On Monday, I was at the DGD (Diabetes and Glandular Disease) clinic having my blood work done and waiting to see my nurse-practitioner Karen Scott when I was sitting in the lobby/foyer of the clinic and there was a couple of observations that was put upon my heart while I was waiting....
What being a diabetic has reminded me of:
- The need to help others-As I was in the clinic, I noticed all sorts of people walking in and out for their appointments...
- -the young and attractive
- -The elderly and those who had been through life
- -People who brought their families with them
However they all had the same affliction and the same need...and it is the same way here in the world. We see people everyday and they have the same affliction (sin) and the same need (a Savior-someone to take care of them) and the question is to borrow from Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan....Are we like the priest and Levite who went on the other side of the road or are we like the Samaritan who didn't care about cultures and differences, but took pity on the person and cared for the person and provided for them? There is a saying....
People will not care how much we know until they see how much we care.
Do others know how much we care, can they see Jesus who was the ultimate example of caring for others needs and afflictions? And if not, why? Have we gotten too hard of heart or too busy to care? If so, then let's slow down, lets break down that hardness and see that there is a world of people who will never know what Jesus is REALLY like until they see it in us.
I have admitted in several blog entries to the war that I am fighting against "The Fat Man" (my name for my old nature) and to the fact that at times, I have actually sabotaged myself, by "aiding and abetting" the enemy, by giving in. However, there is a cost to giving in and that is eventual damage to my health leading to death. And it is the same thing spiritually...when we give in to the devil and his temptations there are costs that we may not see at the time, but the will eventually come. The damage to our spiritual health will be in listening less and less to the Father, less time in prayer and fellowship, and going back to our old lifestyle which eventually causes death.
However, if I take care of myself and get my self in shape, I can counter the effects of diabetes and live a longer life and not as much medication. It is the same spiritually, when we take care of ourselves by being in the Word and spending time in prayer, being in fellowship with other believers who are able to help us; we are able to be stronger and counter the schemes and plans of the enemy, which leads to a longer and stronger spiritual life and not have need of "feel good" medication.
But as with everything, God doesn't dictate to us what to do, He leaves us the choice of what to do...so to borrow from Chuck Swindoll....."Choose for Yourself!"
Good points, Edward. When I was first diagnosed with diabetes, I got mad. At God. I wanted to blame Him for afflicting me with a disease. But the truth is that while genetics may have predisposed me towards diabetes, it was my lifestyle choices that were to blame. Those choices were what affected my physical health.
ReplyDeleteAs you point out, the same is true of our spiritual health. Too often we want to blame God for things which are more accurately the outcome of our own bad choices for our spiritual lives.