A recent experience with my medical health reminded me of our need for a Savior and continued dependence upon our heavenly Father. During my annual check-up, I was informed that my total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad guys) numbers were high. Generally this is an indication of an increased risk of heart disease. The initial recommendation was to begin a regimen of medication to reduce the numbers. I did not like the idea of taking medication and felt that I could improve this condition by adjusting my diet and getting more exercise. In the meantime, I also learned that additional lab tests might give some more meaningful information. When the results of those tests came back, the doctor informed me they revealed an inherited genetic defect which negatively affects the way my body manages cholesterol. This defect causes my body to absorb more cholesterol than it should. And, here’s the key point, although under normal circumstances adjusting one’s diet and getting exercise is beneficial, in my situation there would only be a minimal benefit. So the doctor recommended a medication which would give my body the assistance it needs to manage the level of cholesterol.
So what does this have to do with our need for a Savior and dependence upon God? Man’s problem, our defect, is our enslavement and propensity to sin, and death. We need a Savior to cure this problem. We cannot combat or reverse this on our own. Christ Jesus has been given as the cure. Faith in this arrangement brings us into fellowship with God. Our fellowship with God is designed to be a relationship of dependence upon Him for all things. Jesus spoke many times of the importance of hearing his words and doing them, of Himself as the bread of life, of abiding in Him, of being branches connected to Him as the true vine. The apostle Paul spoke of our salvation as a transition from the dominion of the world to the kingdom of God, and how our manner of living and our desires are changed to align with God’s will. It is God’s desire that we trust Him not only for salvation but also for continued living.
When I think of these things, it reminds me that each of us faces a ‘Garden of Eden’ decision in a manner of speaking. The serpent put before the first man and woman the temptation to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They seized for themselves the choosing of good and evil independent of fellowship with God and His guidance. Due to their choice, sin and death entered into the world. Ironically in choosing what they believed was freedom, Adam and Eve became enslaved.
God created each of us to live with Him, not apart from Him. Our dependence upon Him is true freedom. When we try to make sense of life according to our own wisdom and understanding, we believe the lying implication that we can be like God knowing good and evil. We experience the truth of the proverb, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Prov. 14:12) Depending upon Him leads to life even now. Life in our relationships, life in our goals, life in our desires, life in our worship, life in our praise, life in our soul and spirit.
We can choose to live life independent of fellowship with God and His guidance, or we can choose the saving power of God’s cure. There is no middle ground. Our culture is filled with examples of choices made independent of fellowship with God. While human efforts struggle to address the external symptoms, God has already made provision for the total cure. Humans produce remedies with side effects, God transforms us to wholeness. Human societies and institutions are monuments to this failed experiment. While some good has been accomplished, there are always unintended and unforeseen consequences which leave much to be desired. Man’s efforts independent of God will never be able to bring complete and total relief from injustice, suffering, and evil. And they will never cure our sin problem.
Contact us to learn more about how you can enjoy this relationship with God.
The Cure for What Ails Us
A recent experience with my medical health reminded me of our need for a Savior and continued dependence upon our heavenly Father. During my annual check-up, I was informed that my total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol (the bad guys) numbers were high. Generally this is an indication of an increased risk of heart disease. The initial recommendation was to begin a regimen of medication to reduce the numbers. I did not like the idea of taking medication and felt that I could improve this condition by adjusting my diet and getting more exercise. In the meantime, I also learned that additional lab tests might give some more meaningful information. When the results of those tests came back, the doctor informed me they revealed an inherited genetic defect which negatively affects the way my body manages cholesterol. This defect causes my body to absorb more cholesterol than it should. And, here’s the key point, although under normal circumstances adjusting one’s diet and getting exercise is beneficial, in my situation there would only be a minimal benefit. So the doctor recommended a medication which would give my body the assistance it needs to manage the level of cholesterol.
So what does this have to do with our need for a Savior and dependence upon God? Man’s problem, our defect, is our enslavement and propensity to sin, and death. We need a Savior to cure this problem. We cannot combat or reverse this on our own. Christ Jesus has been given as the cure. Faith in this arrangement brings us into fellowship with God. Our fellowship with God is designed to be a relationship of dependence upon Him for all things. Jesus spoke many times of the importance of hearing his words and doing them, of Himself as the bread of life, of abiding in Him, of being branches connected to Him as the true vine. The apostle Paul spoke of our salvation as a transition from the dominion of the world to the kingdom of God, and how our manner of living and our desires are changed to align with God’s will. It is God’s desire that we trust Him not only for salvation but also for continued living.
When I think of these things, it reminds me that each of us faces a ‘Garden of Eden’ decision in a manner of speaking. The serpent put before the first man and woman the temptation to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They seized for themselves the choosing of good and evil independent of fellowship with God and His guidance. Due to their choice, sin and death entered into the world. Ironically in choosing what they believed was freedom, Adam and Eve became enslaved.
God created each of us to live with Him, not apart from Him. Our dependence upon Him is true freedom. When we try to make sense of life according to our own wisdom and understanding, we believe the lying implication that we can be like God knowing good and evil. We experience the truth of the proverb, “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” (Prov. 14:12) Depending upon Him leads to life even now. Life in our relationships, life in our goals, life in our desires, life in our worship, life in our praise, life in our soul and spirit.
We can choose to live life independent of fellowship with God and His guidance, or we can choose the saving power of God’s cure. There is no middle ground. Our culture is filled with examples of choices made independent of fellowship with God. While human efforts struggle to address the external symptoms, God has already made provision for the total cure. Humans produce remedies with side effects, God transforms us to wholeness. Human societies and institutions are monuments to this failed experiment. While some good has been accomplished, there are always unintended and unforeseen consequences which leave much to be desired. Man’s efforts independent of God will never be able to bring complete and total relief from injustice, suffering, and evil. And they will never cure our sin problem.
Contact us to learn more about how you can enjoy this relationship with God.