Why? Because you don’t deserve good health. You don’t deserve the strength to walk across a room. You don’t deserve a pain free life. You don’t deserve to take your next breath. Because of your sin, that you were born into, you deserve to go to hell forever.
Thankfully, we have a Redeemer. We have a Savior. We have a great High Priest who lives to make intercession for us. 2000 years ago, He died that we too would be raised with Him. If, we choose to humble ourselves, repent of our sin, and turn to Him as our leader we too can know that life.
Our healing has been paid in full. We have been bought with a price. And forever we will live with Him in paradise if we stand faithful to His word in this life. He bowed so low to lift us so high. However, not for one minute do we deserve it.
At some of my lowest moments, to remember that He doesn’t owe me my healing has been SO helpful to my heart. I remind myself (and Him - this is called prayer) continually that He desires for me to be healed. He was tortured, led like a lamb to the slaughter so that I would know healing.
However, I also remind myself that I didn’t earn it. And I don’t deserve it. This cultivates gratitude in my heart. Thankfulness is one of the best weapons in the midst of battling, well, anything! Particularly in the midst of sickness, I think we have the invitation to become some of the most thankful people on earth.
Thankful that pain and weakness is for but a minute. Thankful that He destroyed death forever on the cross. Thankful that we still have breath to praise His Name. Thankful for every minute we have to love Him on this side of eternity. Thankful that He saved us... the list goes on and on.
A well known chorus at IHOP by Misty Edwards is:
"You owe me nothing. I deserve hell.This truly must be our battle cry in the day to day. We don’t deserve His love, oh but how He loves to lavish it upon us! Thank you Jesus for your mercy!
You owe me nothing, but You’ve given me mercy.”
2 comments:
Jenny,
You are truly remarkable!
I am truly blessed by these posts.
I agree with you 100% that a thankful heart is key in every aspect of our lives. Your ability to maintain such a tender and thankful heart in the midst of "not so great" circumstances is an amazing feet! You are truly an inspiration and not just to those battling illnesses, to us not battle ones too!
Funny. Literally two minutes before I looked at the title of your blog I was finishing up 1st Cor. and thought I might adopt Paul's closing "If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed" as my own email signature. My thought was, "that's a strong closing". Not only is it strong, neither such a title or a closing would remotely be considered politically correct either. Truth is offensive isn't it?
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