Daily Devotionals

Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life

Devotional: November 9th

In thirty-five years of ministry I cannot recall more than a few times that I was ever really sick enough to not be able to preach or at least function in the office. I imagine that I could count them on one hand. However, I have had some rather freakish occurrences that have left me immobilized for brief periods of time; things like a ruptured esophagus, severe nose bleeds and the threat of osteomyelitis (not sure of that spelling) from a softball shin bruise. So imagine my displeasure when I awoke yesterday morning with the "bug."

I had a virus. You know what viruses are, right? They're what doctors tell you that you have a lot of times if they're not really sure. It's kind of like having a cold. A cold usually goes away in about two weeks or you can go to the doctor and he can give you prescriptions that will help you get over it in about fourteen days. Why? Because a cold is a virus and there are no antibiotics for viruses. Viruses have to run their miserable, make-you-feel-like-you've-been-boiled existence. Then they move out.

Viruses are pretty much left up to the immune system to combat on its own. If you have a stiff immune system you get over viruses fairly quickly. If you don't have a stiff immune system pray you either don't have small kids or have regular contact with small kids because they will bring you everything. Kids are generous that way. They love to bring home every virus that is going around and then they share it with everybody in the family, sometimes two or three times. They don't do it intentionally. It's just their nature to get viruses. It gives THEIR immune systems practice so they can get stronger.

Being sick is no picnic. Many times it is accompanied by joint pains, muscle aches, headache and a fever. Sore throats and nausea have to figure in there someplace, too. Being sick is the misery of being human. If you're flesh and blood, somewhere along the road of life you have been sick. Trust me, you may not remember it, but it happened. It might not have put you in the hospital or lasted for more than a day or two, but it happened. The same with sin. If you're flesh and blood, somewhere along the road of life you have sinned. Yeah, I know, you're not that bad a person, but trust me, you've sinned. God says so. He knows. He wrote the book.

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Romans 3:23 See?!? Told ya. We've all sinned. None of us are worthy of heaven. Guess what? God had that one figured out. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 Ah. There's the rub. Eternal death is what we have earned. Not eternal life. Eternal life is what God gives us through the death of His Son, Jesus, on the cross. It's His gift to us. Sin is the germ. Hell is the pending disease. Jesus' blood on Calvary is the cure. Still want to say you're not sick?