Who’s Paralyzed?

Read Ephesians 4:17-24

“Grandma, I’m sorry you can’t do everything you used to do,” said Cody. He wasn’t sure what a stroke was, but he knew it was a stroke that had made his grandmother different several months ago. “I’ve been praying that you’ll get all better.”

“Me, too,” said Grandma, “but I knew this old body would give out sooner or later—it happens to the best of us, you know.” Grandma always had a smile, even though she couldn’t walk very well with her walker and even though her left arm hung loosely at her side. “But did you know that lots of people in the world are paralyzed, and some of them don’t even know it?” she added.

Cody was surprised. “How could they not know?” he asked.

“Well, you see, sin works like a stroke sometimes—it paralyzes,” said Grandma. “Sometimes a person just keeps on doing something wrong until it doesn’t ‘hurt’ anymore.” She took a pair of scissors from a nearby table and gently poked her left arm with the sharp point. “He loses the feeling of guilt, just like I’ve lost the feeling in my arm. And unless the feeling comes back, he may remain in sin until it’s too late to change.”

“I don’t think I’m paralyzed,” said Cody. “When I lied about what I did after school on Monday, I felt terrible!”

“Good,” said Grandma. “But remember, you can feel things well with one part of your body”—she waved her right hand—“while another part remains unfeeling.” She pointed to her motionless left arm. “Are there other areas where you need to obey?”

“I’ll think about it,” said Cody thoughtfully.

How about you?

Have you noticed that the more often you do something wrong, the less concerned you are about it? You may even get to thinking that the wrong thing is right. It’s important not to let your conscience become paralyzed by sinning. When you’re tempted to do something wrong, get away from it quickly.

Memorize:

“Keep away from every kind of evil.” 1 Thessalonians 5:22