relationships (Jeremiah 12:1-17) Finding Like-Minded Friends

(Jeremiah 12:1-17)  

1   Righteous are You, Lord, when I plead my case with You;
     Nevertheless I would discuss matters of justice with You:
     Why has the way of the wicked prospered?
     Why are all those who deal in treachery at ease?
2   You have planted them, they have also taken root;
     They grow, they have also produced fruit.
     You are near to their lips 
     But far from their mind.
3   But You know me, Lord;
     You see me 
     And examine my heart’s attitude toward You.
     Drag them off like sheep for the slaughter,
     And set them apart for a day of slaughter!
4   How long is the land to mourn,
     And the vegetation of the countryside to dry up?
     Due to the wickedness of those who live in it,
     Animals and birds have been snatched away,
     Because people have said, “He will not see our final end.”

5   “If you have run with infantrymen and they have tired you out,
     How can you compete with horses?
     If you fall down in a land of peace,
     How will you do in the thicket by the Jordan?
6   For even your brothers and the household of your father,
     Even they have dealt treacherously with you,
     Even they have called aloud after you.
     Do not believe them, though they say nice things to you.”

7   “I have forsaken My house,
     I have abandoned My inheritance;
     I have handed the beloved of My soul 
     Over to her enemies.
8   My inheritance has become to Me 
     Like a lion in the forest;
     She has roared against Me;
     Therefore I have come to hate her.
9   Is My inheritance like a speckled bird of prey to Me?
     Are the birds of prey against her on every side?
     Go, gather all the animals of the field,
     Bring them to devour!
10 Many shepherds have ruined My vineyard,
     They have trampled down My field;
     They have made My pleasant field 
     A desolate wilderness.
11 It has been made a desolation;
     Desolate, it mourns before Me;
     The whole land has been made desolate,
     Because no one takes it to heart.
12 On all the bare heights in the wilderness 
     Destroyers have come,
     For the sword of the Lord is devouring 
     From one end of the land even to the other;
     There is no peace for anyone.
13 They have sown wheat but have harvested thorns,
     They have strained themselves to no profit.
     So be ashamed of your produce 
     Because of the fierce anger of the Lord.”

14 This is what the Lord says concerning all My wicked neighbors who do harm to the inheritance with which I have endowed My people Israel: “Behold, I am going to drive them out of their land, and I will drive the house of Judah out from among them. 15 And it will come about that after I have driven them out, I will again have compassion on them; and I will bring them back, each one to his inheritance and each one to his land. 16 Then, if they will really learn the ways of My people, to swear by My name, ‘As the Lord lives,’ just as they taught My people to swear by Baal, they will be built up in the midst of My people. 17 But if they do not listen, then I will drive out that nation, drive it out and destroy it,” declares the Lord.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

People often mention that God is love because they are seeking approval for the things they are doing wrong; but people rarely mention God's righteousness.  If God is right - and we disagree with God - that means we are wrong.  People don't like to be wrong.  People like to get their way and do things their own way and feel "good" about it.  So people seek out other like-minded people for affirmation.  The thing is, these like-minded people can very quickly betray and turn on us and each other!  Even with family members who might say the nice things that we want to hear, it doesn't mean that we can trust them.  

I love that we can ask God all the hard questions, because He has all of the right answers - to everything.  And as a child of God, even when we have these doubts or questions, the Lord will not betray us or turn His back on us.  He wants us to go to Him for everything.  And we can trust in Him, and depend on Him to help us understand and know what we need to know.  

I also love how God asks questions of us that bring about common sense, like... If we stumble on open ground when it is peaceful, how will we fair in an unforgiving topography when there is trouble?  Or, if we run with foot soldiers and get tired, how will we fair when we have to compete against horses?

The question to ask ourselves is:  do we just want to think that we are right - or - do we actually want to be in the right?  Depending on how we answer that, we will either go to a source with lesser insight and lesser integrity - or - we will go to God and His word to help figure things out, trusting in His all-knowing and steadfast wisdom and unchangeable truth.  

As well, because God created us as social beings, He created us to desire community.  Therefore, going to a church that stands firm on biblical doctrines, and encourages people to pursue the Lord in a personal relationship, is very important and necessary.  It is a place where we can be equipped and encouraged, and find sincere and uplifting friendships.  When "everyone" is seeking to be like-minded with the Lord, we will be like-minded, in unity, with each other, all to God's glory.

To live out and practice the Lord's righteousness will not be understood by society or necessarily appreciated.  In fact, we should not be surprised when we are mocked or persecuted just because we are Christians.  But, while those who reject the Lord will one day face the consequences and punishment for their own sins, in our personal relationship with the Lord, He will be building us up in His strength, goodness, peace and joy.

relationships (Jeremiah 11:1-23) Blessings vs Being Cursed

(Jeremiah 11:1-23) 

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, 2 “Hear the words of this covenant, and speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem; 3 and say to them, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “Cursed is the one who does not obey the words of this covenant 4 which I commanded your forefathers on the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, from the iron furnace, saying, ‘Listen to My voice, and do according to all that I command you; so you shall be My people, and I will be your God,’ 5 in order to confirm the oath which I swore to your forefathers, to give them a land flowing with milk and honey, as it is this day.”’” Then I replied, “Amen, Lord.”

6 And the Lord said to me, “Proclaim all these words in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Hear the words of this covenant and do them. 7 For I solemnly warned your fathers on the day I brought them up from the land of Egypt, even to this day, warning them persistently, saying, “Listen to My voice.” 8 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but walked in the stubbornness of their evil heart, each one of them; therefore I brought on them all the words of this covenant which I commanded them to do, but they did not.’”

9 Then the Lord said to me, “A conspiracy has been found among the men of Judah and among the inhabitants of Jerusalem. 10 They have turned back to the wrongdoings of their ancestors who refused to hear My words, and they have followed other gods to serve them. The house of Israel and the house of Judah have broken My covenant which I made with their fathers.” 11 Therefore this is what the Lord says: “Behold, I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry out to Me, I will not listen to them. 12 Then the cities of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem will go and cry out to the gods to whom they burn incense, but they certainly will not save them in the time of their disaster. 13 For your gods are as many as your cities, Judah; and as many as the streets of Jerusalem are the altars you have set up to the shameful thing, altars for burning incense to Baal.

14 “So as for you, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for them; for I will not listen when they call to Me because of their disaster.

15 What right has My beloved in My house 
     When she has carried out many evil schemes?
     Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster,
     So that you can rejoice?”
16 The Lord named you 
     “A green olive tree, beautiful in fruit and form”;
     With the noise of a great tumult 
     He has set fire to it,
     And its branches are worthless.

17 The Lord of armies, who planted you, has pronounced evil against you because of the evil of the house of Israel and the house of Judah, which they have done to provoke Me by offering sacrifices to Baal.

18 Moreover, the Lord made it known to me and I knew it;
     Then You showed me their deeds.
19 But I was like a gentle lamb led to the slaughter;
     And I did not know that they had devised plots against me, saying,
     “Let’s destroy the tree with its fruit,
     And let’s cut him off from the land of the living,
     So that his name will no longer be remembered.”
20 But, Lord of armies, who judges righteously,
     Who puts the feelings and the heart to the test,
     Let me see Your vengeance on them,
     For to You I have committed my cause.

21 Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the people of Anathoth, who are seeking your life, saying: “Do not prophesy in the name of the Lord, so that you do not die by our hand”; 22 therefore, this is what the Lord of armies says: “Behold, I am going to punish them! The young men will die by the sword, their sons and daughters will die by famine; 23 and a remnant will not be left to them, because I will bring disaster on the people of Anathoth—the year of their punishment.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

God does not curse anyone.  People curse themselves when they reject the Lord and His salvation.  We are all born with a sinful nature, and because the Lord is holy and just, He will punish those who choose to continue in sin and death.  It is not because God wants to punish anyone, as He desires that all come to know Him.  But while He loves all people, any and all sin is totally unacceptable and will not be tolerated.

Anyone can get to heaven and be God's child - if - they can be completely obedient in all the commandments of the Lord.  But - how is that possible, since none of us are perfect?  It is only through Jesus.  Because the Lord took our place in death and paid the price for sin and rose again to have victory over death, when we go to Him with repentance and believe, we are forgiven, redeemed and saved,  It is right then that we die to sin and take on His righteousness.  This is the only way God can see us as holy and righteous in His sight.  This is the only way we can be spiritually reborn, to become a child of God.

The covenant with Israel is God's promise that they receive land, seed and blessings, and it is theirs!  When they are obedient, they as a nation enjoy these promises, but when they are disobedient, they are not able to enjoy them, even though everything is still theirs.  

It is the same with believers.  When anyone becomes a Christian, we have eternal security!  We cannot lose our salvation, but if we live a disobedient lifestyle, God will discipline us.  But when we seek to have a close relationship with the Lord, and ask for and rely on His help, wisdom and strength to live obediently, then, even when we are going through tests and trials, it is the Lord who will fight for us and protect us, so that we may experience His peace, joy and blessings!

relationships (Jeremiah 10:1-25) Confidence in Security

(Jeremiah 10:1-25)  

1   Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:

     “Do not learn the way of the nations,
     And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
     Although the nations are terrified by them;
3   For the customs of the peoples are futile;
     For it is wood cut from the forest,
     The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4   They decorate the idol with silver and gold;
     They fasten it with nails and hammers 
     So that it will not totter.
5   They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
     And they cannot speak;
     They must be carried,
     Because they cannot walk!
     Do not fear them,
     For they can do no harm,
     Nor can they do any good.”

6   There is none like You, Lord;
     You are great, and Your name is great in might.
7   Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
     For it is Your due!
     For among all the wise men of the nations 
     And in all their kingdoms,
     There is none like You.
8   But they are altogether stupid and foolish;
     The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
9   Beaten silver is brought from Tarshish,
     And gold from Uphaz,
     The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
     Their clothing is of violet and purple;
     They are all the work of skilled people.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
     He is the living God and the everlasting King.
     The earth quakes at His wrath,
     And the nations cannot endure His indignation.

11 This is what you shall say to them: “The gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”

12 It is He who made the earth by His power,
     Who established the world by His wisdom;
     And by His understanding He has stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
     And He makes the clouds ascend from the end of the earth;
     He makes lightning for the rain,
     And brings out the wind from His storehouses.
14 Every person is stupid, devoid of knowledge;
     Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
     For his cast metal images are deceitful,
     And there is no breath in them.
15 They are worthless, a work of mockery;
     At the time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The Portion of Jacob is not like these;
     For He is the Maker of everything,
     And Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
     The Lord of armies is His name.

17 Pick up your bundle from the ground,
     You who live under siege!
18 For this is what the Lord says:
     “Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land 
     At this time,
     And I will cause them distress,
     So that they may be found.”

19 Woe to me, because of my injury!
     My wound is incurable.
     But I said, “This certainly is a sickness,
     And I must endure it.”
20 My tent is destroyed,
     And all my ropes are broken.
     My sons have gone from me and are no more.
     There is no one to stretch out my tent again 
     Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid 
     And have not sought the Lord.
     Therefore they have not prospered,
     And all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a report! Behold, it is coming—
     A great roar from the land of the north—
     To make the cities of Judah 
     A desolation, a haunt of jackals.

23 I know, Lord, that a person’s way is not in himself,
     Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.
24 Correct me, Lord, but with justice;
     Not with Your anger, or You will bring me to nothing.
25 Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You,
     And on the families who do not call upon Your name;
     For they have devoured Jacob;
     They have devoured him and consumed him,
     And have laid waste his settlement.

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Those who love, worship and serve creation or the things of creation would of course be afraid of the things that happen in nature.  And in this fear, and in their limited knowledge, they strive in vain to get guidance from the stars, or try to control the climate, etc.  We ARE to be respectful of everything God has given us, we can appreciate all that the Lord has created, and we are to use natural resources responsibly, but we do not have to fear anyone or anything.  Our focus should be in fearing, respecting and trusting the Lord!

God created the heavens and the earth, and God in His Sovereignty is still in control of everything.  Because mankind chose to bring sin into this world, our world is now broken.  So God allows there to be natural disasters, consequences, tests and trials in order to help us see our need for Him in our lives.  

Because we don't have clear insight into what God is doing in nature, all we have to know is that we can trust Him and have complete faith that He knows what He is doing!  He has all wisdom and understanding!  He is great in might!  But, while it is one thing to intellectually understand and know that God is the Sovereign Creator, it is quite another thing to know Him personally, and ask Him into our hearts and life.  He is the living God, the loving heavenly Father, the everlasting King, the Lord Jesus Christ who cares about us, and desires that all come to know Him through His salvation!

We know and understand those close relationships with those who are always there for us.  They are patient, and understand our quirks, and don't jump to conclusions, or prejudge us.  Where we can totally relax and be ourselves, confident that there aren't ulterior motives in knowing us.  Well, of course, even these relationships aren't totally perfect.  But, our relationship with the Lord IS perfect. because He is perfect.  And like these amazing relationships - but a million times more... well, infinitely more, we can rest in Him, with confidence, peace and courage!  Because of His grace, our relationship with Him is eternally secure!!!

(1 John 4:15-19) Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God remains in him, and he in God. 16 We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us. God is love, and the one who remains in love remains in God, and God remains in him. 17 By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, we also are in this world. 18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love. 19 We love, because He first loved us.

relationships (Jeremiah 9:1-26) Changing Our Human Nature

(Jeremiah 9:1-26) 

1   Oh, that my head were waters 
     And my eyes a fountain of tears,
     That I might weep day and night 
     For those slain of the daughter of my people!
2   Oh that I had in the desert 
     A travelers’ lodging place;
     So that I might leave my people 
     And go away from them!
     For all of them are adulterers,
     An assembly of treacherous people.
3   “They bend their tongues like their bows;
     Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
     For they proceed from evil to evil,
     And they do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
4   “Let everyone be on guard against his neighbor,
     And do not trust any brother;
     Because every brother utterly betrays,
     And every neighbor goes about as a slanderer.
5   Everyone deceives his neighbor 
     And does not speak the truth.
     They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
     They weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
6   Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
     Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.

7   Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:

     “Behold, I will refine them and put them to the test;
     For what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8   Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
     It speaks deceit;
     With his mouth one speaks peace to his neighbor,
     But inwardly he sets an ambush for him.
9   Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord.
     “Shall I not avenge Myself 
     On a nation such as this?

10 “I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains,
     And for the pastures of the wilderness a song of mourning,
     Because they are laid waste so that no one passes through,
     And the sound of the livestock is not heard;
     Both the birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
     A haunt of jackals;
     And I will make the cities of Judah a desolation without inhabitant.”

12 Who is the wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have followed the stubbornness of their heart and the Baals, as their fathers taught them,” 15 therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them poisoned water to drink. 16 I will also scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the sword after them until I have put an end to them.”

17 This is what the Lord of armies says:

     “Consider and call for the mourning women, that they may come;
     And send for the skillful women, that they may come!
18 Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
     So that our eyes may shed tears,
     And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion:
     ‘How devastated we are!
     We are put to great shame,
     For we have abandoned the land 
     Because they have torn down our homes.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you women,
     And let your ears receive the word of His mouth;
     Teach your daughters wailing,
     And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.
21 For death has come up through our windows;
     It has entered our palaces 
     To eliminate the children from the streets,
     The young men from the public squares.
22 Speak, “This is what the Lord says:
     ‘The corpses of people will fall like dung on the open field,
     And like the sheaf after the reaper,
     But no one will gather them.’”

23 This is what the Lord says: “Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast of his might, nor a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and all those inhabiting the desert who trim the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart.”

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

The interaction with Jeremiah and the Lord is interesting.  For the most part, Jeremiah's feelings coincide with God's, but God doesn't reprimand Jeremiah for wanting to abandon Israel, instead He guides the conversation along in truth and hope.  A big part of this message is that people need to realize their sin, feel remorse, and humbly turn to the Lord, to have a personal relationship with Him. 

God cannot go against His nature:

- because He is holy, He cannot have a relationship with sin

- because the Lord is just, He will punish all sin that hasn't been forgiven

- because the Lord loves all people, He desires that all come to know Him, and therefore provided the way by paying the price for all sin so that He can forgive those who come to Him to be forgiven

- because the Lord is love, He does not force anyone to love Him back

- because God is fair, patient and all-knowing, if anyone is going to turn to Him at some point, He will wait and give them all the opportunities they need

- because God is merciful, anyone who humbly goes to Him to become a believer, He forgives and saves them

- because God is grace, He guarantees eternal security to those He has forgiven

- because God is righteous, all-powerful and generous, as we strive to live in His will, He gives us His wisdom, strength and resources

- because the Lord is the God of relationships, He delights in His children, wants the best for them, disciplines and guides them, protects and fights for them!

When we are born, our human nature is sinful and void of God.  But when we become a child of God, the Lord gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit, and changes our hearts from the inside out.  And then, as we ask and allow, He continues to work for us, in us and through us, so that we will become more and more like Him.  

Just like we take on the traits of our earthly parents, the closer we grow to our heavenly Father, the more we will become like Him.  And just like what He says and does flows out of His nature (His character traits), because our hearts are healed, changed and filled by the Lord, what we say and do will demonstrate what (and WHO) is in our hearts!

relationships (Jeremiah 8:1-22) Knowing the Greatest Physician

(Jeremiah 8:1-22)  

“At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the heavenly lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered nor buried; they will be like dung on the face of the ground. 3 And death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies.

4   “You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:

     “Do people fall and not get up?
     Does one turn away and not repent?
5   Why has this people, Jerusalem,
     Turned away in continual apostasy?
     They hold on to deceit,
     They refuse to return.
6   I have listened and heard,
     They have spoken what is not right;
     No one repented of his wickedness,
     Saying, ‘What have I done?’
     Everyone turned to his own course,
     Like a horse charging into the battle.
7   Even the stork in the sky 
     Knows her seasons;
     And the turtledove, the swallow, and the crane 
     Keep to the time of their migration;
     But My people do not know 
     The judgment of the Lord.

8   “How can you say, ‘We are wise,
     And the Law of the Lord is with us’?
     But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
     Has made it into a lie.
9   The wise men are put to shame,
     They are dismayed and caught;
     Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord,
     So what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will give their wives to others,
     Their fields to new owners;
     Because from the least even to the greatest 
     Everyone is greedy for gain;
     From the prophet even to the priest,
     Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
     Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
     But there is no peace.
12 Were they ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
     They were not ashamed at all,
     And they did not know how to be ashamed;
     Therefore they will fall among those who fall;
     At the time of their punishment they will collapse,”
     Says the Lord.

13 “I will certainly snatch them away,” declares the Lord.
     “There will be no grapes on the vine 
     And no figs on the fig tree,
     And the leaf will wither;
     And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still?
     Assemble yourselves, and let’s go into the fortified cities 
     And perish there,
     For the Lord our God has doomed us
     And given us poisoned water to drink,
     Because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We waited for peace, but no good came;
     For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses;
     At the sound of the neighing of his stallions 
     The whole land quakes;
     For they come and devour the land and its fullness,
     The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am sending serpents among you,
     Vipers for which there is no charm;
     And they will bite you,” declares the Lord.

18 My sorrow is beyond healing,
     My heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a distant land:
     “Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
     “Why have they provoked Me with their carved images, with foreign idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,
     And we are not saved.”
21 I am broken over the brokenness of the daughter of my people.
     I mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no balm in Gilead?
     Is there no physician there?
     Why then has not the health of the daughter of my people been restored?

TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:

Superficial healing is what the world offers, so one cannot be surprised if they do not find true healing when they seek out what the world offers.  And this is really not about physical healing, but spiritual healing, which then brings about God's true peace and joy.  This can only be found in the Lord and His salvation, and in seeking after Him while striving to live in His will.

Our hearts are deceptive.  And not that we will necessarily set out to deceive others, but the biggest struggle we face is how we deceive ourselves.  The trickiest sin that we deal with is self-righteousness.  Because when our flesh desires something, our hearts will have compassion for the void that we feel (which we have created), and then our brains will enable those desires by trying to figure out how to justify them... and then to quell the shame, one decides to be proud of these decisions.  In this, we convince ourselves that we are right, and if someone tells us anything differently, they are wrong!  Period!  Then, in willful pride, one keeps digging downward, hardening their hearts, more and more.

Our hearts are sick and need healing!  But it is impossible to change or fix our own hearts!  Just like a person cannot perform emergency open heart surgery on themselves!  The Lord is the great Physician.  Yes, Jesus physically healed people and He still does physically heal people at times, as it is His will.  But physically healing people was to demonstrate what the Millennial kingdom would be like - with no sickness or sorrow.  And most of all, this was to demonstrate His power - as proof to us that He is the Lord - and He can bring about spiritual healing through our choosing to believe in Him!  This is when He heals our hearts, changing us from the inside out, as He gives us His indwelling Holy Spirit of promise to be with us always. The sickness is sin, and there isn't any other remedy to remove sin, than salvation and the forgiveness that Jesus Christ offers, and is able to offer us, because of His work on the cross, where He paid the price for all sin, of all time, for all people.

Now, how do we see this in regards to relationships?  So, imagine that you needed open heart surgery in order to live.  There is only one physician that can save you.  But you know that the world and others around you will make fun of you, and shame you for going to him, because that would prove you were weak, or stupid... in their eyes.  So, do you make your decision and sacrifice your own life in order to please them, and then suffer in agony and die?  Or do you put your life into the hands of the greatest physician who fixes your heart and gives you new life.  And then, wouldn't you thankfully and gratefully continue on as a patient who trusts in his advice as to how to proceed in a new, healthy lifestyle?

Well, with the Lord Jesus Christ, it is so much more than just having the greatest physician ever.  He wants to have a personal relationship with us.  Even more than the greatest life coach ever, and the best friend ever, He is the perfect heavenly Father, who always is there, and always has the perfect advice for us to follow, in every circumstance, and is able and more than willing to it FOR us!  For me, this decision is a no-brainer!  And if we feel anguish and sorrow, it should be for those whose hearts have not yet been healed, which should prompt us, in the Lord's guidance and help, to share the good news!