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Featured Another Chance for a Blessing

Discussion in 'Other Christian Denominations' started by SGO, Feb 17, 2021.

  1. JonC

    JonC Moderator
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    Going one more step. Is there a difference between cursing a Christian and cursing Christ? Or blessing a Christian and blessing Christ?

    This is an account that brought this home to me (made me think of this differently):

    In my years in the ER, I saw Jesus daily doing His kingdom work in and through a group of His followers. It was a true expression of the church. One day stands out beyond all the others and left me radically changed forever. It was the day I saw Jesus face to face…

    “Give us hearts as servants” was the song they were singing as I left the church service, heading off for my second twelve-hour shift in a row. Weekends in the ER can be absolutely brutal! I was physically and emotionally spent as I walked up to the employee entrance. The sound of ambulances and an approaching medical helicopter were telltale signs that I would be literally hitting the ground running.

    “Dawn… can you lock down room 15?” yelled out my charge nurse as I crawled up to the nurse's station. (When someone asked for a lockdown it was usually a psychiatric or combative case.) Two security guards stood outside the room, biceps flexing like bouncers anticipating a drunken brawl. My eyes rolled as I walked past them into the room to set up.

    The masked medics arrived with [Name, N.] strapped and restrained to their cart. The hallway cleared with heads turned away in disgust at the smell surrounding them. They entered the room and I could see N. with his feet hung over the edge of the cart covered with plastic bags tightly taped around the ankles. The ER doctor quickly examined N. while we settled him in. The medics rattled off their findings in the background with N. mumbling in harmony right along with them. The smell was overpowering as they uncovered his swollen, mold-encrusted feet. After tucking him in and taking his vital signs, I left the room to tend to my other ten patients-in-waiting.

    Returning to the nurse's station, I overheard the other nurses and techs arguing over who would take N. as their patient. In addition to the usual lab work and tests, the doctor had ordered a shower complete with betadine foot scrub, antibiotic ointment, and non-adherent wraps. The charge nurse looked in my direction. “Dawn, will you please take N.? Please? You don’t have to do the foot scrub—just give him the sponge in the shower.” I agreed and made my way to gather the supplies and waited for the security guard to open up the hazmat shower.

    As I waited with N., the numbness of my business was interrupted by an overwhelming sadness. I watched N., restless and mumbling incoherently to himself through his scruff of a beard and 'stache. His eyes were hidden behind his ratted, curly, shoulder-length mane. This poor shell of a man had no one to love him. I wondered about his past and what happened to bring him to this hopelessly empty place? No one in the ER that day really looked at him and no one wanted to touch him. They wanted to ignore him and his broken life. But as much as I tried… I could not. I was drawn to him.

    The smirking security guards helped me walk him to the shower. As we entered the shower room I set out the shampoo, soaps, and towels like it was a five-star hotel. I felt in my heart that for at least ten minutes, this forgotten man would be treated as a king. I thought for those ten minutes he would see the love of Jesus. I set down the foot sponge and decided that I would do the betadine foot scrub by myself as soon as his shower was finished. I called the stock room for two large basins and a chair.

    When N. was finished in the shower I pulled back the curtain and walked him to the “throne” of warmed blankets and the two basins set on the floor. As I knelt at his feet, my heart broke and stomach turned as I gently picked up his swollen rotted feet. Most of his nails were black and curled over the top of his toes. The skin was rough, broken, and oozing pus. Tears streamed down my face while my gloved hands tenderly sponged the brown soap over his wounded feet.

    The room was quiet as the once-mocking security guards started to help by handing me towels. As I patted the last foot dry, I looked up and for the first time N.'s eyes looked into mine. For that moment he was alert, aware, and weeping as he quietly said, “Thank you.” In that moment, I was the one seeing Jesus. He was there all along, right where he said he would be
    .

    (From A Community Called Atonenent by Scot McKnight. It was used in his book by permission of the nurse who gave the account).
     
  2. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    When Israel was a child,
    then I loved him,
    and called my son out of Egypt.
    Hosea 11:1

    ...the angel of the Lord
    appeared to Joseph in a dream,
    saying, Arise,
    and take the young child
    and his mother and flee into Egypt...
    Matthew 2:13

    And was there until the death of Herod:
    that it might be fulfilled
    which was spoken spoken of the Lord
    by the prophet, saying,
    Out of Egypt have I called my son.
    Matthew 2:15

    Israel, son, Jesus praise to God.
     
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  3. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    Jesus saw Nathaniel coming to him,
    and saith of him,
    Behold an Israelite indeed,
    in whom is no guile!

    Praise God for a true Israelite.
     
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  4. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    The queen of Sheba concerning Solomon:

    Blessed be the Lord thy God,
    which delighteth in thee,
    to set thee on the throne of Israel:
    because the Lord loved Israel
    for ever,
    therefore made he thee king,
    to do judgement and justice.
    1 Kings 10:9

    Praise to God that a non-Jewish person could say He loved Israel for ever.
     
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  5. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    For unto us was the gospel preached,
    as well as unto them:
    Hebrews 4:2a

    Praise God the gospel was preached during Old Testament times.
     
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  6. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    For every high priest taken from among men
    is ordained for men
    in things pertaining to God,
    that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:
    Who can have compassion
    on the ignorant,
    and on them that are out of the way;
    for that he himself also
    is compassed with infirmity.
    And by reason hereof
    he ought,
    as for the people,
    so also for himself,
    to offer for sins.

    And no man taketh this honour unto himself,
    but he that is called of God,
    as was Aaron.
    Hebrews 5:1-4

    Praise to God that You have called us to be priests.

    Praise to God that we did not choose to be priests.


    But ye are a chosen generation,
    a royal priesthood,
    an holy nation...
    1 Peter 2:9

    Praise to God that we are nation of priests.
     
  7. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood,
    (for under it the people received the law,)
    what further need was there
    that another priest should rise
    after the order of Melchisedec,
    and not be called after the order of Aaron?
    For the priesthood being changed,
    there is made of necessity
    a change also of the law.
    Hebrews 7:11-12

    But so much was Jesus
    made a surety of a better testament.
    Hebrews 7:22

    But this man,
    because he continueth ever,
    hath an unchangeable priesthood.
    Wherefore he is able also
    to save them to the uttermost
    that come unto God by him,
    seeing he ever liveth
    to make intercession for them.
    Hebrews 7:24-25

    Praise to God for making the new covenant.
    Praise to God for sacrificing His Son for us.
    Praise to God that Jesus has come back from the dead and is alive.
    Praise to God that He always makes intercession for us.
     
  8. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    And for this cause
    he is the mediator of the new testament,
    that by means of death,
    for the redemption of the transgressions
    that were under the first testament,
    they which are called might receive
    the promise of eternal inheritance.
    Hebrews 9:15

    Praise to God that those under the first testament have redemption with eternal inheritance.
     
  9. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    ...we are sanctified
    through the offering
    of the body
    of Jesus Christ
    once for all.
    But this man,
    after he had offered one sacrifice for sins
    for ever,
    sat down on the right hand of God;
    For by one offering
    he hath perfected
    for ever
    them that are sanctified.
    Hebrews 10:10,12,14

    Praise God that the man Jesus Christ, has made one offering effective for ever, we that are set apart.
     
  10. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    God having provided
    some better thing for us,
    that they without us
    should not be made perfect.
    Hebrews 11:40

    Praise to God: Old Testament saints and New Testament saints made perfect together.
     
  11. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    Who are kept by the power of God
    through faith unto salvation
    ready to be revealed in the last time.
    Wherein ye greatly rejoice,
    though now for for a season,
    if need be,
    ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:
    1 Peter 1:5-6

    Praise God we are kept by the power of God with a lively hope [:3] even when we feel weighed down.
     
  12. SGO

    SGO Well-Known Member

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    Therefore, Thus saith the Lord God,
    Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone,
    a tried stone,
    a precious corner stone,
    a sure foundation:
    he that believeth shall not make haste.
    Isaiah 28:16

    Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture,
    Behold, I lay in Sion
    a chief corner stone,
    elect,
    precious:
    and he that believeth on him
    shall not be confounded.
    1 Peter 2:6

    Praise to God that Old Testament saints and New Testament saints are built together in the one building of God, the true Israel.
     
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