Great Physician

I flew to Wyoming to visit family this week, and was surrounded by sniffling, sneezing seat mates on the airplane. I felt like I was in a cloud of germs and wanted to take a shower when I finally arrived at my destination. So many people are worried about germs…flu germs, virus germs, cold germs…humans almost duck when someone standing next to them sneezes. We do what we can to protect ourselves from those invisible attackers.

What is the first thing you do when you feel a cold coming on? Do you drink gallons of orange juice, eat zinc tablets like they are tic-tacs, pop vitamins, take that coughing-sneezing-aching-sleep-so-you-can-rest-medicine, walk in a cloud of disinfectant, clean random door knobs and finally, stay away from family and friends, thinking you don't want to get them sick? You put all this time and effort into this little invisible germ, just in case it MIGHT be there. You never see the germ, you only know its there because “it was going around” or “you had a tickle in your throat”. And yet, you would go to great lengths to avoid it.

Some people think “getting saved” is the same as “getting sick”. They think it’s an illness that can kill the “good life”, when the opposite is true. It’s a cure for a terminal illness: sin. (1 Corinthians 15:56) If I open my Bible in public, like on the plane, it gets very quiet. People suddenly become very small in their seat, almost willing themselves to become invisible. If I mention Jesus to some people, they visibly flinch like I sneezed in their face. I’ve noticed that when people feel “God coming on” they might deaden that feeling with alcohol, drugs or physical intimacy. Some disinfect their homes of any type of religious material; even go so far as to block channels on their tv. If a family member “gets saved”…they might be avoided because it “might be catchy”. And heaven forbid walking into a church, that would be like walking into a quarantine for some deadly disease without a hermetically sealed bio-suit.

Why do some think of finding Jesus is like catching an illness? There are even terms for it: Jesus Freaks, Holy Rollers, and Religious Hypocrites. The Bible says that Jesus is the Great Physician-not Typhoid Mario. (Mark 2:17) I happen to know for a fact that He specializes in Cardiology. I have not figured out yet why He does not heal some people physically. (That will be another post.) I do know for a fact that He never passes up a sick heart. When you ask, He can reach in and do an amazing transplant. He removes that rock hard heart that was deadened by anger, jealousy, promiscuity, drugs and alcohol, abuse or hate and replaces it with a new one that beats only for Him. (Ezekiel 11:19-20) For added measure, He adds a pacemaker of sorts: the Holy Spirit. (He beats that Energizer bunny hands down.)

If you are tired of running away or running your own life and you are ready for a dose of living-praising-overcoming-peace-so-you-can-rest-heavenly medicine, pray with me now:

"Father God, I am sick of breaking Your laws and having my sins separate me from You. I am truly sorry, and now I want to turn from my past sinful life and move toward You. Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again. I believe that Your son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my simple prayer. I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, and to perform heart surgery on me now. I want Jesus to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Please send your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen."

If you prayed this prayer and really meant it, God will begin a work in you that will change your life. And He won’t stop until He’s done. (Philippians 1:6)

What's the next step? Continue your complete recovery and ask God to direct you to a local church, so you can grow and learn more about this new life. I would love to pray for you, so please leave a comment on this blog or drop me an email. And don’t forget, Christians are recovering sinners…just because some of them have relapses to their old life doesn’t mean they’re hypocrites. It just means they’re still healing and they need a friend to help them get back on the road to spiritual health. Colossians 3:12-17