[Difference Makers] Courage Sample

Difference Making Starts In The Heart

After Jesus traveled to Capernaum by boat, some men brought one of their friends over to Him. Their friend, who was paralyzed, was lying on a stretcher. What is the first thing Jesus said to him? “Have courage.” He said, “Have courage, son, your sins are forgiven.” Now some versions of the Bible say, “Take heart,” or “Be of good cheer.” What the Greek is getting at is that Jesus wanted the man to be courageous, to be cheerful;, to be bold, to stand up and go for it. Difference makers live with courage.

Christians often read this story and characterize this as a healing moment. But there is more to this story than that. Notice that Jesus starts with the heart. Before He tells the paralyzed man to get up and get his mat, Jesus says, “Have courage son, your sins are forgiven.” This has nothing to do with walking; it has nothing to do with being paralyzed. 

The first thing Jesus does is declare to the man that his sins are forgiven. He uses the present tense. He is not suggesting the man’s sins were forgiven in the past, nor that his sins will be forgiven in some distant future, when he gets to heaven. No, the man’s sins are forgiven right there and then, when Jesus speaks. By forgiving the man’s sin, Jesus declared that He was God in the flesh. This a statement of deity. And so, the man received Christ’s forgiveness. Sin is always the problem—and rightly relating with God is always the answer.

We tend to think the wrong way about this. We tell ourselves, “I've got to go to church more. I've got to do more to be holy, and I need to sin less. Then if I get all my little ducks in a row, I’ll be a good Christian.” But being a Christian is not about what you do, but about your relationship with God. 

Jesus began with the heart. To be a difference maker, start with the heart. Have the courage to allow God to work in you to begin your spiritual transformation. 

Pray: God, make a difference in me. Give me the courage to allow You to work deeply in my heart. Forgive my sins through Jesus. Renew me through Your Holy Spirit.