Picture Of Health
Ξ September 22nd, 2008 | → 2 Comments | ∇ Christian Living, Growing In The Lord |
Welcome back!
I grew up hearing the phrase “picture of health”. Adults were usually talking about someone who was in the hospital with an unexpected condition or had died. They were shocked since he/she had been the “picture of health”. What they actually meant was, what happened to them since it appeared that they were not ill? They were not truly a picture of health. It only seemed that way. Thinking about that particular phrase brought up the old movie “The Picture Of Dorian Gray” in my mind. I do not recall most of the movie. However, the part that I do remember is that the picture grew old while the guy didn’t. The guy was not what he seemed to be. The words “picture of health” might actually have come from just such a movie or book. I do not know. What I do know is that sometimes things are not what they seem. What does “picture of health” actually mean then?
God teaches us that Jesus is the picture of health. The problem that we tend to run into is that we forget that God always talks about the spiritual matters first. Always. Why? Because He is first spiritual, then the soul or mental and finally, physical. In order to see things from God’s point of view, which we must if we are to ever understand what He is trying to teach us, we absolutely must perceive spiritual matters first. If we do not, the lesson is not going to be understood. Jesus is the picture of health spiritually first. Schooling ourselves to look at God’s Word and what He teaches us from that point of view can be very hard to do if we are so used to thinking in the natural realm.
Let’s use the phrase “picture of health” again. Looking at it from God’s point of view, He heals from the inside out. Here comes our problem with that. We live in an instant world. Everything is either instant or at least fast. Instant messaging, fast food, instant transfers and so on. Since we live like that, it is not surprising to realize that even on an unconscious level we expect answers to happen right now! Fast. Instantly. Sometimes it looks like nothing is happening in our lives when we have sought God asking for His help. It might seem like He did not answer or it is felt that He ignored the request. I have felt that way myself. However, the answer might just be right there inside. You are unaware of it since God is working from the inside out. Sometimes, people stop these things themselves though.
Are you aware that if your spirit is unable to accept what God can do that it looks like He has said “no” when in reality you were the one who said “no”? If your spirit is unable to accept what God has to offer, He cannot force you to take it. He then must teach you in your spirit concerning this lesson. Therefore, He starts to work from the inside out teaching your spirit about Him and His word. There are times when people simply do not want to be taught. They will not be. God is a Gentleman and does not force anything on you if you do not want it.
We have God’s assurance that we are healed according to what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary. In I Peter 2:24, the Bible states that Jesus Himself bore our sins in HIS body. He went from being the picture of health to having all the diseases and sins on His body so that we would not have to take this on ourselves. See, we deserve it all…the cross, the sinful nature, the sickness. Jesus took it Himself so that we do not need to suffer for the results of disobedience and sin. We have only to ask Him into our hearts for this to be so. However, since we are not all the “picture of health”, it is necessary for us to learn the lessons God teaches us concerning healing. Sometimes those lessons can be pretty hard to learn. We all struggle with physical health, financial health, mental health and spiritual health. Yet, according to the scriptures, we should not have to struggle but we do. The lesson is clear. We need to learn it, making ourselves the “picture of health”.
(1Pe 2:24) He Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that dying to sins, we might live to righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed.
The good news is that we can do this. That, too, was part of what Jesus did at Calvary. Makes me wonder what we’re waiting for. Ah but that’s the rub. This world is sin natured and it’s pretty hard to hear God sometimes. We do have our Bibles but there are questions. This is the time to get in touch with God by prayer and conversation. Yes, I said conversation. I have conversations with Him. Of course, a conversation includes both parties talking. Maybe it’s time to get in touch with God and have your own conversation. And the result just could be that you become the picture of health.
