Day 2 - Jesus has the authority... to forgive sins!Dear Father in Heaven:  Help Us to reflect on the truth we find in your holy scripture not just for this moment, but throughout the rest of this day that you’ve given to us.  We know that every good and perfect gift comes from you God. We thank you not only for all the good you have done but we also thank you in advance for all the good you have yet to do in our lives.We pray in Jesus name. AMEN.TODAY’S READING:  Mark Imagine the commotion encompassing Capernaum.  Talk about huge crowds… there were so many people that not only was there no room in the house, you couldn’t even find a good spot to see or hear Jesus outside the door!Then things were starting to get a little crazy!  Dirt falling from above as you see four men digging through the roof and lowering a paralyzed man down through the ceiling!  Truth be told, you or I might tend to say “Hey!  Don’t destroy the roof!”  But Jesus immediately sees beyond materialistic concerns and focuses instead on the great faith of the man and his four friends. Even more surprising, instead of immediately addressing the man’s most obvious physical need, Jesus goes deeper still still and says “Son, your sins are forgiven.”Some teachers of the law are present.  Knowing that only God can forgive sin, they  take offense.  Then Jesus says there is something he wants us to know. What does Jesus want us to know?  Listen closely.  He says, “I want you to know the son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins!”Then Jesus heals the man and everyone was amazed saying “We have never seen anything like this before!”Let’s pray.Lord Jesus,You have the power to meet our deepest needs - not only our physical needs but our spiritual needs as well. For You have the authority… to forgive!Please help us to know this truth. Not just with a surface mental knowledge but to know it experientially and fully. Help us to become amazed at your power and authority.Father God - We praise you for there truly is nobody as amazing as your only begotten son Jesus Christ!And it is in the name of Jesus that we pray. Amen!Thanks so much for joining us today. You are of course invited to come back again tomorrow for day 3 of our ongoing series “40 days with Christ”!Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.biblica.com/