We spend a great deal of time these days, concerned with the disease process, the cancers, the diabetes, right down to the painful hangnail. We are not to ignore these things, they are a part of our every day situations and the Lord has provided educated and sound physicians for this purpose. What most expect and what they eventually receive is not always what they want, but the end result is always in the Lords hands.
I remember in the beginning of my career in the medical field, we had a saying, an oxymoron if there ever was one, “Don’t bother me right now! Can’t you see I am busy trying to save lives here?” At the time it was comical, later, I found that we had nothing to do with “saving anyone.” Of course it was the Lord that was doing all, the saving, not us─or anyone like us. We were deluding ourselves at best. This was a time of true reflection for me, what was expected of me and what was I capable of doing.
John 15.5: “I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without ME…ye can do nothing.”
If you think on this verse for a moment, it becomes quite evident the truth being spoken. We are not able to take the very next breath unless the Lord so allows! Anyone in the medical field, for any real time, will notice there were times when you did everything known possible and still lost the patient. Hence the oxymoron statement as above.
Ultimately, only the “lost” will think the statement has any merit, the born-again follower of Jesus Christ, KNOWS better. In our best efforts, we are to make the patient more comfortable and as pain free as possible, the “proof in the pudding” belongs solely to our Lord and Savior. It would appear, even in these circumstances, that the ultimate outcome for any patient, with any condition, is always in the Lord’s hands!
It is also important to remember, that the outcome of the patient is never what we always expect it to be. We will not always have the end result to be the one that we want. That is where the “big black line” comes into play again, we see there is a “bifurcation” in this as well. Two directions to go: One where the patient responds well to treatment (God’s will) and continues on in life, and one where the patient dies (God’s will again). As humans, we would like to think we are able to intercede and make the prior, come true, Life oftens proves how wrong we are. That is never the case for us living here on earth. Be it known to all, Gods perfect will for us will always take precedence!
Ecclesiastes 3.1-8: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”
Ecclesiastes 3.20-22: “All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?”
It would appear, according to many nowdays, they have not read this part of the Word of God, otherwise they would surely understand the verses above and be able to take them to heart. Life is tough…Yet in every way God is in charge! Gods perfect will in our lives will be first and last; there is nothing we can do to change that. In any particular concern, God is omnicient, omnipresent, and omnipotent, we will forever be under HIS control. YET…what better place to be found, than to be a loving child of God.
1 Corinthians 15.55-58: “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”
Please take note here that the “sting of death” is SIN. So then the question is, “What if your SIN is covered by the blood of Jesus Christ on the cross?” Well…there is NO sting, there is NO death! Lets look at this “conversely.” (Remember we’re talking in eternal conditions.) There IS DEATH…therefore THERE is the sting of death! In other words, if you are lost and come to your moment of death, the sting is in the fact you are eternally dead! You are forever a resident of the “lake of fire” but the ultimate “sting” in this situation is that, YOU chose this for YOURSELF, YOU made YOUR decision! AHH!!
2 Corinthians 5.5-9: “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord. Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.”
Once again, we see the “bifurcation” in these verses. “Home in the body, absent from the Lord” and conversely “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.” The last sentence of the verse is the MOST important, that whether we are absent or present with the Lord, if we belong to Lord, we are always accepted by the Lord. There are NO greater words ever spoken, or assurance ever given!
So then for the “lost” or actually anyone, “What happens when we die here on earth?” You are either with the Lord immediately, or you are in hell. Note here please, there is a distinct difference between hell and the lake of fire! Residents of hell are on hold until the Great White Throne judgment, but they are in hell nonetheless, and their ultimate destination is the lake of fire for all of eternity.
Revelation 19.1-3: “And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever.”
Whoa…Hold the phone for a moment! The Bible means to say, that the torment will be “forever and ever?” Ummm…please reread the verses above! Who is the great whore and who are the ones that took the lives and spilt the blood of HIS servants? I am going to try and say this as delicately as possible, the answer is, All those that turned their back of the Gift of Jesus Christ!
Whom else? So then the next question is, “Are you one of those lost?”
Are you one of those that has NOT accepted the Lord Jesus Christ and HIS blood from the cross at Calvary, to cover your SIN? If that is you…you did NOT shoot yourself in the foot! You blew yourself away with a bazooka! Do you have a clue yet? Since Adam and Eve were thrown out of Eden, the equation has NOT changed one iota! Jesus Christ in your life, your SIN covered by HIS precious blood…equals…NO pain NO strain…YOU are GOOD! Enjoy the eternal life of your Master!!
Now…IF by chance, You die and you do NOT belong to Jesus Christ…IF your SIN is not covered by HIS precious blood from the cross at Calvary…Woe be unto YOU!! There simply are not enough numbers in our number system to equate that level of suffering and pain! Therefore know this, or as we used to term in Vietnam, “Be advised.”
IF you do NOT belong to Jesus Christ, YOU will suffer like you could NEVER imagine and there will be NO end to it, it will last for eternity! Bible says so! Why do you think we keep trying to get the message of Jesus Christ out to everyone that will listen?! NOW, do YOU have a clue?