“You brought your hot water bottle to the hotel too?!”

Friends like these

“I don’t want to freak you out, but you do know we’re driving in the middle of the CITY?!”

Friends like these

“Stop laughing and help me down from this cherry-picker!!!”

Friends like these

Each of those sentences evokes a memory for me

A memory that gets shared when my friends do the

“Remember when…”  stories when we’re together

Oh how I smile

=)

FRIENDS LIKE THESE

There is a story about true friendship found in Luke Chapter 5:17-20

One day Jesus was teaching in a house

But this wasn’t just any old teaching session

This was a full on

Hold onto your hats

Healing service

Pharisees and religious scholars had come from the villages all across the regions

Galilee, Judea and Jerusalem

To see what all the hoopla was about

‘Some men came to the house, carrying a paralysed man on his bed pallet. They wanted to bring him in and present him to Jesus, but the house was so packed with people that they couldn’t get in. So they climbed up on the roof and pulled off some roof tiles.’ (The Voice Bible)

 Has there been times in your life where you’ve felt like that?

Paralysed?

Paralysed by fear?

Paralysed in not knowing which direction to go?

Paralysed by depression?

Paralysed by guilt and shame?

Those things can cripple you

Unless you have friends like these

Friends that will carry you

Climb on a roof

Pull some roof tiles off

To get you to Jesus

‘They lowered the man by ropes so he came to rest right in front of Jesus. In this way, their faith was visible to Jesus.’

When you feel paralysed

True friends will overcome the obstacles and make sure that you

Rest right in front of Jesus

He is the only one with the power

To say to you, “My friend, your sins are forgiven”

And

“I say, get up, take your mat, and go home”

When you have rested in front of Jesus

You no longer feel paralysed

You have His strength to

RISE

True friends won’t leave you laying on your mat

Feeling sorry for yourself

True friends will

Carry you

Climb a roof

Pull the roof tiles off

Lower you down on ropes

To get you

Right in front of Jesus

With friends like these

You won’t just

RISE, my friend

You will SOAR

Wendy  xo