Devotion: Sickness — 07Dec2024 скачать в хорошем качестве

Devotion: Sickness — 07Dec2024

Devotion: Sickness — 07Dec2024 Psalm 103:1-5 NIV Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. [2] Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits— [3] who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, [4] who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, [5] who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. From a little colds to the dreaded news of cancer, sickness often strikes unexpectedly. It attacks our bodies and makes us unable to function at full capacity. It makes us feel lousy. And, in the worst cases, it takes our life. When we are sick we know we are infected with germs and viruses that are attacking our body, trying to hurt us. Quickly our immune system kicks in, sending the necessary aid to fight the bad invaders, kill them, and wash them out of our system. While the battle rages, we are often left exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally. This should remind us that another infectious disease is raging within our body all the time. It is called sin. Sin is a disease that not only takes a physical, mental, and emotional toll, but also spiritual one. Sin is a sickness every human has and must learn to live with and keep in check. When we come to Jesus with this sin problem, he prescribes forgiveness. When you ask, he forgives your sin and it can no longer control the way you live. It will still lurk in your heart, trying to attack your body and bring you down. Eventually, it is sin that causes everyone to die. But then a miraculous healing takes place for those who have received the antidote of Jesus’ forgiveness. At the moment of death, sin is washed from your body forever. For the rest of eternity you live in a body that will never again be sick from any physical or spiritual disease. Our job as Christians is to do the best we can to keep sin from infecting us and to serve as “nurses for the soul,” bringing others to God, the Great Physician, who has the eternal antidote for any sickness and can ultimately heal it all. Does God care when I am sick? Yes. Of course. When Jesus was here on earth he made a lot of miracles and healed the sick, and even made dead person live again. It’s because Jesus is the God of the living. Matthew 9:35 NIV Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. One remarkable account is the healing of a paralyzed man carried by four men in; Mark 2:5 NIV When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Jesus challenged the teachers of the law that, it’s easier to forgive sin than to heal the sick. Jesus not only forgives his sins but also healed the paralyzed man. Jesus also gave authority to his disciples Matthew 10:1 Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. Healing through faith in Jesus Acts 3:16 “Through faith in the name of Jesus, this man was healed—and you know how crippled he was before. Faith in Jesus’ name has healed him before your very eyes. A prophecy fulfilled; Matthew 8:17 This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases.” And a prophecy; Revelation 21:4 He will remove all of their sorrows, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. For the old world and its evils are gone forever. God has full authority over all sickness and he cares deeply when you are sick. He has the authority and ability to heal to whomever he chooses. Eventually, he will remove all sickness and suffering from all of his children for eternity. Sometimes he chooses not to heal a person here on earth, even a devout Christian. We do not understand why, but someday we will. Question is: If God doesn’t heal you as you expect, will you still trust Him? Many might doubt that God cannot heal. But that’s their understanding, God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. If he can miraculously heal before, so as today. Hebrews 9:27-28 And just as each person is destined to die once and after that comes judgment, so also Christ died once for all time as a sacrifice to take away the sins of many people. He will come again, not to deal with our sins, but to bring salvation to all who are eagerly waiting for him. Sickness and disease strike the righteous and the unrighteous. Often it cannot be avoided but at best only postponed. It’s best to be prepared for what happens after death. Our earthly tent is temporary; and a glorified body is promised to those who put their trust in Jesus Christ. Let us therefore put our faith in Jesus at all times not just when we encounter sickness. For God has the ultimate plan for our lifetime here on earth and for eternity with Him.