Good morning to ya thrifty! I hope all is well in this beginning of 2008 and that the purpose of your trials and affliction will be laid upon your heart by the amazing power and love of almighty God!
I guess we as believers wonder at times why things have to be so hard or painful or sad for us, after all, we are believers and followers of Jesus Christ the Son of Almighty God. As we know, in the blink of the eye, God can take the planet earth out. He can completely heal a person just moments from death. Change the seasons from the dead of winter to the living growing springtime. God can Do anything at anytime!
So why do we have to live in the same humanly afflictions as non-believers. I think your preachers statement brings up a good point;
"God does not renovate or repair the old man within us. Instead, He creates in us a brand new person with a new family, a new set of values, new dreams, new motivations, new purpose, and best of all, a brand new power to follow Him in this new and living way"
God changes us in all these ways but He knows in our sinful nature that we need to "feel" in order to grow and obey. God knows even though we give it all to Jesus that we are a long ways from being Christ like. Therefore we have to trod down lifes road...A new person in our mindset of life and living. But our poor ole bodys have to continue to pay the price...so to speak.
We are always trying to walk the narrow path, But sometimes we stray and God gives us a little correction or discipline with a little aliment or from the lose of something. As we know, as believers, sin dont go unpunished. Sooner or later if we keep it up, God is gonna get us!
But even for those that do a pretty good job of staying on the path, they can look for these same afflictions as well. Once again, in our weak human mind and bodys...we need to "feel" in order to trust and obey and grow in our walk with the Lord. Ive heard it said...why do Christians have to suffer so...and the answer was..if we didnt we would begin to "think' that we didnt need God. Hey if everything went great all the time...would I at some point just quit saying thank you Lord?
Now I dont start to pretend to know what God is thinking or doing. But I have 3 herniated disk in my lower back...From many years of living like the devil himself...Im sure...And once every 6 month or year it hits me and down I go and for a week or two...Its big time pain and can hardly walk until the chiropractor gets me back on my feet. Thank God for my chiropractor because with my past drug addiction...I stay away from pain relief. Each time it happens and im trying for a half hour to get up, im thinking...thank you God its no worse than what it is. I have to believe that at times this is discipline from God or at least Him showing me my dependance in Him. You know kinda like God says...You know Rick...if I didnt want you to get up...YOU WOULDNT GET UP!
Now im not saying its always that easy for every believer to accept what has come into their life...Im just saying thank God I can be that way right now...
Also this past year I went through several months of every heart test known to us earth creatures including the last being a catheter trying to fix an electrical problem in my heart. They werent able to fix it but thats Ok. I also have a leaky valve that is also Ok. by that I mean that after all I put this body through with 25 years of addictions, I knew something had to be a little worn...I mean, God in that blink of the eye took drugs and alcohol from me and later the 35 years of cigarettes away. I know that this heart thing is all part of Gods plan and it all has a purpose so...so be it. Again back to what your preacher said.
" God does not renovate or repair the old man within us. Instead, He creates in us a brand new person with a new family, a new set of values, new dreams, new motivations, new purpose, and best of all, a brand new power to follow Him in this new and living way".
So folks I dont bring up my humanly health problems looking for sympathy, just as I think that thrifty or excel or plugger or Rusty mates husband or Preciouslife or anyone else brings it up, this is a place to share our humanness and to bring Glory to God and what he is doing in our lives.... I bring up my health problems to make a point.
As a Christian I know that as long as I reside on planet earth...its going to probably be a hard row to hoe....but the great thing is this. Once a believer, once a member of the body of Christ, once the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in ones life. The whole attitude becomes that of being focused on what and why God is allowing whatever into my life...Knowing he is preparing me for that day that I step foot into Heaven!
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