Mistakes 5

Humble yourself under the mighty hand of your God so that I may exalt you in due time.   1 Peter 5:6

Humility.  There's a characteristic we battle against on a daily basis.

Our world screams at us to stand up for our rights; to not let others push us around; to demand that our voice is heard.

And yet that was not the way of the Savior, was it?  He was led silent, like a lamb to the slaughter.  When He was on the path that led to His death, He remained silent.  Can you imagine how it would've looked otherwise?  If Jesus had fought and kicked and screamed?  If He had demanded a lawyer, who would stand up for His rights?  If He had struck back at one of His captors?

A huge part of the torture and crucifixion of Jesus was His humility that led Him to not fight when He not only had the right, but also when He had available to Him the power to do so.

So should we let other people run over us and just take take it? 

No.  What we should do is strive to live a life of humility.  Not trying to elbow our way into the world for our 15 minutes of fame, but striving instead to be people of high character and great service to others.

God will take care of the rest.  He promises.

What impresses you about this passage?

Mistakes 4

If I confess my sins, You are faithful and just to forgive me my sins and cleanse me from all unrighteousness.   1 John 1:9

Confession.

They say it's good for the soul, but it is also hard on the ego.  A confession is an admission of wrong.  Straight up.  No qualifiers.

Why would God make that a prerequisite to forgiveness?  If we've given our lives to Him; done all the steps of believing in Him and repenting of sin and confessing the name of Jesus and putting Him on in baptism...why wouldn't God be satisfied?

Because the lack of confession still puts us in charge of our lives, not God.  Even if we regret our sin, without confession, we are still calling the shots.

But in confession, we assume a humble posture, a posture that says, "You're God and I'm not."  And when we assume that posture, a miracle happens.

We're clean.

What are your impressions of this passage?

Mistakes 3

I am confident of this very thing, that You who have begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Christ Jesus.   Philippians 1:6

When we have fallen prey to sin and are convicted of it, it is diificult to think that God still has use for us, isn't it?

And yet, not only is He not finished with us, He restores the penitent and continues to use us until we go home to be with Him.

Is other words, our mistakes do not define us.

God's love does.

What does this scripture bring to mind for you?

Mistakes 2

Return to me, the LORD your God....I will heal your backsliding, I will love you freely, for my anger is turned away from you.   Hosea 14:1, 4

Return.

For God, there is one thing in His sights when our mistakes, our sin, lead us away from Him.  He's looking for our return.

Our return to Him brings healing.  Our return to Him causes His anger to turn away from us.  And best of all, our return to Him reminds us that His love for us flows freely.

The important thing for us to remember is that His love for us doesn't go away when we choose to turn our back on Him.  When we turn away from our Creator, we run away from the benefit of His love.  We lose track of the depth of His care.  We have no understanding of His compassion.

So if your mistakes, your sin has led you away from God and you don't think He could ever take you back or forgive you, there is only one thing that you need to do to have all the benefits of His undying love for you.

Return.

What does this passage mean to you?

Relying on God when struggling with mistakes

Who is the one who condemns?  It is Christ who died, yes, rather who is risen again, who is even at Your right hand making intercession for me.   Romans 8:34

Have you ever worked for a boss that was harsh and unforgiving when someone made a mistake?  I realize some mistakes can be costly and repeated mistakes can damage a company, but that's not what I'm talking about.  I'm talking about the guy who is a tyrant and demands perfection from everyone.  Except himself, of course.

In life, as in business, some mistakes are costlier than others.  Some mistakes are made honestly and some would be more accurately called sin.

Thanks be to God!  He is not like that harsh boss.  His forgiveness is instantaneous when the request comes from a contrite heart.

And the best thing of all?  Not only does God forgive our mistakes and our sins, He goes one step further.

He stands in the gap for us.  He intercedes for us so that one day, we won't have to pay the price for our mistakes.

Because He already has.

What are your impressions of this passage?

Illness 7

O Israel, you have destroyed yourself, but in Me is your help.....I will ransom you from the power of the grave; I will redeem you from death.  O death, I will be your plagues; O grave, I will be your destruction.   Hosea 13:9, 14

Sometimes we call on God for healing and He does so.  And we are thrilled and grateful.  Sometimes we call on God for healing and He does not.  And we are crushed.

Who knows the mind of God?  We fall so short of having any grasp of why God moves the way He moves.  Why He sometimes says yes, sometimes no and sometimes wait.  I think I like wait the least of the three.

But here's something not only to remember in times of struggle with illness, but something to cling to: God will defeat death.  God will overcome death.  God will master death.

God will destroy death.

No more pain, no more sorrow, no more heartache, no more tears.

The destruction of death means one thing for those will believe in Jesus.

Life.

What are your thoughts on this passage?

Illness 6

LORD, You preserve the simple.  I was brought low and You helped me....I will walk before You, LORD, in the land of the living.   Psalm 116:6, 9

When is the last time you've been brought low?  Of course, we don't have to consider the question, "Have you ever been brought low?" because it is a given that we all have.

Life does that to us.  It knocks us down.  It humbles us.  Sometimes, it crushes us.

Especially when we struggle with illness.

But God has the answer.  As always, He gives us exactly what we need.  We are not always blessed with being immediately delivered.

But He goes a step further than that anyway.

He preserves us.

How does this scripture strike you?

Illness 5

You, LORD, will deliver me in time of trouble.  You will preserve me and keep me alive, and I shall be blessed upon the earth, and You will not deliver me into the will of my enemies.  LORD, You will strengthen me upon the bed of lauguishing.  You will restore me on my bed of sickness.   Psalm 41:1-3

Deliver.  Preserve.  Blessed.  Strengthen.  Restore.

Look at the words in this passage!  Can you imagine more powerful words being spoken about you from your Creator?

In our time of trouble, in our dark night, we have a God who not only loves us, not only cares for us, not only hurts with us...but who promises to deliver us, to preserve us, to bless us, to strengthen us and to restore us.

God is telling us in no uncertain terms to take heart.  We can't win the battle.

But He can.

How does this scripture strike you?

Illness 4

Is any sick among you?  Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over them, anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord.  And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up.   James 5:14-15

The elders' prayers will save the sick.

Is there a difference between saving the sick and healing the sick?  Yes.  Sometimes the recipient receives both saving and healing.  Sometimes not.

But the clear fact here is that James is pointing out that there are things worse than physical illness.  Like spiritual illness.

The prayer of faith will save the sick.  Why don't we do this much more often?

What is your take on this passage?

Illness 3

He bore our sins in His own body on the tree so we, being dead to sins, should live to righteousness.  By His stripes, we are healed.   1 Peter 2:24

There's the word we're after when we are struggling with illness: Healed.

After a certain point in the torture and crucifixion, there was no doctor that would've been able to heal Jesus' body.  It was too far gone. 

And yet, the great paradox of the crucifixion is that it healed us!  The torture that killed Jesus' body healed our souls!  The agony of Jesus served an important purpose.  He certainly didn't want it to happen, right?  He even asked God to not let it happen.  Three times He asked.

But the answer was no.  His suffering served a purpose.

In the middle of illness, we are focused on the cure.  And understandably so. 

But it would also be healthy to consider what purpose it might serve.  Might it serve a purpose of getting our attention off of something we had focused on that wasn't good for us?  Might it serve a purpose of allowing us to demonstrate faith to some person around us?

We all want to be healed.  And ultimately, the sacrifice of Jesus does that for us.

But in the meantime, until our bodies are healed on this earth, it might be worth praying for God to show you a purpose the illness can serve.

That purpose very well could save another person's life.  Or maybe even their soul.

What is your response to this verse?

Illness 2

Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me.  Your rod and your staff comfort me.   Psalm 23:4

Fear.

Illness strikes fear into the hearts of those who are struggling with it and fear into the hearts of their loved ones around them.  Because what illness does is bring us face to face with the unknown.

Now the fact is, we're surrounded by the unknown with every breath we take, but we don't really come to grips with it until we experience serious illness.  And serious illness sometimes brings us into the valley of the shadow of death, doesn't it?

God Himself wants us to know something very important: We do not walk there alone.  Our loved ones do not walk there alone.  He will never forsake us.  His love for us never ceases or even diminishes.

And because of that, His desire is that we lay our anxieties on Him.  That we trust Him.  That we rest in Him.  His desire for us is clear.

No fear.

What does this verse bring to your mind?

Relying on God when dealing with illness

Why are you so downcast, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, who is the health of my countenance and my God. Psalm 43:5

"I've done everything I can do. All I can do now is just pray."

Have you ever heard someone say something like that? Have you ever said something like that?

Isn't it funny how we often look to prayer or to God as a last resort, after we've exhausted every other avenue we can? I wonder how that makes God feel, when His promises are eternal and His power is over all, that we keep trying our own little cures?

He is the health of my countenance. In other words, whether I get better physically or not, when I turn it over to Him, I get better, regardless.

What do you think about this passage?