Sometimes it takes "evil"

I was recently diagnosed with mono again. It's quite painful. In fact, the pain is driving me off the wall. The Holy God of the universe is sovereign over all and has a plan and purpose. It's called providence.

Sometimes it takes "evil" for God to wake His people up- or people in general. Of course, I'm not at all saying that God entices people to do evil or does moral evil against anyone. That is heresy. What I am saying is that God does ordain things like sickness which people today categorize as an evil.

Deuteronomy 28:58-60 says "If you do not carefully follow all the words of this law, which are written in this book, and do not revere this glorious and awesome name—the LORD your God- the LORD will send fearful plagues on you and your descendants, harsh and prolonged disasters, and severe and lingering illnesses. He will bring upon you all the diseases of Egypt that you dreaded, and they will cling to you."

Now I must of course mention that we are no longer under such a covenant. But I will also say that God does not change. Though He has given us a new Covenant and christian believers are partakers of it and in it, that does not mean that God could not and does not act like He did in the days of the old covenant. He is the same God after all. I'm just very much under the impression that on this side of salvation history, God is more patient with us because of the Sacrifice of Christ.

Anyhow, not to get sidetracked... follow my train of thought if you will. It's amazing what you can find in the old testament. It really is. Listen to this testimony. So much can be thought about with this passage.

2 Chronicles 16:11-13
" The events of Asa's reign, from beginning to end, are written in the book of the kings of Judah and Israel. In the thirty-ninth year of his reign Asa was afflicted with a disease in his feet. Though his disease was severe, even in his illness he did not seek help from the LORD, but only from the physicians. Then in the forty-first year of his reign Asa died and rested with his fathers."

Now I'm not at all going to go off on some bizarre tangent claiming we shouldn't seek help from doctors. I think what is being portrayed in this passage is this- (though not explicitly said I do believe it is implied.) Asa's illness was an occasion for Him to cry out to the Lord but He did not. In fact, it would not at all surprise me if his illness was actually there so that He might seek help from the Lord.

I've been in a spiritual lethargy. I struggle greatly in my prayer life and any "healthy" christian will tell you that it is prayer that strengthens one most in their walk. The act of prayer in and of itself is an act where one looks away from Himself and looks to the Lord. The duty/privilege of trust is most commonly exercised in prayer (at least I would argue it is).

So God, being the covenant making God that He is says "I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me."

It's also said of this God "Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God."

I really believe that God is saying through my illness. Hey, you won't pray to me normally? You're gonna get mono... and you're gonna cry out to me. So that's what I've been doing. Mono has refueled my prayer life. I'm certainly under the impression that this jealous God who wants me and wants my praise is behind it.

Sometimes it takes "evil" to get people's attention. I'm listening God. I'm weak. I'm sick. I need a physician. I'm spiritually and physically sick and I need you. Jesus Christ must be my rock.

Life updates

So this weekend, I had a bunch of weird and gross foods. Ugh. I feel disgusting. Here's why.

Thursday- Billy and I went to some super china buffet. They have american comfort food and mexican along with chinese on their buffet. It's a disaster. I found a black bean in my fried rice. They don't have black beans in any of their dishes (including their mexican dishes).
Does that scare any of you? It certainly scared Billy and I.

Friday- Billy and I again (this time accompanied with Jonathan Rodick and Andy Gibson) went to some place in kansas city kansas. I don't remember the name I do remember having a buche burrito. Hog mog is what it's called in english. Hog mog is uhh... pig's stomach. So I had half a pig's stomach burrito and some questionable pork as well. From there we went to orginal juan's and tried hot sauce that burns your mouth for 10-15 minutes.

Saturday- I was at Mary Beth's house saturday evening and her mother overheard me mention at some point that I'd never tried caviar. Well, she went ahead and bought me 2 ounces of lumpfish caviar. Now eating the lumpfish caviar has only sparked my curiosity as to what the really expensive stuff tastes like, but I could never justify spending hundreds of dollars on an ounce of fish eggs so the only time I'll ever try "the good stuff" is if it's offered to me. Regardless, this caviar tasted like fish eggs. Use your imagination.

Sunday- For some reason, Drew and I went to pizza street. Big mistake. I'm not sure if I ever want to eat again after that meal (ok that's probably not true but you get the idea.)

exciting times!

The Son of God...dies

I don't think about this truth, this fact enough. This is perhaps the largest mystery in all of scripture. This is the most mysterious thing in the universe. This fact is not meant to be trifled with.

Christ says He laid His life down of His own accord.
Jesus Christ, fully God-fully man, the second person of the Trinity, died as a man.
How can God die? Jesus' deity did not die but His humanity did. How is this possible? How did this happen? It is startling. It is mysterious.

But even more so than that, Christ shouts on the cross "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?"

The two english definitions of the word are as follows.
To give up (something formerly held dear); renounce
To leave altogether; abandon

God the Father turned His face away from the Son because our sin was laid on Him and God cannot look on sin. It is our sin that separates us from God. It separates us from God's presence. It separates us from His face. And it was our Sin that separated Christ from the Father's face, for we are told that "He who knew no sin became sin for us" and "He bore our sins in His body on the tree"

"Surely he took up our infirmities
and carried our sorrows,
yet we considered him stricken by God,
smitten by him, and afflicted.

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed."

Jesus Christ died for our sins in accordance to the scriptures. He died for our sins. He died because of our sins. Christ died for us. The wages of sin is death. Adam would have never died if he had not sinned. Christ the God-Man would never have died if our sins were never laid on Him. He laid his life down for us. He died for our sins.

We must not think that Jesus was killed because He was just a controversial prophet. We must not think that Jesus died only because people hated Him. He died for sinners! He died for our sins!

"Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people."

Propitiation means- the act of atoning for sin or wrongdoing (especially appeasing a deity) (that is princeton's definition by the way).

"Yet it was the LORD's will to crush him and cause him to suffer,
and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering,
he will see his offspring and prolong his days,
and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand."

"He [who] did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all"

And Christ did not sin in all of this. Though He sweat drops of blood before He was nailed to the cross. He walked through the valley of the shadow of death and feared no evil. Christ had perfect faith. He never sinned on the cross.

I can't help but think of this passage "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him"

This is the kind of faith Christ had. He knew He must take the cup of suffering before Him. He said Not as He willed but as God willed.

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

Though God was completely separated from Christ on the cross, Christ never lost His hope in God. He never lost His joy in God. He did not once sin. Separated from God, yet He still trusted in, loved, hoped in, even delighted in God perfectly. Just like the psalmist (in 44) God hides his face but the psalmist proclaims "In God we make our boast all day long,
and we will praise your name forever."

What a display! Look at how God hates sin! But yet, look at how God loves us!

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

Look at the cross of Christ! Look to Christ. Only there will your heart melt. Only there will you truly cry "I have sinned!" and only there will you find your salvation!

What a mystery. Christ took our punishment and died because He loves us. That is amazing. Only God could do that. Only God would do that. Look at what He has done. Praise the Risen Lamb all you peoples! Turn to the Risen Lamb of God!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrtgrU_uo9s&feature=related