Earn This!

Greetings,

It's not easy coming back from illness.  On my journey home I found strength through scripture.  Even though God and I weren't on very good speaking terms at the time I found that His word comforted me.  I found many characters of the Bible that I could relate to.  Job was one of them!  Although I believe Job handled his situation with a little more maturity than I did I saw something in him that I saw in myself.  It didn't have anything to do with his character, but his belief.

Much was taken from Job and yet his belief that God was soveriegn and righteous enabled him to endure his sufferings.  My journey home has been a long journey yet, throughout my journey, I have always believed that God remained true, just, and merciful, a soveriegn God.  And because He is sovereign it means that His way IS the BEST way!  I have not always understood, agreed, or supported the decisions that He has made for me but I do know they are the right ones!

Many of us have obstacles to overcome.  Be it health, financial, spiritual, or otherwise we all struggle in this world with something.  It is during those times when we can remember that the will that God has for each of us are true and the best decisions for us.  We don't always have to like them but we do have to honor them.

As I continue to struggle through my life I have made myself a promise, to honor God's choices.  The reality that it was very real that I would not get up from that operating table gives me encouragement.  God, in His infinite wisdom, gave me another shot at life.  I want to earn it.  I want to live my life knowing that God has more plans for me.

I am reminded of the movie Saving Private Ryan.  Towards the end of the movie when all of the soldiers that have come to rescue him begin to die Tom Hanks takes Private Ryan by the shirt and, with his dying breath says, "Earn this!"  I pray that those of you who read these words would seek to live a life that gives God honor.  He chose to give His son for me that I might have victory over death, so I might know Him.  I can imagine Christ on that cross and with His dying breath looking at me, and you, and saying, "Earn This!"  And, although we can never earn our salvation, we can honor it.

I pray my journey home gives honor to God.!


Blessings,

Derek