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when you need a friend

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town.  Some men brought to him a paralytic, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” (Matthew 9:1-2).

Friends.  Good friends.  New friends.  Friends who take you to a ballgame.  Friends who give you straight advice.  Life-long friends who share with you the ebb and flow of life.

Friends who carry you to Jesus when you cannot get there by yourself.

That’s what I love about this story.  Jesus heals the paralytic not because of his faith — but because of the faith of his friends.  They believed.  They had hope.  If only we can get our friend to Jesus …

What a blessing to have a few friends who don’t mind taking a corner of your mat whenever you need a lift!

What a blessing to have a few friends who don’t mind taking a corner of your mat whenever you need a lift!

Are you building those kinds of friendships?  Are you investing in a small group of people who are also investing in you?  Who do you have that will carry a corner of your mat whenever life gets  you done?

I’ve met many believers (and non-believers) who do not have those kind of friendships.  It’s OK as long as a life is good, as long as it is smooth. But life is not always that way.

On the other side of the coin is this question: are you becoming that kind of friend for someone else?  Are you becoming the kind of person they would call?

May God give us the courage to be a faith-filled friend.  May God also grant us the blessing of having such friends.