The Caduceus Lie

The medical community has a 'caduceus' as its symbol - two snakes spiraling upward around a staff with some wings at the top. It was created in honor of Hermes, a Greek god, and his 'magical' staff. Yeah, well here's a better idea.

"And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever  believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." - John 3:16

The serpent in the wilderness? What was that?

"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” - Numbers 21:8

God's people had sinned, again, so He sent serpents among them who began biting and killing them as a punishment for their disobedience. The serpent on the pole was a foreshadowing of Jesus on the cross.

Jesus referred to Moses's serpent on a pole when He was talking about His own death. The serpent, synonymous with sin and death, was a perfect example of Jesus, who became sin as He died on 'a pole,' the cross, that all who looked to Him would be saved.

The medical profession does good work, but they've got nothing on Jesus - the best healer in the business!

Missing You

Is it possible to miss someone you have never even met? Well, I'm here to say, "Yes. Yes, it is."

I have noticed something about my prayers lately. They have become more desperate in nature. I suppose it's due to the deteriorating state of the world we live in. I tell God that I can't wait for the return of His Son, Jesus. I also say that I hope it's soon.

Do you remember that 80's ballad by John Waite called Missing You? There's a link to the song below. Here's some of the lyrics.

Every time I think of you

I always catch my breath

And I'm still standing here

And you're miles away

And I'm wondering why you left

Well, you definitely are "miles away" and just why DID you leave anyway?

"My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am." - John 14:2-3

Oh yeah, I forgot with all of the stuff on the news. Sorry. More lyrics.

I hear your name in certain circles

And it always makes me smile

I spend my time

Thinking about you

And it's almost driving me wild

I do hear you name, but only in certain circles. Like church or when I am praying with a friend. And I Do spend my time thinking about You. I can't seem to stop. I guess that comes with having Your Holy Spirit living inside of me. I read about you daily. I utter little prayers throughout the day and wonder what heaven is like.

Does that sound like I'm missing You, Lord?

They say that absence makes the heart grow fonder. Whoever "they" are, they are right. It seems that with every passing day I am missing You more and more. Almost to the breaking point. But You won't let that happen. That's how I know that You are coming back soon. Lots of people are missing You right now.

There is an Aramaic word - Maranatha. The word means "the Lord is coming" or "come, O Lord." Perhaps I could just end this story with those words.

I miss You, Jesus. Maranatha. Please?

"All my longings lie open before you, Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you." - Psalm 38:9

Missing You - John Waite

Missing

It's been so long since I've been near you. Your once-familiar voice has faded from my mind . . . and my heart. It's sad but I don't really remember your voice anymore as much as I see little flashes of images - pictures created of who I remember you to be.

We used to spend so much time together. It's like our "who we were" has now faded into a "where did you go?" The deep conversations we once had are gone. All that remains are disappearing memories of what once was. Where did the "WE" go? The "US." What happened to that love we once shared? What happened . . . to you?

In reading those words, what pictures come into your mind? What scenarios from YOUR life do you see in them. As I wrote those words I was thinking of several people from my life. I was thinking about my best friend who has been on vacation. I was thinking about my father who died in June. I was thinking about a young lady named Kameron and a young man named Austin, all of whom have become memories in my mind and heart. Who do YOU think of? Who are YOU missing?

I think what the word "missing" means is that a part of US actually goes "missing" when someone we love is gone. It's like they take part of us with them somehow. It hurts us because our hearts have been wounded. Pierced. Torn.

I was reading the Book of Job this morning. Job had everything in the first chapter - wealth, family, possessions. But one day that was all stripped away and he was left with nothing. He was missing a lot of stuff! So what did Job do. He did a lot of whining and complaining to be sure. He was hurt. But despite his pain and suffering, Job did something that most of us wouldn't think to do in the midst of tragedy or pain or in the middle of missing someone. He worshiped.

"20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong." - Job 1:20-22

How is your relationship with Jesus these days? Do you miss HIM?

Please go back up to the top of this page and re-read those first two paragraphs. If you are feeling distant from God, perhaps you will find new meaning in the words if you read them from a different perspective. Read those first two paragraphs as if Jesus was talking right to you.

I miss Jesus. I long for His return. And if He doesn't return before I die then I will anxiously run into His arms when I do. Compared to what awaits me, this place has little to offer. That sounds harsh but we are called to love no one as much as we are to love God. His love is a consuming fire (Deuteronomy 4:24, Hebrews 12:29).

If each of us loves God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength we won't have to ever worry about missing anyone again. Loving God in such a way plus placing our faith and trust in Jesus for His forgiveness of our sins, ensures that we will be with Him forever.

There is comfort in that knowledge. I hope that my dad, Kameron and Austin took that step of faith. If they did there is little doubt we shall meet again. I wonder though. When we get to heaven, will we miss the people in our lives who didn't take that leap of faith? Unknown.

Jesus died for everyone's sins. All we have to do as sinners is repent and place our trust in Jesus. We must believe that His death on the cross was the atoning sacrifice God demanded as payment for letting us in.

Do you think Jesus misses us? We spend so much of our lives and our time ignoring Him. And do we talk to Him as much as we should? The more I read the Bible, the more I miss Jesus. I pray I would miss Him more and more, with each passing day until, at last, we meet face to face. On that day I will truly rejoice. And, according to what I read in His Word, He will rejoice as well.

I will close this post with two passages - one from the first book of the Bible, and one from the last. They are almost identical. They are both spoken by our God and our King.

"45 I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. 46 And they shall know that I am the Lord their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the Lord their God." - Exodus 29:45-46

"3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God." - Revelation 21:3

Missing You - John Waite