It is Easier to Believe

Which is Easier to Believe?

posted in: Inspiration | 0

It is Easier to BelieveWhich is easier to believe?

There was a man.  Now whether this man was a good man or a bad man we do not know.  What we do know is that his body had stopped responding to his brain in a healthy fashion and so he was paralyzed.  Maybe it was ALS.  Maybe it was polio.  Maybe it was muscular dystrophy.  Maybe it was something else entirely.  Condemned to lie on a mat and have others serve him, his life became very small, very limited, and very constrained by the circumstances that his health prescribed.  

Which is easier to believe?

Could this man do anything about his circumstances?  Did his decisions have anything to do with the life he had to live?  Or was he defined by his health?

He was oppressed, held down by the fact that he literally couldn’t move.  It didn’t matter what he decided, he wasn’t going anywhere.  He wasn’t doing anything.  He was just a big bundle of need.  He was lost.  He was broken.  And there wasn’t thing one he could do about it.  Or was there?

Which is easier to believe?

What had brought him to this place in life we don’t know.  He may have been living a high risk, wild life that eventually caught up to him.  Maybe he was an addict and the drugs eventually ran his body into the ground.  Or maybe he was extremely promiscuous and some collection of STDs was eating his body from the inside out.  Or he may have been a happily married father of four when an infectious disease brought his life to its knees and destroyed his ability to provide for his family.  We don’t know.  But there it was, clear as day.  No matter whose fault it was, he was broken — paralyzed for whatever reason and unable to help himself.

Which is easier to believe?

So that is the question.  Which is easier to believe?  Was it his fault or not?  Was he a good man or bad?  Was there anything he could do about it or not?  Was he condemned forever or could he be saved?  Was he defined by his circumstances or was there an alternative?

Which is easier to believe?

You may have darkness in your life.  You may have mistakes and misgivings.  You may have obstacles.  You may have circumstances beyond your control.  You may be responsible for it or it may have been thrust upon you against your will.  One way or the other you are where you are, experiencing the darkness.

Broken. Diseased. Lost.

Which is easier to believe?

Is there something you can do about it or not?  Do your decisions make a difference or not?  Can your circumstances change or not?

The presence of the enemy is clear.  They are throwing up the challenge everywhere you look, anywhere you turn.

Which is easier to believe?

There is an answer.  And for some reason it is not the common answer.  There is salvation.  For real.

Now I have heard it many times, “it is just so hard to believe.”  This is the lie.

Let me put it this way.  Which is easier for the child who is bullied at school.  To continue to be bullied?  To continue to run scared?  To continue to be controlled by their circumstances and defined by their defeat?  Or is it actually easier to address the problem, find a solution, and stop the bullying.

People will tell you it is harder to stop the bullying than it is to hope that it resolves itself.  It’s not that they are bad people, they just think that it is harder to find a solution than to tell the child to tough it out.  But that is not true for the child who is bullied.  It is easier for that child when we stand together with them and put a stop to the evil that is oppressing them.

It is not hard to believe.  It is hard when you don’t have belief.

From the beginning of time God has created all people for health, well-being, peace, joy, satisfaction, intimacy, relationship, the abundant life, fulfillment, and success.

Which is easier to believe?

There is salvation.  That is easier to believe.  That is the solution.  That is the answer.  And if you don’t believe it, the sad truth is you may not see it.

The choice is yours.

That man, the one who was paralyzed — we don’t know if he believed or not.  At least not at first.  But he had friends.  He had people who believed in him, that there was an answer for him.  That he was condemned but not beyond a hope.  That he was oppressed but not beyond a solution.  That he was broken, but not beyond a cure.  There were people who saw the opportunity and believed that there was an answer for him in the person of Jesus Christ.

And when these friends introduced this man to Jesus it says that Jesus saw not his faith, but theirs, and then turned to him and said,

Your sins are forgiven.” – Luke 5

And when the skeptics and the unbelievers got offended and challenged Jesus, when they wanted to impress on everyone that it was not possible to believe, not possible to find an answer, not possible to receive salvation.  When they were trying to make the point that it was hard to believe, Jesus asked them this simple question,

“Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’?” – Luke 5

The simple fact of the gospel is this — there is an answer.  There is salvation.  For real.

“Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, take your mat, and go on home, because you are healed!” And immediately, as everyone watched, the man jumped to his feet, picked up his mat, and went home praising God.” – Luke 5

Jesus gave him back the choice.  Jesus gave him back his life.  Jesus gave him the answer.  Jesus gave him the chance to believe again.  Jesus gave him salvation.

It is easier to believe.

Follow Steve Simons:

Bible Believing Follower of Jesus Christ. Preacher. Conservative. Republican. NRA Member. Chevy Truck Guy. "God's Answers Are Always Simple. God's Answers Always Work." #GraceRevolutionGeneration #IAmNotAfraid

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