Matthew 9:7  Then the man got up and went home. (NIV)

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The first eight verses of Matthew 9 are rather dramatic. There’s one verse that’s not all that dramatic, and it’s verse 7 above. 

Here we see a simple act of obedience. This obedience was completely impossible only moments before. The man was lying on a mat, paralyzed. Jesus first forgave his sins and second told him to “Get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Some things are too good to be true. This is not one of them. The man on the mat discovered the truth of his healing when he got up and went home. That gave him a whole lot to ponder on the way. He had the freshest of fresh starts. As Psalm 23:3 says, Jesus restored his soul and his body as well. 

How do you know how good God is? 

Doing what God says is faith and obedience working together to produce an outcome only God could engineer. 

I wonder what the reception was like when this man walked through his front door for the first time in who knows how long. 

I wonder how he, his family, and his friends processed aloud what had happened to him. 

I wonder how that reshaped the lives of others who knew the paralyzed man in his former condition. 

We will not take time to ponder what would have happened if he had not gotten up off his mat and gone home. Why would anyone be so foolish to disobey a direct command of Jesus that would make their lives better? Hmmm?

What simple act of obedience has Jesus placed before you today? 

Simple obedience to the commands of our Creator and Redeemer should give us confidence that He who seeks our highest good in all things is looking to bless us more abundantly than we could imagine. 

Transformation is sometimes rather dramatic, like paralyzed men walking, carrying their mats and going home redeemed and restored. 

Transformation is sometimes incremental steps toward the kind of renewal that refreshes everyone we meet. 

How will Jesus transform your life today through your simple acts of hearing what he has to say, obeying it immediately, and adapting to the rewarding renewal he provides?

Let’s find out together.

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I will hear Jesus gladly and obey him immediately. 

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Our Father, empower me to learn this lesson well. Empower me to learn it fully and finally. Empower me to listen carefully to what you say and to obey it immediately. Transform my life however you see fit to make me more of a blessing to everyone I meet. Use me as a channel of your blessing to distribute your goodness and grace. Amen.