Finding the right doctor

This week our family all went to see our new dentist. The last one retired 6 months ago and now it was time to start anew with somebody who did not know us previously but now knows all about our teeth and related health going forward. As with any dentist we hope he can head off any health problems before they happen.

Sadly too many times in this life so many people often find out they are sick well too late to get a cure or to at least be treated to ease their symptoms. One friend of mine went 3 months with terminal cancer and tried all he could to beat it but it spread too quickly and he died suddenly after his brief fight. By the time they found out how bad it was, it was too late to correct it.

One type of cancer that plagues all of mankind is sin. It was something that came to man through the fall of Adam and Eve and spread to all of us since and all those to come. Because of their actions, sin and death entered the whole world. Some think it was unfair for us to suffer because of what they did but their choice brought sin and death into the world. The truth is we have our own sins to bear in our own lifetime as a result. We all have those things in our life we need to reconcile to God with because of this. Sin plainly separates us from God. Sin needs a cure. God could have easily let us pay for our sin through death but instead he provided a doctor that can cure its worst possible outcome.

In Mark 2:16-17 we see exactly who that doctor is:

16 And when the scribes and Pharisees saw him eat with publicans and sinners, they said unto his disciples, How is it that he eateth and drinketh with publicans and sinners?

17 When Jesus heard it, he saith unto them, They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

The sad reality is many do not wish to be cured of this disease. That is why so many churches close or are mostly empty. The reality is the blindness of this world prevents them from seeing the life God meant for them to live. The one that was put in place before Adam and Eve’s sin. Instead they remain in a world that is slowly coming to an end. People do not see a need to take the prescribed medicine and treatment outlined in the Bible. Sometimes they look for cures in things that only add to the disease and not cure it. Even worse, they just don’t see a need to be cured. Like any disease the longer it goes untreated the more likely you will suffer more from it or die. Like Jesus said he did not go to those who felt they did not need a doctor but to those who were looking for a cure for the disease that was killing them. Like my friend who died from cancer by the time they realized what was truly happening it was too late.

With Jesus as our doctor, as long as you live it is never too late. For those like us in church, we know we need a cure for our affliction and He has the cure for it through His sacrifice for us on the cross. God provided the cure, it’s up to us to keep following the treatment.

Your Brother in Christ,

Steve Koenig

Lakeshore Fellowship