I HATE CANCER!
It
has robbed many of my friends and relatives of a decent quality of life and
even life itself. Both my parents died
of cancer. Some of my friends are now
battling this insidious disease. It
takes its toll on the families of victims of cancer as well. Some physicians fight the disease with surgery;
others fight with chemicals, both with varying measures of success. I have
friends who are in remission and have been that way for many years. We are confident that they are healed from
cancer.
Science
has not yet established a cause for many types of this illness. The cause may be environmental or
genetic. We do know that some cancers
are "self-inflicted." Those
who smoke are much more likely to contract cancer. Both my parents smoked for many years and
both died of lung cancer. Cigarette
packages are now required to carry a warning about the link between smoking and
cancer. Sadly, there are consequences
for our blatant disregard of warnings. We all surely pray that one day soon a
cure for this horrible disease will be found.
There are millions and millions of dollars being spent on researching
the elimination of this dreaded illness with advances in the fight being made
each year. We pray for a cure.
There
is another form of cancer. This type infects
us all. The descriptor for this disease
is labeled "Romans3:23." (Also known as the Sin Syndrome) "For
all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.)" No one is immune. It is in our genetic make-up. It carries with it a death sentence. Its effects manifest themselves in many
ways. Some are very visible; others, not
so much. We try very hard to treat the
symptoms ourselves, but, alas, in the end, we find that we are helpless to do
anything about them. Sadly, the symptoms
quickly return.
Fortunately, for us, centuries ago, a Great Physician
called Jesus Christ affected a permanent solution to the problem. Its descriptor is "John3:16." ("For
God so loved the world that He gave His Only Son that whoever believes in Him
shall not perish but have eternal life.")
What
did it cost Him? It cost Him his own
life to bring us this remedy. "For while we were yet sinners, Christ died for
us." (Romans 5:8) What does it cost us? It should have cost us our lives but He paid
our bill in full in advance. It was a
gift! "The wages of sin is death,
but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 6:23)
To
begin the process of healing, we need only to admit that we have this terminal
illness. In addition, we must admit that
we cannot cure the disease ourselves and accept the remedy He has given us. It is necessary for us to trust that His
remedy is effective. We should
understand that we may still exhibit some symptoms of the disease, but we can "nip
them in the bud" so to speak. We
are no longer subject to final, terminal effects of this terrible
scourge on humanity.
What
should be our response to the healing that has taken place?
We
should live the rest of our lives in gratitude for what our Great Physician has
done. As the first act of each day, each
of us should thank Him. We should enthusiastically refer our friends and loved
ones to Jesus' care, sharing what He has done for us well as introduce them to
Jesus Christ so they can begin a relationship with Him. Those of us that have accepted His remedy
should gather on a regular basis to thank Him and tell Him how great we think
He is. We can expectantly look forward
to the day when this disease will be fully eradicated. There will be no more suffering, sickness,
pain or tears.("I am coming soon." Even so come Lord Jesus!"
(Revelations 22.20)
Ministry News and
Notes
What
a joy it has been for the last twenty years to serve the needs of men and their
families through the vehicle of Net Work Ministries! I have been blessed by the prayers, love, support,
and words of encouragement that you have
shared with me. I pray I might continue
to be worthy of the same for however long the Lord would have me serve Him
through this ministry.