Blackwater
05-15-2016, 02:14 PM
I know it's fashionable these days to view everything from the perspective of "entitlements," but if we all got what we DESERVED, we'd likely not be here, because Christ would never have shed His precious blood on the cross for us, and God would likely have had to end it all right there, and we'd not even exist - no chance to experience all the pleasures and pains of this life, and address the challenges it always provides us with.
Therefore, I think healing is a gift, and most emphatically NOT something any of us can earn. It's not given to the righteous as a "reward." It's simply a manifestation of His Grace, and nothing we do can ever EARN it. it's just a gift, and that's all I think it CAN be. Freely given even though it could never be "earned" by even the most righteous among us. If Paul said he was "chief among sinners," where does that put US??? I'm not sure I even WANT to know the answer to that one!
So when we pray for healings for those who are in need here, let's remember what a wonderful gift healing really is. And that's all it really can be, unless someone has a better view of it. If we all got what we deserved, I suspect we'd none of us very much WANT that. This is why Christ died on the cross for us - that we might have "life, and have it more abundantly." And He surely achieved that! Who amongst us can look back in our lives and NOT see so many, many countless blessings, most of which we just took for granted at the time? I think we who've been parents, and raise kids, often get a glimpse of that in our children as they grow.
They tend to take everything for granted, because they really kind'a have to, because they're focusing on the things that they need to learn in order to grow even more. So, with our limited ability to focus, it's understandable that they'd take us and so much else for granted while they seek to learn all the many, many things they need to grow? So, I think that's the way God and Christ look at us, and I think that's why we're often referred to as "children of God."
So when we pray for the healings as we commonly do here, let us remember that what we're praying for is a real gift, and not something even the most righteous among us can ever earn. I suspect that God recognizes and appreciates the proper and humble attitude when we pray. In my own case, I look back and can be nothing BUT humble that He's even let me get this far in life! So let us always give thanks for His healings, whenever we can get a confirmation of them. I believe this matters quite a bit more than we sometimes realize.
I can't remember the verse from memory right now, but can someone cite the verse where it was said that some sort of blessing would be given only to the humble? That's a nebulous description, I know, but my memory isn't what it used to be, and it's one of those things I have on the tip of my tongue that just won't come out. Anybody able to help me here?
Therefore, I think healing is a gift, and most emphatically NOT something any of us can earn. It's not given to the righteous as a "reward." It's simply a manifestation of His Grace, and nothing we do can ever EARN it. it's just a gift, and that's all I think it CAN be. Freely given even though it could never be "earned" by even the most righteous among us. If Paul said he was "chief among sinners," where does that put US??? I'm not sure I even WANT to know the answer to that one!
So when we pray for healings for those who are in need here, let's remember what a wonderful gift healing really is. And that's all it really can be, unless someone has a better view of it. If we all got what we deserved, I suspect we'd none of us very much WANT that. This is why Christ died on the cross for us - that we might have "life, and have it more abundantly." And He surely achieved that! Who amongst us can look back in our lives and NOT see so many, many countless blessings, most of which we just took for granted at the time? I think we who've been parents, and raise kids, often get a glimpse of that in our children as they grow.
They tend to take everything for granted, because they really kind'a have to, because they're focusing on the things that they need to learn in order to grow even more. So, with our limited ability to focus, it's understandable that they'd take us and so much else for granted while they seek to learn all the many, many things they need to grow? So, I think that's the way God and Christ look at us, and I think that's why we're often referred to as "children of God."
So when we pray for the healings as we commonly do here, let us remember that what we're praying for is a real gift, and not something even the most righteous among us can ever earn. I suspect that God recognizes and appreciates the proper and humble attitude when we pray. In my own case, I look back and can be nothing BUT humble that He's even let me get this far in life! So let us always give thanks for His healings, whenever we can get a confirmation of them. I believe this matters quite a bit more than we sometimes realize.
I can't remember the verse from memory right now, but can someone cite the verse where it was said that some sort of blessing would be given only to the humble? That's a nebulous description, I know, but my memory isn't what it used to be, and it's one of those things I have on the tip of my tongue that just won't come out. Anybody able to help me here?