Brethren Steve (peopleoftheway) and Chette, thanks for your encouragement and comments. Personally brother
Steve, I've always said God "allowed" my illness...not that He "gave" my illness. He may have...I just don't know. This I do know...He has certainly used my infirmity for His glory and He has used my weakness to reveal the strength, sufficiency, and preeminence of Christ in all things; that He might be glorified.
Brother
Chette, I have found that after the Apostle Paul shares his heart by confessing his puny mortality and battle with doing the right thing (Romans 7) he simply concludes that Jesus Christ alone is the victory.
Romans 7:24-25 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin.
In summary, I believe the Apostle Paul brought victory in living the daily Christian life down to a single, narrow, simple truth...
Jesus Christ our Lord.
I don't know if anyone else has noticed that my posts on "
Doctrines of Christian Living" have
all been centered on the one doctrine of Christ. This key doctrine is inexhaustible in my opinion and is both the foundation
and the building (structure) of the Christian life. I've seen that it's not Christ
plus the addition of doing and obeying various doctrines, but rather, Christ alone. Christian living is indeed God the Father, working through Jesus Christ, by the Holy Spirit to produce within each true believer both the desire and the will to do His good pleasure.
But it's real easy for us to shelf Christ and pick up the long list of things to do and go to work.
All scripture is profitable for doctrine, of course, but I'm saying that doctrine finds life, power, and practical reality
specifically in Christ! The fullness of the Godhead bodily is in Christ. Christ is the beginning, the end, and everything in-between. Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Christ has all power in Heaven above and in the earth beneath. We are complete in Him and nothing in addition to Christ is needed.
What I'm trying to say is that after I received Christ, I slowly left my first love. I failed to remember that He is not only sufficient for eternal life...but for daily life itself. "
For me to live is Christ." Personally (and I do not think I'm alone), I became consumed with principles, formulas, methods, plans, and programs for living a Christian life...instead of simply growing in personal, and deep intimate knowledge of the person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Instead of loving Him. I see that God the Father (the Husbandman) uses the divine pruning shears to bring forth fruit, more fruit, and much fruit in our life.
- The shears of His written word.
- The shears of trials.
- The shears of chastisement and correction.
Galatians 2:20-21 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
For me, the word of truth became fresh, new, alive, powerful, and personal again when Jesus Christ became the one love of my life. He is my best Friend. God has used (perhaps as brother Steve said) gave me a disability to teach me this life changing message.
I'm in agreement with you brother Chette (if I understand what you're saying), it should not take a severe trial in our life to bring us to the point of submission to Christ and Christ alone.
My encouragement to the brothers and sisters on this forum? Know, love, and follow Christ!