By: Isabella

Read: Numbers 33:40-35:34, Luke 5:12-28, Psalm 65:1-13, Proverbs 11:23

When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd,
they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
(Luke 5:19-20)

Relate: Once, I heard a woman share her testimony. She said she would never have known about Jesus or been brought to church if it hadn’t been for her friend. This woman was highly educated, and no one in her family was Christian. She didn’t learn about Christ until she was in her 20s.

At first, she went to church only to accompany her friend, who attended a small group at night. Concerned for her friend’s safety, she decided to join her. She was adamant that she would not believe in this religion—she only wanted to be there for her friend. However, after attending for eight months, her heart began to soften. At that point, she described herself as feeling interested, though still not completely convinced.

Soon after, a pastor visited their church and preached a powerful sermon. By the end of it, she was crying so intensely that she didn’t even understand why. Shortly after that experience, she was baptized and accepted God as her Savior. She was incredibly grateful to her friend because she knew that, without her, she wouldn’t have become a Christian.

React: Jesus commanded all Christians to make disciples of all nations. As Christians, we should set good examples for others in our daily lives and lead them to Christ. Bringing a non-Christian friend to church and praying for them can have a significant impact on their life. Just as the paralyzed man’s friends carried him to Jesus, we too should lead our friends to Christ.

Respond:

Dear Lord,
I pray that You strengthen my faith as I go through today. Help me to set a good example for the people around me. I pray that I can lead my friends to You and glorify Your name. In Jesus’ name, I pray,
Amen.