Take Away - SOM 2

 I am still processing the Sermon on the Mount. I have gone through the 25 posts and edited them for clarity and to revisit them for myself. Now I want to look at the applications I should be making for myself.

SOM Part 2

Blessed are those who are gasping for air, because they are the kingdom of heaven. (my translation)

Jesus made it clear that He did not come for the healthy, but for the sick. (Mark 2:17) He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners. And that is a good thing, because according to Romans 3:10-12, “None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.   All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” But there are those who think themselves righteous, who think they are healthy. The healthy don't need a doctor. (See Matthew 9:12). Righteous people don't need a Savior. 

If you go to the doctor, he will ask you questions so that he can diagnose you. So you sniffle? Got a sore throat? Perhaps you feel a little dizzy? The doctor will probably calmly continue to discuss your symptoms with you. But walk in gasping for breath, and I bet he takes a different approach. In fact, so do you. If you are gasping for breath, you don't sit in the waiting room until it is your turn. You make it clear that you need a doctor, and need one now! Jesus recognizes the seriousness of our condition. He went to the cross to prove it. But do we? Can you imagine someone sitting in the doctors waiting room, gasping for air, but refusing to go in to see the doctor until it was their turn? 

So here is my take away for part 2. I need Jesus. Desperately. I need to see that need. Not because I can't handle some traumatic issue in life, but because I am a sinner. Sometimes I feel sorry for those who don't truly understand their need for Jesus. Their life is pretty good, no real issues, but perhaps they have been taken in by some smooth talking speaker, who maybe had them say a prayer or even get baptized, but then they walked away thinking that was it, they were saved. But my diagnosis is critical and terminal. I don't just need to take a couple aspirin, I need constant ICU type care. I need to see my doctor every day, and sometimes more. 

I also feel sorry for those who are critical but still don't feel the need for a doctor. They can hardly breath, but insist that they will get over it. 

Gasping for breath is a gift from God that is intended to show me my need for Him. I think we often act as if we can handle things, and when it does get tough, call on God. While it is not a bad thing to call on God in times of need, when we abandon Him when things pick up is a mistake. We need God in the good times and the bad. Once released from the hospital, shouldn't we follow the doctor's plan for our continued care? If the doctor says no more smoking and drinking, but we say that he is being to legalistic and do not follow the instructions, do we really think that all of our issues are and will continue to be resolved? 

I tend to be wishy-washy. I think we all do, but that does not excuse me. I get closer to God when things are toughest. But I need Him every day. I need to see just how amazing His grace is all the time. Gasping for air is not necessarily a bad thing. What is worse, is being able to breath and then getting run over by a truck. Didn't see that one coming, and now it is too late. Better to keep gasping for air.