February 13th, 2025
Thursday, February 13th
Forged By Faith
Sheila Sonon
Do you like to watch movies? I do—but most times, I end up scrolling on my phone, falling into a rabbit hole of videos that steal my attention. Last month, I decided to watch The Forge. At first, I wasn’t fully engaged, but as the story unfolded, something grabbed me.
Isaiah, the main character, reminds me of myself—distracted, unsure, and just going through the motions. He wasn’t lazy, but he had no real direction. It wasn’t until someone stepped in—someone who saw potential in him—that his life started to change. He had to go through struggles, uncomfortable growth, and refining moments, but by the end, he wasn’t the same person.
Enter Luke 5:17-26, where a paralyzed man’s friends refused to let obstacles stop them from bringing him to Jesus. They didn’t let the crowded house be an excuse; they climbed the roof, tore it open, and lowered their friend down.
“The man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up the stretcher he had been lying on. Praising God, he went home.” Luke 5:25
Levi (Matthew) in Luke 5:27-32—a tax collector, an outcast. But Jesus calls him anyway, seeing something in him that others didn’t. Read that again “but Jesus called him anyway.”
Maybe you feel lost or uncertain about your direction, much like Isaiah or Levi. Perhaps, like me, you find yourself caught up in distractions that pull you away from wholeheartedly following Christ. Here’s the truth—Jesus is always ready to shape, refine, and forge you into something new, if you’re willing to surrender to Him.
Prayer: Lord, I don’t want to just drift through life. Help me break free from distractions and step into the purpose You are forging in me.
Luke 5:17-39
GOD’S WORD Translation
Jesus Forgives Sins
17 One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in Moses’ Teachings were present. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. Jesus had the power of the Lord to heal.
18 Some men brought a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They tried to take him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. 19 But they could not find a way to get him into the house because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. They made an opening in the tiles and let the man down on his stretcher among the people. (They lowered him in front of Jesus.)
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Sir, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees thought, “Who is this man? He’s dishonoring God! Who besides God can forgive sins?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “What are you thinking? 23 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
25 The man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up the stretcher he had been lying on. Praising God, he went home.
26 Everyone was amazed and praised God. They were filled with awe and said, “We’ve seen things today we can hardly believe!”
Jesus Chooses Levi [Matthew] to Be a Disciple
27 After that, Jesus left. He saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Levi held a large reception at his home for Jesus. A huge crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
30 The Pharisees and their experts in Moses’ Teachings complained to Jesus’ disciples. They asked, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. 32 I’ve come to call sinners to change the way they think and act, not to call people who think they have God’s approval.”
Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples frequently fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. But your disciples eat and drink.”
34 Jesus asked them, “Can you force wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them? 35 The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. At that time they will fast.”
36 He also used these illustrations: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new coat to patch an old coat. Otherwise, the new cloth will tear the old. Besides, the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will make the skins burst. The wine will run out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.
39 “No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine. He says, ‘The old wine is better!’ ”
Forged By Faith
Sheila Sonon
Do you like to watch movies? I do—but most times, I end up scrolling on my phone, falling into a rabbit hole of videos that steal my attention. Last month, I decided to watch The Forge. At first, I wasn’t fully engaged, but as the story unfolded, something grabbed me.
Isaiah, the main character, reminds me of myself—distracted, unsure, and just going through the motions. He wasn’t lazy, but he had no real direction. It wasn’t until someone stepped in—someone who saw potential in him—that his life started to change. He had to go through struggles, uncomfortable growth, and refining moments, but by the end, he wasn’t the same person.
Enter Luke 5:17-26, where a paralyzed man’s friends refused to let obstacles stop them from bringing him to Jesus. They didn’t let the crowded house be an excuse; they climbed the roof, tore it open, and lowered their friend down.
“The man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up the stretcher he had been lying on. Praising God, he went home.” Luke 5:25
Levi (Matthew) in Luke 5:27-32—a tax collector, an outcast. But Jesus calls him anyway, seeing something in him that others didn’t. Read that again “but Jesus called him anyway.”
Maybe you feel lost or uncertain about your direction, much like Isaiah or Levi. Perhaps, like me, you find yourself caught up in distractions that pull you away from wholeheartedly following Christ. Here’s the truth—Jesus is always ready to shape, refine, and forge you into something new, if you’re willing to surrender to Him.
Prayer: Lord, I don’t want to just drift through life. Help me break free from distractions and step into the purpose You are forging in me.
Luke 5:17-39
GOD’S WORD Translation
Jesus Forgives Sins
17 One day when Jesus was teaching, some Pharisees and experts in Moses’ Teachings were present. They had come from every village in Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. Jesus had the power of the Lord to heal.
18 Some men brought a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They tried to take him into the house and put him in front of Jesus. 19 But they could not find a way to get him into the house because of the crowd. So they went up on the roof. They made an opening in the tiles and let the man down on his stretcher among the people. (They lowered him in front of Jesus.)
20 When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Sir, your sins are forgiven.” 21 The experts in Moses’ Teachings and the Pharisees thought, “Who is this man? He’s dishonoring God! Who besides God can forgive sins?”
22 Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he said to them, “What are you thinking? 23 Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? 24 I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home.”
25 The man immediately stood up in front of them and picked up the stretcher he had been lying on. Praising God, he went home.
26 Everyone was amazed and praised God. They were filled with awe and said, “We’ve seen things today we can hardly believe!”
Jesus Chooses Levi [Matthew] to Be a Disciple
27 After that, Jesus left. He saw a tax collector named Levi sitting in a tax office. Jesus said to him, “Follow me!” 28 So Levi got up, left everything, and followed him.
29 Levi held a large reception at his home for Jesus. A huge crowd of tax collectors and others were eating with them.
30 The Pharisees and their experts in Moses’ Teachings complained to Jesus’ disciples. They asked, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?”
31 Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. 32 I’ve come to call sinners to change the way they think and act, not to call people who think they have God’s approval.”
Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting
33 They said to him, “John’s disciples frequently fast and say prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees. But your disciples eat and drink.”
34 Jesus asked them, “Can you force wedding guests to fast while the groom is still with them? 35 The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. At that time they will fast.”
36 He also used these illustrations: “No one tears a piece of cloth from a new coat to patch an old coat. Otherwise, the new cloth will tear the old. Besides, the patch from the new will not match the old. 37 People don’t pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the new wine will make the skins burst. The wine will run out, and the skins will be ruined. 38 Rather, new wine is to be poured into fresh skins.
39 “No one who has been drinking old wine wants new wine. He says, ‘The old wine is better!’ ”
Recent
Archive
2025
January
Paralysis of AnalysisA Daily CommitmentChild Like FaithThe Battle of the MindGPSSTOP. THINK. ACT. REVIEW.Let. It. Go.Choosing the Path of MercyQuick to Listen, Slow to SpeakPeacemakersBe Careful What You Wish ForRunYour Old Self Vs. The NewOn Not Loving the WorldLove One AnotherTreasure ChestsWho Sets the Bar?Be the You God Made You to BeTread a PathSo Much Better
2024
January
New Year, Fresh StartA Good Plan for the New YearCall on MeHope Has a NameHolidays in Rear ViewHolinessHow to Have our Mind TransformedNew Year, New YouA Pattern of RenewalVictory in JesusFear Knot? Fear Not.Seek the LORDBetterWhere to Place your TrustRadical GraceGenerosity God's WayThe Poor and NeedyThe Open Hand ConceptA Need that Burdens your HeartHow's Your Heart?Who Are You?Testing in the Wilderness
February
CallingDon't HideWhere You AreJust the Two of UsInvesting in the Kingdom of GodThe Golden RuleAgainst the GrainUnexplainable JoyThe Power of God's WordFollow MeThe God of the ImpossibleOut on a LimbWe All Face ItTrue JusticeGatherGood SoilDon't Put God in a BoxBe BraveCulture CheckFeed His Sheep. Love His People.Jesus Revealed
March
Jesus in His GloryNot QuantityHow Much God Loves ChildrenWhere Two or Three are GatheredLike Little ChildrenFocusAmazing GraceBeing Confronted By JesusKingdom FruitWedding AttireCome with a Hungry HeartLive and Lead Like HimTough LoveBe on your GuardKeep WatchTalentsSlow DownBeing Led by the SpiritKingdom WatchThey Are Us. We Are Them.Jesus Gave His All For UsHe is Risen, Indeed
Categories
Tags
no tags
No Comments