My son, pay attention to what I say; listen closely to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to a man’s whole body. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.
I have to give my cat a pill. Every day. If you’ve never tried to give a pill to a cat, let me tell you: cats do not wish to take pills. But, I am almost one of those crazy cat ladies and I love my cat. I know it is for his own good and I buck up and do what I have to do to make sure he gets the medication he needs. It’s not like giving a pill to a dog - tricking them by sticking it in a piece of cheese or hot dog or something. The cat isn’t falling for that. He knows. It’s been a few months now that I’ve been having to do this, and over the course of time I’ve figured out some tricks to get it done. Sometimes he senses me approaching and he’ll run and hide under the bed. After he gets his pills, he’s mad at me for a while. But before the evening is over he’s back in my lap, loving on me and has obviously forgiven me.
My cat was diagnosed with blood clots due to a heart condition. I have noticed that since I have been treating the heart problem, his health has improved in other ways. His fur seems to be softer, and he doesn’t seem to shed as much as he used to. He no longer seems to have stomach trouble, and his appetite has increased. Because of the changes made to his heart, his general overall health has changed for the better.
How the heart goes, so goes the rest of the body. when my mother was ill and her heart was failing, other things began to fail as well. She began to have problems with her lungs, her eyes and mouth, her feet and ankles. When your heart isn’t working properly, nothing else functions properly either.
The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks.
Before I became a Christian - before I accepted Christ into my heart, it was as if my life wasn’t functioning properly. I felt lost, without direction and guidance, and I felt a void. My heart wasn’t in the right place, and I was not right with the Lord. Aspects of my world were failing, and i was alone and didn’t know how to deal with it. But then I made a diagnosis: I needed salvation. The daily dose I need to take? Prayer and Bible reading. Every day - so that I can know what is true, and I won’t be fooled into thinking I’m getting a hot dog or cheese - something phony, untrue, theologically unsound and incorrect.
Sometimes when I sense God approaching to work in painful areas of my life, I want to go and run away and hide under the bed. I don’t want to take the medicine that He knows I need, that is for my own good - He’s gotta do what He’s gotta do. And it has happened that after I’ve received a dose, well, I might not be all that happy about it. But I have to trust in the Lord that He loves me and that I should give thanks in and for all things. My cat doesn’t understand the reason behind why I’m so “mean”, grabbing him and forcing this nasty pill down his gullet. And me in my humanness, I don’t often understand God’s reasons why I have to experience pain, hardships, struggles, and difficult situations. but it is all about the process of overall change in my life - and if I believe in Him, I should know that he works all things for the good. And because I know that, I love Him.
to consider
Think of a time when you felt God was giving you and unpleasant dose of medicine - a difficult time period or situation. Looking back, do you feel this experience changed you for the better overall?
Have you been treating your spiritual maladies every day, with quiet times of prayer and reading of God’s word?
prayer
Lord, hear our prayers. We come to you expectantly. By faith we know that when we come to you, you hear us. When we ask, we shall receive. We trust that when we prayerfully, humbly ask you to come into our lives and work for change, we can expect change - more, and different than we could ever imagine. Heal our hearts - strengthen our spirits. Unite us with the common desire for changed lives.
Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!