sitting in the lobby

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.

• The need to take care of myself-

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!"

Valentine's Day

On Monday it will be the most over-hyped day of the year....Valentine's Day. It's not that I am not a romantic, but this day overemphasizes only one type of love. And then of course, millions of dollars are spent (and made by merchants) by people to pursue this one type of love. And it starts in the school and works its way up from there.....

Now some might say "Edward, are you writing this because you didn't get a Valentine's Day card at school?" or "Are you writing this because you are 45 and single (hmmm....sounds like a TV show that was on a few years back)". No, I am writing this because there seems to be little or no mention of the best type of love that there is...

We are told that there are three types of love in the Greek:

• Eros: the kind of love of man for a woman (the one that is over-hyped)
• phileo: the kind of love that you have from a deep friendship
• and finally agape: the unselfish esteem of the object that is loved.

This final type, agape, is the one that describes the type of love that God the Father showed toward us. As it says in Romans 5:8-"But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Just think about that, "while we were still sinners"! While there was nothing in us that commanded that the Creator of the universe should come down and rescue us. Christ did not have to die for us, He could have very well allowed us to be separated from Him for all eternity. Yet he chose to endure the cross to pay for the redemption of all mankind. He even did it for those; who in this age that we live in, mock Him, ridicule Him, water down His message or try to make it fit their agenda, don't believe in Him, or don't want anything to do with Him.

Just think about that, a love so great, that it is willing to lay down it's own life for someone that they don't know....and is willing to give that gift of redemption for free, if we just ask? Just think about it...free (the thought of giving something for free would make a merchant's head explode). And without great hype and commercialism....(which would make promoters and ad executives cringe).

So while you are all out there, buying your expensive perfumes, candies, etc....I hope that you make room in your heart for the one type of love that will outlast all of that stuff. The Greatest Valentine Day's gift every given: The sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to pay for our sins for all time.....