I’ve often heard it said that there are three kinds of people in life: Those who make things happen; those who watch things happen; and those who ask, “what just happened?” At different stages of my life, I’ve probably fallen into all three categories, and I bet you have, too.
But it’s my desire to always be in that first group—the movers and the shakers, the doers, the ones who are making things happen.
Maybe that’s why I love the story found in Mark 2 about the four men who made sure their friend received his miracle. These friends were most definitely in the first group, and I think there are three things we can learn from these “make it happen kind of guys” that we can apply to our lives.
First, let’s look at this passage together:
When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:1-5, NLT)
1) Be Available
Can’t you just picture this scenario? The paralyzed man says to his buddies, “Hey, the Healer is in town! Now, I’m gonna need your help to get there today, but if you can get me to Jesus, I will be healed.”
I’m sure these four men had jobs and families and other commitments, but they obviously put all of those things on the backburner in order to help their friend get to the Master and receive His miracle.
If we truly want to be a mover and shaker in the Kingdom of God, we have to make ourselves available to Him. Like these four men in the story, you may be the only one who can lead someone down the path to meet Jesus.
READ MORE: REACHING OUT TO OTHERS
2) Be a Risk Taker
So the four friends carry him on a mat to the house where Jesus is staying, only to find the crowds are blocking them from the One they’d come to see. So, being the kind of guys who make things happen, they come up with a plan to get their paralyzed pal to Jesus. And, it was a pretty gutsy plan at that!
Don’t you imagine they could’ve gotten into big trouble for cutting a hole in the roof of a home that wasn’t theirs, not to mention lowering a person through the hole to Jesus, disrupting the meeting? But that didn’t stop these four faith-filled fellows. They risked it all to help their friend.
In order to do big things, we have to possess big faith. We can’t always play it safe. Sometimes, we have to be willing to take a risk for the Kingdom’s sake. Sometimes, God will ask us to do something that is way out of our comfort zone, and we have to simply say “yes” despite our fears.
3) Be a Blessing
You know what else I love about this story? All four men worked together so that their friend who desperately needed a miracle could receive one that very day. Now, the Bible doesn’t tell us, but I’m sure that everything wasn’t perfect for these four guys. Surely, one or more of them also needed a touch from Jesus (maybe not a physical healing but a touch in some other area of their lives) yet they weren’t concerned about their own blessing; they were happy to help their friend get his blessing.
See, when we’re willing to put aside our own agendas and help a friend, that pleases God. And, when we’re able to celebrate and rejoice over a miracle in someone else’s life, then we’re setting ourselves up for promotion. Be available to be a blessing…if not you, who?
If you’ve been watching things happen or asking, “what just happened?’” for far too long, then step on over into the “those who make things happen” group. Let’s be difference makers, working for the Difference Maker.
Pray this with me:
Father, help me to be available for You to use, and help me to step outside my comfort zone and be a risk taker for the Kingdom. Also, Lord, help me to get my eyes off myself, and keep them on You so that I can be a blessing to others and rejoice with them over their breakthroughs. Lastly, I pray for Your discernment and grace as I move forward in all of these areas. In the Mighty Name of Your Son Jesus, Amen.
