ball. We get tired.
But here’s the good news: Jesus still heals. Even when we don’t carry each other perfectly, even when our efforts seem clumsy and inadequate, He is still at work. Those men in the Bible story didn’t give up. They found a way to get their friend to Jesus. And when they did, Jesus not only healed him physically—He forgave his sins.
“When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” – Mark 2:5 (NIV)
Maybe today, you feel like the one on the mat, needing healing, needing someone to carry you to Jesus. Or maybe you’re one of the friends, trying to bring someone else to Him but feeling like you’re dropping them more than helping. Either way, don’t give up. Keep bringing, keep carrying, keep trusting. Jesus is more than able to heal and restore—not just bodies, but hearts and souls.
Who in your life needs to be brought to Jesus today? Keep carrying them, even if it’s messy. Because when we bring people to Jesus, He does the real work of healing and transformation.
-Ryan
Bible Quiz:
Question: Who Said, I will not let you go unless you bless me?
Answer: Jacob Genesis 32:26
Storytime: That’s where the Chili meets the Cheese