Listen to the Doctor

TODAY'S READING: 1 John 3:1-6
Have you ever been to the doctor because you were sick and he gave you a prescription? What did you do? Do you go to the pharmacy and get your prescription or ignore what the doctor said?
It would be kind of foolish to not fill the prescription. It shows that we either don't trust the doctor or we don't really want to get well. Either way, we are ignoring the advice of someone who wants what is best for us.
The same thing happens when we come to Jesus. When we are sick emotionally and spiritually, Jesus gives us a prescription. He tells us to avoid sin. Stay away from those things that make you sick emotionally and spiritually. But for some reason we fail to "fill" the prescription.
Is it that we don't trust God? Or is it that we are enjoying the temporary pleasure of sin too much to make the changes to get better in the long run? Either way, we are ignoring the advice of someone who wants what is best for us.
John wrote, "But those who keep on sinning have never known him or understood who he is." (1 John 3:6) I think we often ignore God's prescription because we don't know Him well enough or don't really understand who He is. When we don't invest the time in the relationship, Jesus is more of a distant figure than a close friend. And when that happens we don't trust Him as much as we should.
Jesus dealt with a whole group of people who thought they knew God but really didn't. The Pharisees and religious teachers of His day thought they knew God. But to them God was a lawmaker who demanded certain behaviors. And when they met the demands, those religious folks thought they had "arrived." But Jesus had a different view on things.
When he heard this, Jesus replied, "Healthy people don't need a doctor--sick people do." Then he added, "Now go and learn the meaning of this Scripture: `I want you to be merciful; I don't want your sacrifices.' For I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough." (Matthew 9:12-13)
There is prescription from the Great Physician. When we realize our shortcomings and want to change, then God can change our hearts. We will not become pure until we realize our impurity.
It has been interesting in my walk with Jesus that the closer I get to God the more inpurities I notice. It's kind of like when the sun rises after an overnight storm. The more the sun rises and the brighter the light, the more damage you will see.
It's also like the doctor who shines that little light in your ear to see if there is an infection. The sickness will never be found until it is illuminated.
Today, let the light of God shine a little brighter on your life and see what is revealed. And as you get to know God better He will challenge you to become even more pure. It is then that God will really be able to make the changes that you and I cannot make on our own.

shine!
Jason