Imagine This!

Leviticus 26-27, Mark 2 (Message)

As part of today's reading,  we imagined the sights, sounds and smells of the story of the paraplegic man.  How did it feel to be picked out by Jesus?  Was the man overjoyed at his sins being forgiven?  What took more faith, to believe that his sins were forgiven, or to be healed?  What did the paraplegic experience at the forgiveness of his sins?  Did that experience help him receive his healing?

I've often feared that I would have been one of the religious zealots who would not have recognized Christ.  Maybe in my zeal for God, I would have even condemned Him, thinking that He was stealing glory from God.  But the sin of the Pharisees is that they were not looking for the Messiah.  If they were, wouldn't they have at least considered Jesus?  They were no longer searching the heart or face of God.  The paraplegic however, was satisfied with his sins being forgiven.  He was seeking God's face.  In response, he received the both the face and the hand of God.

Are we looking for our coming king?  Or are we satisfied with the things of this world?  Are we waiting and hoping for Him so that we can seek His face and fellowship with Him, or are we seeking His hand so that we can live better lives here?