O LORD, don’t rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your rage! Your arrows have struck deep, and your blows are crushing me. Because of your anger, my whole body is sick; my health is broken because of my sins. [Psalm 38.1-3]
In continuation of what I wrote yesterday, I am pursuing repentance in my life.
Why?
Because I know sin is in me.
Why?
Because I have pain and suffering in my body and my health is broken.
Now, many (most) will tell me, "You should to go the doctor..."
But, should I? Can a doctor forgive my sin?
Going to the doctor is like going to the car wash with a car that is badly crashed and damaged. The car wash cannot fix what is wrong!
"But," one might argue, "you are just sick... you just need treatment or medicine!"
Okay, fair enough. What is sickness? Is it a blessing from God? Let me just give fair warning, I am reserving a severe rebuke for any answer except "no."
Sickness (among many other undesirable things) is the result of sin. I stand firmly upon Deuteronomy 28. Sickness is not a signal to go to the doctor - sickness is a signal to repent. (If this is not true, then God's Word is a lie and I would then just as soon die as live knowing there is no God.)
But Jesus died for our sin!
Yes, that is blessedly correct! But, Jesus did not die for our un-repentance! That one is totally and completely upon us, and, the only fix for un-repentance is REPENTANCE!
If we miss the clear things in the Bible (that sickness and troubles are the result of sin), how in the world do we even hope to understand the unclear things in the Bible?
So, have we truly repented? That would be determined (quite clearly) by the presence or absence of troubles upon our lives.
What if what I have said here is wrong? Then we keep just going to the doctor for 'random' conditions trying to get well, consoling ourselves that God is still happy with us and our 'faith.'
What if what I have said here is right? Then we (I, in particular) have a lot of repenting to do!
Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! (Jesus)
Father, forgive me for allowing myself to become so conflicted with religion that refuses to repent, but instead, tries to give religious comfort rather than encouragement to repent. But, more than that even, forgive me for all the nasty things in my heart.
