January 14
Friends
“Bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.” —Mark 2:3
Read Mark 2:1-12
Most likely you have some close friends with whom you can laugh, and cry, and talk, sharing all your thoughts. But do you have friends that you can speak about the Lord Jesus with? Or is this the last thing you think of or speak about?
Friends that bring you to the Lord Jesus are worth their weight in gold. Can you sing: I am a friend and traveler with those that fear His name? Or what about the hymn, What a Friend We Have in Jesus?
The man in our Scripture passage could do absolutely nothing; he was totally dependent upon others. When Christ came into the area where he lived, he did not experience any sympathy from the crowds of people, only from his friends. No one wanted to move aside for him. But faith found a way to meet the Lord Jesus. And the Lord blessed him, first by delivering him from his sin, and then also by restoring him to health.
And so, when an earthly friend fails us, we may sing the following: What a friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear; What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer. Oh, what peace we often forfeit, oh, what needless pain we bear, All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer.
Do you have friends that bring you to the Lord Jesus? Do you seek to do so for them as well? Everything we need is to be found in Him. We read that Andrew led his brother Simon Peter to Jesus, which is a most beautiful thing.
Perhaps you have heard of the book titled “Leading Little Ones To Jesus.” Concretely, what does the title of this book actually mean?
This devotional was taken from “The Time of Your Life” a daily devotional published by the Youth & Educational Committee of the FRC. To order a printed copy of this book, contact: bookorders@frcna.org.