No not a goal, football being all the rage for many at the moment. But the reading yesterday from the Word of God in Mark’s Gospel chapter 2. If you missed it, please scroll back and read the wonderful passage.

Jesus was so popular that He always attracted the crowds, so much so that Mark’s Gospel chapter 2 verse 2 records ‘immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door’. There then follows a remarkable story of a paralysed man who was not only healed by Jesus but, more importantly, had his sins forgiven by Jesus.

This man had four good friends who brought him to Jesus. It made me think of what sort of friend am I? Are we? How concerned are we to bring others to Jesus to know the true healing of forgiveness? These four friends were:

• Dedicated. It took four of them, giving their time and so much energy, verse 3 ‘then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men’.
• Dauntless. They did not give up when they could not get their friend to Jesus, verse 4 ‘and when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He (Jesus) was’.
• Determined. They had to find an alternative means to bringing their friend through the front door of the house where Jesus was, verse 4 ‘so when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying’.
• Delighted. In the end, they were thrilled to see the double blessing for their friend. Please read the passage.

Don’t miss the opportunities you have to being your friends and family to meet the Lord Jesus Christ. It is worth it – and better than all the goals others may score!