As I write this, my heart is heavy and my mind is dreading the new day’s coming. Because at 11:00 tomorrow, I will sit down in a dentist’s chair
and he will rip four teeth out of my mouth. That’s right. Four of my little toofies.
OUCH!.
You see, for years, I didn’t do what I should have done. I
used dip and chew for years. I smoked cigarettes, pipes and cigars for years. The amount of cola that I’ve
consumed over the years could float a nuclear carrier. I didn't brush. I didn't floss. I’ve been hard on my
teeth, and little by little, they’ve broken or rotted away. My fault, my fault
entirely. The last one to break was one of my front crowns, and now I look like
a redneck vampire when I close my mouth.
Therefore, in the morning, the dentist will pull out the remaining four teeth on
top and I’ll just get a full plate. Sounds easy, right? When YOU’RE the one
facing it, it certainly doesn’t sound easy. A few hours of the dentist prying,
cutting, splitting and yanking teeth out of my jaw. My dentists in the past
have joked that my roots run down to my toes, and my last extraction had pieces
of my jawbone attached when he (finally) got it out. The prospect of going through
that is making me a little anxious; it’s NOT a good night to be me.
BUT, I’ll be in a sterile environment, under local
anesthesia, and the surgery will be done by an individual who has absolutely no
desire to hurt me. Actually, he will do everything in his power to ensure that
I’m not in any pain.
Compare that to the dread that Jesus felt in the Garden of
Gethsemane…no anesthesia, no kindness, and knowing that there would be actual
torture, with no other goal than to humiliate, punish and kill Him.
Yes, He wept tears of blood.
Yes, He cried out for another way if possible.
BUT, He went willingly into the hands of those who would
torture and kill Him.
He went for me.
He went for you.
Just as I’m going to endure pain tomorrow because I know
that it will be better after, He went to the cross because He knew that He
would be the sacrifice paid for the sins of Mankind and offer salvation to Man.
For the sins of everyone who calls upon His name, He paid
the price. He’ll take your sins. He took the blows that allow Him to pay for
your rotten fleshly failures and offer you forgiveness, redemption and
restoration to Him. He paid for the policy, made the appointment and even paid
your copay.
What a great offer! The best healthcare (soulcare) in the
universe!!!
Confess Him as LORD
(agree with heaven about what is true)
Repent of your sins (allow Him to change the way you view
your actions in accordance to His word)
Follow Him (seek to imitate Him in your thoughts, desires
and actions, using the Bible as your manual and the Holy Spirit as your
instructor and guide)
8But what does it say? “THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART”—that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, 9that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11For the Scripture says, “WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED.”
Romans 10:8-11
