More Urgent than Life or Death
By Dawn Tolbert
“Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.” Mark 2:4
We couldn’t get Daddy fully awake even hours after outpatient surgery. They’d roused him enough to send him home, assuming that, at eighty-six, he’d returned to normal.
But we knew better.
We tried everything to help him. It wasn’t enough. My sister and I soon found ourselves following the ambulance and carrying our parents to the emergency room. We hoped someone could help.
Our painful circumstances reminded me of today’s verse. Mark 2:4 reveals a story of friends who needed help for their buddy who couldn’t walk. Like my daddy, he needed healing. Either he or his friends had heard about how Jesus had helped others. So, they loaded the immobile man onto a mat and brought him to Jesus.
When they arrived, they ran into a problem. A large crowd kept them from Jesus. They didn’t give up though. Instead, they climbed onto the roof, dug a hole, and lowered their friend down. They made sure he got to see the Healer.
And Jesus helped their friend.
I felt that same urgency as we hurried into the hospital, explaining Daddy’s situation to caregivers. But as I read today’s verse I wondered when the last time was I felt such passion to bring someone to Jesus, the Healer of our souls.
Scripture teaches that without Christ we’re dead in our sins. If we don’t accept Him as our personal Savior, we’ll spend eternity separated from God and in torment. This is more urgent than life or death. It’s eternal life or death!
May God remind us of the men who brought their friend to Jesus and help us be more like them. Bringing others to our Savior is the most important way we can them.
Dawn Tolbert, a contributing writer to Wholly Loved’s devotional project, is a Christ-follower who writes to honor God, thank Him for His goodness, and encourage readers by sharing her faith journey. She works in higher education public relations and is writing her first novel and her first book-length Bible study. She has earned a B.A. in Communication Studies and English (Gardner-Webb College), a M.A. in Professional Writing (Kennesaw State University), and an Ed.D. in Higher Education Leadership (Union University). She and her husband, Larry, live in Cedartown, Georgia, and serve actively in their church. Dawn blogs at dawntolbert.com.
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Originally published Monday, 08 April 2024.
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