Get me the big hammer

Mark 2:8 But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, “Why do you reason about these things in your hearts?
I guess being a construction guy, I always took a special liking to the story of the healing of the paralytic man that was lowered through the roof. Jesus had packed the house to capacity, so the friends of the man thought outside the box and came through the roof. There are so many angles from that act of faith alone. Think of the people listening inside and seeing the debris and roof coming apart; think of what faith it took to take the roof apart; think of what you would think next week at church if it happened before your very eyes; think of the distraction to the preacher…..well, not Jesus, because he knew all along. I could go on and on but this is no simple undertaking and a great act of faith on all involved. Jesus knew this level of faith and forgave the man’s sins before granting him legs and him walking out of there. That was where the religious of the day began to have a problem with the whole situation; they began to THINK He was blaspheming God, because only God had the power to forgive sin. This was a common accusation from the religious scribes and leaders of the day; they could not recognize that God was in their midst. Even when Jesus never heard an audible word they said, but read their minds through their hearts, and heard their accusations He addressed in the passage above. How could a religious “leader” not recognize God with the healing and the ability to know their thoughts?

I had a great talk yesterday about a pure heart before God. I felt the Holy Spirit speak to me so clearly through my friend I was moved to tears uncontrollably. I don’t even think he knew the weight of the words he spoke, for he was only a vessel of God being used to reach me. God knows our heart, and he desires our pure hearts for him. Psalm 44:21 Would not God search this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. God knows what we are thinking. He knows what we are doing and why we are doing it. He knows if our religious duties are from heart for him, or a heart bound by salvation through religious works. He knows our hidden sins. He knows our hidden thoughts. We may live a lie, but we can’t hide the lie from Him. The Holy Spirit may press on our hearts and we either respond in repentance, or deny and slip farther away from God. This time here, is preparation for our time there; this life is our preparation for our eternal reward or punishment. Do you have the faith to cut a hole in the roof, or would you just be content in being in a pew on Sunday? Your church attendance record plays no part in heaven; your heart and faith do.