Pass The Kidney Stones. PLEASE!!

It's a pretty little picture, isn't it? Looks like some rare crystal unearthed from some ancient ruins someplace. It's pretty alright. Pretty painful! I found out last week that a friend of mine has kidney stones. Kidney stones can be very painful as they try to work their way out of the body. Sometimes they get so large they must be surgically removed. But before they are they sure can cause a lot of pain!

Usually, when we get kidney stones, they are small and pass without notice. Other times they become too large to escape normally and must be removed, either trough the use of lasers or ultrasound, but sometimes a surgical procedure has to be performed to get rid of them and to stop the pain.

Think about the whole kidney stone process for a moment. Our kidneys act as a filter for our blood. Each day our two kidneys filter about 120-150 quarts of blood. We pee out "the garbage." That is, unless something blocks that process . . . like a kidney stone. Kidney stones can really screw up our lives and keep our bodies from functioning the way God designed them to.

Can you see where I am trying to go with this story? What if we took this whole kidney stone process and compared it to the lives we are living in this world. Can you see any similarities?

Let's say the kidney stone represents the sin in our lives. The role of our kidneys is played by God. He keeps us alive through the blood. He filters our life through his Word, through His love. He longs to have our bodies stay healthy. TO that end, He is trying to remove all of the impurities from our lives. He does this through the reading of His word. He does this through His Holy Spirit.

Sin can be a deadly thing if there is too much of it in  our lives. Wait. That's wrong. Sin can be a deadly thing if we have ANY of it in our lives. Romans  6:23 tells us that"the wages of sin is death." ANY sin, even the smallest sin, is more than enough to send us to hell.

God's is pretty strict, isn't He? It's called "just." He is a just judge, giving people exactly what they deserve. And we are ALL sinners. The outlook is not good for us without someone to save us. Hmm. Read this.

"God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Corinthians 10:13

If God helps us endure our temptations, wouldn't it also make sense that He would provide us with a "way to escape" our sin? It makes perfect sense to me . . . and guess what . . . He did.

God sent us His son Jesus, not only to live and walk amongst us, but He taught us, rebuked us and, in the end, He died for us. Jesus atoned for our sins, taking the death penalty upon Himself to save us from certain death. What a gift!!

But not everyone will be saved. In order to have your debt canceled you must place your faith in Christ.

"Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.

3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve." - 1 Corinthians 15:1-5

That is the Gospel. If you believe that in your heart, confess your sins to Jesus and repent, you will undoubtedly be saved. No more kidney stones! What an amazing God to love us that much!!

 

---------------------------------------------------------------

I was more of a Beatles fan growing up than a Stones fan but I'd like you to check out the lyrics to this Stones classic.

Gimme Shelter - The Rolling "Stones"

"Oh, a storm is threat'ning
My very life today
If I don't get some shelter
Oh yeah, I'm gonna fade away,"

Our shelter in this life is Christ Jesus. If you don't know Him you will most definitely "fade away" when your time comes. It could be ten years from now. It could be 20. It could also be tomorrow. Have you seen the news lately? It could even be tonight. Think about it. Knock on His door. He has promised to answer but YOU must do the knocking. Please, get some shelter before it's too late.