Healing = Renewal

(This isn't just like our unit - couldn't find a photo of it - but works the same way)

Cryotherapy is one of the items being used to aid in healing Beloved Husband’s shoulder. A small ice-chest with a pump circulates cold water to decrease inflammation and spasms while promoting vascular constriction. The chest is filled with ice, then water is added and the pump turned on. Temperatures will remain between 42-48 degrees for several hours. About seven hours later, we have to get rid of the water, start over with new ice.

Of course, that reminds me of how much we need to be active in church services.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. (Hebrews 10:25 KJV)

Even though as Christians we’ve been taught the difference between right and wrong; even though we’ve made the decision to follow in His footsteps and have the Bible as our guide; even though we know all of this:

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. (2 Peter 3:17-18 KJV)

We need that renewal of spirit David wrote of:

Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. (Psalms 51:10 KJV)

Paul wrote of that spiritual renewal, too, in his letter to the church at Ephesus.

If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in the spirit of your mind; (Ephesians 4:21-23 KJV)

That teaching is ongoing. There is so much to learn and our capabilities of learning change as we grow older and wiser. It is so true that when we are children, we understand as children. Our understanding grows as we grow. Unfortunately, some growth is stunted, it goes unused and is not fed.

Instead, we come to Him as two of his disciples did:

And James and John, the sons of Zebedee, come unto him, saying, Master, we would that thou shouldest do for us whatsoever we shall desire. (Mark 10:35 KJV)

They did not request the wisdom of Solomon. They did not request the consistency of Job. They did not request the strength of Samson, nor the ability to judge Israel. They did not ask how to better serve God.

What are we asking? It could be anything from “Leave me alone!!” to:

Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me. (Isaiah 6:8 KJV)

Circulate that renewal, heal and respond.

Time?

Does the time change bother you? Try explaining it to dogs and cats. Or cows on a diary farm. I do understand the concept of fuel savings, but really – is it effective?

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has a page showing just how unstandard the question of Daylight Saving Time changes are: http://www.nist.gov/pml/div688/localtime.cfm#who

Out of the nine time zones for the United States and its territories (see, you only thought about four!) six follow DST – with the exception of most of Arizona. Several summers ago we made a driving trip headed west from Oklahoma, two couples, five kids. The children were pretty good about being on time, except our first night in Arizona. After almost an hour had past since they were supposed to be back at our campsite, we went to the game room to chastise them a bit for non-compliance. Ooops – local time was an hour earlier.

The NIST site refers us to the California Energy Commission http://www.energy.ca.gov/daylightsaving.html which has several links to discussions of the effectiveness of DST.

Americans usually blame Benjamin Franklin who wrote about saving light in Paris, April of 1784 http://www.webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/franklin.html but it was an Englishman in 1907 who wrote “The Waste of Daylight.” William Willett suggested moving the clock ahead by 80 minutes by a series of four moves, twenty minutes each. We can be grateful his suggestion was adjusted!!

It did, however, make England aware of energy savings and in 1916 British Summer Time was instituted, helping to save energy during WWI.

Our atomic clock updated this morning, as did my cell phone. The remainder of Beloved Husband’s clock collection will be changed as needed. The two chiming clocks here in the den (yes, we get used to them and the chiming doesn’t wake us during the night) will be changed this morning. Stuck at home for these few days, we really aren’t as concerned about time as we are about hours between medication.

So, where’s the verse? Where’s the application? Two come to mind.

And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And they marvelled at him. (Mark 12:17 KJV)

Our government has set specific time zones and time changes. There is no harm to us by doing so, just a bit of inconvenience. Change the clocks.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 tells us every thing has a season – not an hour, but a season. And, one other scripture that mentions time seems timely:

And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27 KJV)

We appear to be more concerned about an hour’s change twice a year than this one lifetime event.

Fleeced?

Are you willing to ask God if He really means what He says? Gideon did.

When called by God, his first response was that God had forsaken Israel. How could God be looking out for these people?

And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. (Judges 6:13 KJV)

The first step of the renewal was so fearful to Gideon that he could not accomplish it in the day time.

Then Gideon took ten men of his servants, and did as the LORD had said unto him: and so it was, because he feared his father's household, and the men of the city, that he could not do it by day, that he did it by night. (Judges 6:27 KJV)

The next steps were even greater. Gideon needed assurance.

And Gideon said unto God, If thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor; and if the dew be on the fleece only, and it be dry upon all the earth beside, then shall I know that thou wilt save Israel by mine hand, as thou hast said. And it was so: for he rose up early on the morrow, and thrust the fleece together, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl full of water. (Judges 6:36-38 KJV)

Insufficient. That might have been an accident.

And Gideon said unto God, Let not thine anger be hot against me, and I will speak but this once: let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let there be dew. And God did so that night: for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. (Judges 6:39-40 KJV)

Are we willing to be as certain we are following God’s will? So many say they are – yet their paths appear divisive. Are we willing to put the equivalence of fleece before God and ask, or do we look upon that as rebellion? Or, as Christ described a generation?

But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: (Matthew 12:39 KJV)

I think that is tempered with:

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. (Philippians 4:6 KJV)

To know the peace that following God’s path can bring, it may be necessary to ask directions. Is this really the right road? When those questions arise, for ourselves or for others, He is able to provide. And we can provide our answer to those who ask the reason for our path.

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: (1 Peter 3:15 KJV)

Detail of Greek icon showing Gideon holding fleece (Wiki Commons)

Drugs

I despise the effect psychoactive drugs have on individual’s personalities. Last night was an excellent example.

Beloved Husband is taking a very strong pain pill, designed to at least allow him to forget how much pain is throbbing in his damaged shoulder. After leaving the hospital, he slept a good deal of the afternoon going about five hours between pain pills.

The doctor also prescribed a sleep aid – well advertised, a familiar name – to be taken at bedtime.

For him, it was hallucinogenic. It also caused him to talk in his sleep. Except it didn’t appear to be “sleep”, but the drug created constant activity in his mind that was reflected in action. He removed covers, tried to stand up, pulled at the protective sling in an attempt to remove it. This is not the action of a rational person.

A dear friend of ours abused alcohol. When he drank, he became so belligerent that he once struck out at his wife when we were together. This was not the action of a man I know loves his wife and whose family was extremely important to him.

Even the appearance of drunkenness is attention catching. Remember Eli and Hanna?

And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee. (1 Samuel 1:14 KJV)

Our society has found a multitude of mind-altering collection of drugs. Some, such as alcohol and prescribed medications are legal. Others are not. For a Christian, there should be no question of their use except under a qualified doctor’s care, for a specific reason. They make us what we are not.

The Bible has much to say about this: Proverbs 23:31-35, Hosea 7:5, Isaiah 28:7-8, Ecclesiastes 2:3, Proverbs 20:1, 1 Corinthians 5:11 – you can find more yourself.

Why? Why does the Bible take such a dim view?

Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them! (Isaiah 5:11 KJV)

Not rising up to worship the one, true, living God, but seeking to alter their minds, wiping out the memory of the Lord who requires that there be none before Him.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me. (Exodus 20:3 KJV)

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. (Matthew 22:37-38 KJV)

Drugs replace the mind’s ability to worship the Lord. Right now, under the influence of these medical marvels that ease his physical pain, Beloved Husband is not able to focus on serving the Lord. God willing, this will not last long (for either one of us!)

I have seen His work in the lives of new Christians who have traded their mind-altering addictions for the soul-cleansing work of the Lord. We pray others will do so, too.

Psalms 69

As other mornings, I opened my computer to post a daily blog. A small icon in the right hand corner caught my eye – no internet connection. Connection to the router was good, but the router’s connection to the internet was lost and a reset was required.

How often do we lose our connection to God? That answer will vary, but if we’re not praying, we’re not in touch with the Lord. Any time we feel that separation, we need to reach out to Him. Perhaps David felt that as he prayed:

But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O LORD, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation. (Psalms 69:13 KJV)

It is part of a prayer where he felt as though he were drowning, under waters way over his head:

Save me, O God; for the waters are come in unto my soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing: I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. (Psalms 69:1-3 KJV)

Was this one of the times his family failed him? Or one of the times when he failed them?

I am become a stranger unto my brethren, and an alien unto my mother's children. (Psalms 69:8 KJV)

David knew he needed help, and he called for it to be speedy.

Hear me, O LORD; for thy lovingkindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. And hide not thy face from thy servant; for I am in trouble: hear me speedily. (Psalms 69:16-17 KJV)

He found no pity without God.

Reproach hath broken my heart; and I am full of heaviness: and I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none. (Psalms 69:20 KJV)

After a few comments about his enemies, David turns back to his relationship to God.

But I am poor and sorrowful: let thy salvation, O God, set me up on high. I will praise the name of God with a song, and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the LORD better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs. (Psalms 69:29-31 KJV)

David calls upon the rest of creation to praise Him.

Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein. (Psalms 69:34 KJV)

So my daily posting is slightly delayed to due the frailties of our technology, which reminds me that the Lord never fails. His word offers an explanation of prayer, and it’s promise.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7 KJV)

If The Lord Tarries

We’ve been told He’ll return.

Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11)

Spend some time reading in prayer Matthew’s 24th chapter, where we find:

So likewise ye, when ye shall see all these things, know that it is near, even at the doors. (Matthew 24:33)

Continue into chapter 25, and read:

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh. (Matthew 25:13)

Many quote from Matthew 25:35-46 as good works for us to do. Yet some ignore:

When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (Matthew 25:31)

Much of the detail was revealed to John on Patmos:

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. (Revelation 19:11)

So, do we bow in prayer and wait for His return? I think not. Had Christians done that for the past two thousand years we would not have the stories to tell and the faith to show today. There would have been no preachers studying to rightly divide the word of truth and exhort His church.

We shouldn’t be concerned that another two thousand years may pass without hearing the sound of the trumpet. Even though He has spoken:

He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. (Revelation 22:20)

It should be nothing to us if we’re here only another moment or not, we will complete our allotted time in His loving care.

Volunteer

The comment was part of a much longer discussion about church activities that had not gone as anticipated. One person said they thought it could be done differently. Another said, “They are volunteers.”

Forgive me, but that’s not really valid reasoning for a lack of results. God seldom used volunteers. He called people to action, and repeated the call if they declined. Abraham, Moses, Samuel, Jonah – not a volunteer among them. Our Christian churches are to be examples of New Testament churches, built on Christ’s life and His teachings. I don’t recall Him waiting for volunteers, either.

And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. (Matthew 4:18-19 KJV)

True, He was, is and ever will be, perfection. That’s what we are to strive for, that’s what we are work toward. Even when we fail, that’s our goal. Christ wasn’t very gentle when getting Paul’s attention and recruitment, either. And, He was specific when He told Ananias what to do.

And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, (Acts 9:11 KJV)

These people didn’t “volunteer,” they were called. They were also taught. I first found that example in the Old Testament.

Then the king of Assyria commanded, saying, Carry thither one of the priests whom ye brought from thence; and let them go and dwell there, and let him teach them the manner of the God of the land. Then one of the priests whom they had carried away from Samaria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD. (2 Kings 17:27-28 KJV)

Jesus taught His disciples, too.

And seeing the multitudes, he went up into a mountain: and when he was set, his disciples came unto him: And he opened his mouth, and taught them, saying, (Matthew 5:1-2 KJV)

On the other hand, do not turn away volunteers – Christ didn’t turn away Philip’s friend, Nathanael. Jesus greeted him as an Israelite without guile and Nathanael asked how He knew that. Jesus answered with a comment about a fig tree. Nathanael responded and followed.

Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. (John 1:49 KJV)

We, too, make such an acknowledgement when we accept Christ as our savior and request church membership. We then need training. Titus 2 has directions for all ages of church members.

Look for the programs in your church and truly volunteer where you can best serve. Ask for directions – determine the goals, set standards for the outcome, ask questions of leadership if understanding is lacking or confusion exists, share expertise and grow experience. We need to be as professional in our church service as we are in our work. Sadly, maybe we are.

Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; (Romans 12:11 KJV)