Spiritual Health and Wholeness

Imagine this scene for a moment.  You are sitting in an oncologist’s office awaiting the results of your biopsy.  As the doctor enters the room carrying your medical file, your  throat closes, and the knot in your stomach tightens. Peering over his glasses, he looks you in the eyes, and announces that, yes, they have found a cancerous mass.  Before you can respond, he says confidently that the surgeon can remove it entirely, and you will be cancer-free. Instead of saying, “ Praise God, take it all out Doctor!”, you say instead, “Dr. could you just leave a little bit of the mass, and we’ll just manage it.”  The very thought is ludicrous, but isn’t that what we do when God offers to take away our whole sin/tumor?

The Great Physician longs to replace disease with wholeness and healing, but we want to keep a small “manageable” portion of it.  Let’s face it, we want it all.  Our old sin, whatever it might be, has become a part of us, and by golly we’d miss it.  So we argue that we can keep it in check, and still be a good Christ-follower.  There is no sense in holding on to a little sin, it must be removed completely.  Do you think the blind man, that Jesus healed, wanted to keep blindness in one eye, or the leper a tad bit of his sores?  Of course not!

 Paul reminds us that “Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So, letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.” Romans 8:5-6.  We can never manage sin, and yes it will always be a struggle, but promise of lasting spiritual health is well worth it.  Take the “whole” pill he offers!! “Lord, your discipline is good, for it leads to life and health. You restore my health and allow me to live!” Isaiah 38:16.