Sunrise – Sunset

So, death is at work in us, but life in you.  2 Corinthians 4:12 ESV

When we are in life changing situations, we may understand a little of the daily life of those in long-term care. We are forced to come face to face with questions like: “Do my family and friends really care? Do they really know what my daily life is like? What have I done that really matters in life?” or, “Will I have the faith and courage to face whatever lies ahead?” But if we stop to think how our world turns on its axis, we will realize that today our sunset happens at the exact instant a beautiful dawn is breaking for someone else. That is what the apostle Paul was telling his dear friends. While his own life hastened towards a sunset of suffering, the dawn of the light of God’s life was just beginning in theirs.

God puts a choice in each our hands. The more tightly we cling to the sunset of our own life, the less we will be able to light the fire of the torch of faith in others. But if like Paul, we simply release our spirit to God’s will, we will begin to discover as he did, the unending sunrise of God’s grace rising brightly in our hearts!

Day 6 The Hope of Healing

That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses      Matthew 8:17

 If we think that God is so intimately concerned with our physical needs that He has counted even the number of hairs on our head. We have a great hope that whether in this life or in the next; God will heal every disease, restore all that is broken and renew our youth like the eagles!

Whether sitting in a wheel chair in a nursing home or confined to a bed with a tracheotomy tube in order to breathe, Jesus offers the hope of complete and entire healing as one part of His promise of eternal life. That promise may be overlooked or forgotten by we who are in perfect health, yet God does not forget. The same Jesus who was moved with compassion for lepers, the blind and the lame has promised to wipe every tear from our eyes. He not only has compassion for our aches, pains and disabilities but the Bible tells us that He took all of these onto his shoulders and carried them. If we continue reading in the chapter of Isaiah that Matthew quotes we see that in the very next verse that it is by His stripes that we are healed. God is so very concerned for every one of our pains and infirmities that He allowed a whip to fall across the shoulders of Jesus. As He was wounded again and again we were being healed. Weak arms will be lifted, failing voices will sing again and deaf ears will hear the shepherd’s voice! Yes we have the hope of healing! When the temporary things of earth have passed we will stand strong and eternally young in the presence of our ageless King!

It Is Well With My Soul

Paul tells us that the trials in this life are not worthy to be compared to the glory to come. We cannot yet see the glory but the more we trust the greater the peace will flow!

Even There

 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me Psalm 139:9-10

 

The hard part when we have chosen the wrong path, the far city or the direction away from our calling is the hopelessness and finality of our failure. But David encourages us that in God there is always hope even in our failures. He is always with us always. – even there – and he will lead us by the hand and hold us close to Him.