"We have seen strange things today!"

"You are remembered for the rules you break." - General MacArthur

Upon meeting with the Emperor of Japan after the War had ended, MacArthur was given a certain protocol to follow:

Sit to the left of the Emperor
Do not look into his eyes when speaking to him
Do not offer to shake his hand
Do not stand in his shadow

Naturally, if you know the brash, cocky, bold confidence MacArthur carried with him, he did the complete opposite of what he was supposed to do, aside from sitting to the Emperor's left. MacArthur even  insisted they stand side to side for a photograph. Surprisingly, the Emperor agreed to that now famous photo-op.

Sometimes we need to carry that bold confidence that MacArthur had, if anything, to build up our own faith. One of my favorite stories in the Bible was when Jesus healed a paraplegic. What makes this story so much more fascinating was how the way the man was brought to Jesus:

Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus. When they couldn’t find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, “Friend, I forgive your sins.”
²¹ That set the religion scholars and Pharisees buzzing. “Who does he think he is? That’s blasphemous talk! God and only God can forgive sins.”
^22-26 Jesus knew exactly what they were thinking and said, “Why all this gossipy whispering? Which is simpler: to say ‘I forgive your sins,’ or to say ‘Get up and start walking’? Well, just so it’s clear that I’m the Son of Man and authorized to do either, or both. . . .” He now spoke directly to the paraplegic: “Get up. Take your bedroll and go home.” Without a moment’s hesitation, he did it—got up, took his blanket, and left for home, giving glory to God all the way. The people rubbed their eyes, incredulous—and then also gave glory to God. Awestruck, they said, “We’ve never seen anything like that!” (Luke 5:17-26)

God wants us to approach Him in boldness with our needs and have the confidence that He will meet that need. More and more I realize how important it is to daily remind ourselves of His promises by reading His Word.

If you live in an area with no access to a Bible, click on www.biblegateway.com for more of God's encouraging Word.