Friendly Faith

During Sunday's sermon, Cory said something that struck me. He talked about how the neighbors played a vital role in the miracle that the widow woman received. (If you missed Sunday's sermon, now would be a good time to go watch it online or listen to the podcast).

Ok, I'm assuming we are all caught up now. So this brings me to what Cory said. As a matter of fact, he used the word "vital" as in her neighbors played a vital role in this miracle! And he's not wrong. God would have done the same miracle without the neighbors. The problem is the miracle wouldn't have been on the same scale.

He still would have filled all the jars she had. But how many would that have been? Three? Four? Perhaps a few more. Maybe less. We won't ever know. Why? Because she didn't have to walk through this alone. She had people that stepped up to help her in her time of need.

This reminds me of a miracle Jesus did. In Mark 2, there's a story about Jesus in Capernaum. The Bible said the house was so packed with visitors that there was no more room. While he was preaching to the crowd, four guys arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn't get to Jesus because of the crowd.

That didn't stop them, though. The Bible says they dug a hole through the roof above Jesus head and lowered the man down right in front of Jesus. He healed the man right there. The crowd was amazed and astonished.

The part of this story I want to draw attention to is what the Bible says right before the miracle. In verse 5 it says:

"Seeing their faith....."

It wasn't the faith of the paralyzed man. It was the faith of the four friends. They are the ones that put their faith into action. They're the ones that carried their friend on a mat to the house. They carried their friend to the roof. They dug a hole in the roof. Then they lowered him down to Jesus.

And that's the reason he was healed. It was because of that faith. The same reason the widow was able to pay off all her debts with the oil in the jars. The action and the faith of those around them.

I think it's important to remember that everyday we encounter people that need our faith. People who are going through something that you've already walked through. Perhaps a sickness of a child. Maybe a lost job. An unsaved spouse. God brings people into our lives that need our faith. They need someone to help them get to Jesus. They need to borrow your cup so they can be filled.

These opportunities are all around us. So I challenge you to ask God to show you these moments. Show you the people that are in your life that need your faith.