Deliberations 2016(2): The Great Physician

Research informs us that there is a specific type of doctor for almost every major system in the human body.  But becoming a specialist in a particular area can be a daunting task. Doctors can spend from 3-6 years in specialized training – after already spending 4 years as an undergraduate, and 4 years in medical school. A newly certified physician is usually about 30 years of age; and must continually seek professional development to remain current in his/her field.

Yet after spending a comparatively short 40 days in the wilderness, and undergoing no medical training that we know of, Jesus embarked at the age of 30 on a ministry in which he demonstrated competency in a number of medical specialties and compassion for our human condition, as he healed a multitude of illnesses. For example:

·      A Surgeon – He replaced the soldier’s ear. Moreover he used minimally invasive techniques and no tools! Luke 22:50-53

·      A Hematologist – he healed the woman with the issue of blood – Luke 8:43-48

·      A Psychiatrist/Psychologist – He healed deranged minds – Luke 4:33-35

·      An Audiologist & Speech Pathologist – He made the deaf hear and the dumb speak – Mark 7:31-35

·      An Orthopedist – He straightened bones and made the lame walk – John 5:1-9

·      A Dermatologist – He healed 10 men of leprosy – Luke 17:11-19

·      A cryogenic engineer – He raised the dead – John 11:38-44; Luke 7:11-15

·      A Cardiologist & Neurosurgeon – He operates on our hearts and our minds, making us worthy to be called His sisters and brothers, and children of God – John 1:12 

Jesus is undoubtedly the only physician who is specialized to heal all ills, and His patient rapport is so good you will feel like His only patient. He is available 24/7; there is no charge for visits or prescriptions; and His cure is guaranteed!! There is even a bonus – He offers you a better life after this one! Won’t you make Him your personal physician today?

Deliberations 2016(1): #Back to Work! 

           (Developed out of a reading from a devotional for women: www.CTAinc.com)

How do you normally dress? Most of us put on comfortable, casual clothes while at home, but we generally choose more professional clothes for work in a classroom or office. Sometimes this is a uniform, like those worn by police officers, or nurses and doctors.

But here’s an interesting thought. On the day Jesus was betrayed, He did not dress for work. In fact, he undressed – removing his outer clothing in front of His disciples. Then, just as a lowly servant might have done, he took a towel and a basin of water and washed His disciples feet – including the feet of the one who would betray him! Here the disciples learned a lesson in humility as their Lord and Master washed their feet, (John 13).

Jesus asks us also to clothe ourselves in humility. This often requires that we remove some of the traits in which we clothe ourselves. For example we must lay aside pride and selfishness – replacing those outfits with a focus on the needs of others. We might need to roll up our sleeves and do the tasks others find distasteful or demeaning. Often we must volunteer for assignments that will probably go unnoticed and unrewarded. However as we labor at these tasks, we emulate our Savior’s humility, and as He works in us, His humble heart becomes our own. Moreover, scriptures remind us that happiness does not come from focusing on our own desires, but in looking outward and ministering to others.

Won’t you try on the clothes Jesus offers – remembering that His undeserved death in our place effectively covers our old sinful clothing?

You might just be surprised at the difference you will make in someone else’s life….

#A little furlough.....

43: #Lessons from Nature

Perhaps because I'm a Biology and Marine Science Instructor I'm continuously amazed at how nature teaches us about God. It is also interesting to see how easily Biblical Faith can be integrated into the concepts I try to present to the students. Which brings me to this post:

George Washington Carver was an award-winning African-American scientist and inventor. He is best known for his improvements to agriculture, and the many uses he devised for the peanut, e.g. peanut butter, peanut brittle, peanut oil. Carver was also the founder of Tuskegee University – a historic black college in the USA.

One day while reflecting on the Creator and His handiwork, Dr. Carver commented: “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in” (http://www.quotes4life.net/authors/g/george-washington-carver).  

Dr. Carver understood that nature’s splendor is more than just something to delight our senses. He knew that by exploring the wonders of the natural world, people could learn great spiritual lessons. 

A rainbow, for instance, is God’s assurance that He will never again destroy the earth by a flood. Even the scientific truth of the earth’s circular nature was established by God – see Isaiah 40:22.

           

However this is not a discussion about the Bible vs. Nature—it is simply to point out that one of the greatest lessons we can learn from studying the natural world is our dependence on God. Just as nature’s marvels could not exist without the Creator, we too would be nothing without Him.

Let us listen as our Creator speaks to us through nature. Let us be thankful that after completing many wondrous creations He took the time to stoop down and fashion man from the dirt of the earth—and indeed He is still working on us!!

Carver’s epitaph reads: "He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." http://www.biography.com/people/george-washington-carver-9240299#legacy

Won't we try to do the same?

SS Thoughts 42: #Broken Vessels

Pottery making is an art—one that I’ve yet to learn!! I’m informed that creating a beautiful piece of pottery involves many steps, e.g. selecting the right type of clay, aging the clay – “until it stinks”, kneading, shaping, firing (baking), and then glazing the final object.¹ If after all of this harsh treatment, the vessel has not cracked or been marred, then it is ready to be used in whatever manner it was created for.

But sometimes a previously perfect piece of pottery can break while being used. It takes a Master Potter to restore it to its original form – sometimes even better than it was in the first place!!

  

God Himself is the Master Potter and we are merely the clay to be formed into the design He has chosen. "O Lord, you are our father. We are the clay; you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand" (Isa. 64:8 NIV).

Jesus as a potter is a beautiful image that reminds us of His tender care for our wellbeing. Just as a potter can reshape a dented vessel into something beautiful again, Jesus can reshape our broken lives – to being virtually without spot or blemish. He has also promised to restore this earth into a beautiful place where we will live with Him, or better still, where He will live with us! It is good to know that we are in the hands of a loving Potter who wants to have a close relationship with His human vessels.²

Perhaps we can regard our trials on this earth as the heating in the fire that will make us ready to be used by Him. May my perspective always be that my small bruises can never compare to His innocent body being broken, and His blood spilled out, for MY sins. Won’t YOU submit to His kneading and reshaping in YOUR life?

¹Good News Magazine  Oct-Nov 1980 Vol. XXVII, No. 9  ISSN 0432-0816}

²Teacher’s Comments - Adult SS Lessons Oct 24-30 2015

I really like this song “Broken And Spilled Out": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFYoQ-8Mpx8”

I like this one too - shared on my FB post - "A Potter and His Clay" by Wintley Phipps. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIatZcknct4&feature=youtu.be