daily java

Daily Java:

These desires give birth to sinful actions. And when sin is allowed to grow, it gives birth to death. (James 1:14-16)

There is cancer in my body, death growing in a body that I fully believed was dedicated to the cause of life.

Of course, simply because you have given yourself to God as his servant does not guarantee good health, no matter what tele-evangelists will try to tell you. God does not necessarily have a miracle waiting for you. Sometimes he has pain waiting for you.

Job, a good man in anybody’s book, had pain waiting for him, even though he was a life-long servant of God. God even bragged on his faithfulness and bragged on the fact that no matter what the devil would do to him, he would remain one.

It was an unfair contest that, if we did not have the book of Job would have really shown nothing. Sure, God showed the devil the truth, but the devil didn’t care. God could have shown him the truth every hour on the hour and he still would have no cared. Job got nothing out of it because God didn’t even tell Job why.

But Job remained.

Why do I have cancer. I have come to a church that is a good one and I truly believe that I will make a mark here, do something great for God and his kingdom. But here I sit, sick and in pain and tired beyond measure.

There are two others in the church here and another in like circumstances that are suffering for something like my cancer.

It does not matter what we do nor who spiritual we are, we are stuck in this present world and as such, are subject to pain and suffering just like all the heathen.

But I still wonder. I can kind of understand someone who had not given his life to the Lord maybe getting sick, although I suppose that sound self-serving. I guess I figured that if I gave my life to the Lord and did all within my power to be an effective minister, I would be fine.

But I am not. And not only am I not fine, my wife is suffering from two different problems, one of which could be life-threatening.

It is enough to make a man jump up on a box and start hollering at God. Why? What is the point? What is the purpose?

Of course, again in the book of Job, a guy did just that and God told him to be quiet. So he did and God was in control again of his life. Of course, God was always in control of his life, Job just figured that he could help. And he couldn’t. Not only could he not help, he was helpless in the face of it all. All he could do was stand and choose either life or death.

He chose life and in so doing gave us an example far greater than anything he could have done otherwise.

So what do I do. I sit here in pain, discomfort, depression to a point (although not as bad as I thought) and I decide to serve him anyway.

Puny little thing, my decision. Big fat deal, the devil says. He probably would consider me a masochistic little twerp, allowing a sadistic God to put me through all this and serving him anyway.

But, of course, I look at it differently. By my refusal to give in, I magnify God anyway in my life. Like the three Hebrew men in Daniel 3 said when they were about to be killed, O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t, we want to make it clear to you, Your Majesty, that we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up. (Daniel 3:16-17)

It is an attitude that says, So what?! Even if I die I will die serving and praising God. Will I like it? No, only an idiot would like it. The apostles rejoiced in Acts 5 that they were counted worthy to suffer because of his name. But you know, they surely didn’t like it.

Even Job said that same basic thing: God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him. (Job 13:14-16). Even if he kills me, even if I die of this cancer, I will still praise.

I can always leave that attitude. And I plan to. I believe what the scripture above says. When we start questioning God and decide it isn’t worth it, it becomes sin and it gives birth to death.

I want to give birth to life. And will with my dying breath.