Matthew 9:1-8

I love the first line Jesus says to this paralyzed guy "Be encouraged, young man. Your sins are forgiven." It's kind of like he's saying, okay, I know you're paralyzed, but at least you get to go to heaven. If everybody hadn't been thinking that it was blasphemous for him to forgive sins, I wonder if he would have healed this guy. I think it's cool that Jesus focused on the real problem, not just the temporary one. I focus on the wrong thing a lot. I like to try to fix symptoms instead of attacking the root issue. It's easier that way. You don't have to deal with as much resistance because there is usually less change involved. But God wants us to attack the core. He desires to change my desires and passions, not just my behavior. JM