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Have you been to the doctor lately? We usually associate going to the clinic with illness, but really it’s a good idea to visit the doctor now and then just for a routine check-up.

Imagine going into a routine exam and the doctor discovers you have a serious health problem. From here, the doctor has two choices:
1. He or she can break the hard news to you to make you aware of the problem.
2. They can keep smiling and ignore the disease or health-related issue altogether.

Obviously, you would never want your doctor to do the latter. In fact, the doctor could be sued for malpractice for neglecting to inform you of the issue. The truth is, no matter how badly it hurts to hear that you have a disease, you want the doctor to tell you the truth. You NEED the doctor to tell you the truth.

Now imagine for a moment that you have visited the doctor and come home after hearing the difficult news that you have a disease, and instead of weighing your medical options you begin to look for something or someone you can blame. “How DARE that doctor tell me that I have a disease? How do they expect me to be healthy when all I hear is sickness, sickness, sickness? And I bet they want me to go into an actual hospital to receive treatment. Why would I want to go into a building of healthy doctors and nurses? You can’t tell me they don’t get their fair share of the common cold or flu. Maybe if they’d think about their own sickness they would’t have to focus so much on mine.”

If we understand how absurd this kind of thinking is when it comes to our physical health, why can’t we see that the same is true when it comes to our spiritual health? Symptoms like anger, worry, broken relationships, addiction, emptiness, workaholism, self-harm and so many of our daily struggles may actually be a sign of poor spiritual health. Could it be that it’s time for a spiritual check-up?

All of life’s problems can be traced back to one single source: sin. Sin is the reason for death, disease, and all of the problems we face. Before you write this off as the ramblings of a self-righteous Bible-thumper, consider my options: I can either choose to tell you the truth of our condition, or I can ignore it. If we ignore the truth we simply will not get better. But the word of God offers hope!

“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have been healed.” (1 Peter 2:24)

Praise the Lord, my soul,
and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins
and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion…
(Psalms 103:2-4)

Friend, God cares so much about your spiritual health that He was willing to sacrifice His own son to heal you. Why not turn to Him today? You can talk to Him through prayer, or pick up His word and read directly from the mouth of God. Consider attending a local church this week where you can be around others trying to follow Him just as you are.

If you’d like to contact me with any questions, please contact me via phone: (570) 724-3741
Or by email: tj@wellsborobible.com