Thursday, April 20, 2023

In the Yoruba culture in Nigeria, respect is highly valued. To sit before an elder or to take a piece of meat from the serving dish when the elder has not yet taken it is considered an affront. When an elder is offended, the person considered at fault does all he can to repair the relationship. To therefore seek a gift from the elder when there are unresolved issues is unheard of. Here, we see Jesus freely give the paralytic the reconciliation his soul asked for, while also not neglecting what he physically needed, the healing of his body so he could walk again. It is interesting that the paralytic himself did not know which he needed more. Too often, we get lost in what we want versus what we really need: God’s hand in our physical needs or His hand in our spiritual needs. May the depth of those words from the person who really should be offended sink into our consciousness. He says, “Your sins are forgiven.” Those sins were heavy, shameful, painful, and disgusting, but He willingly said, “They are forgiven.” And that is what we really need.

One of the most memorable nights of my Haggai Leader Experience was our presentation on Africa. May the darkness of self be broken in Africa.