Happy Birthday Stanley!

If my Uncle Stanley were still alive, today would have been his birthday. I miss his hilarious sense of humor, all his jokes & I really miss that sarcasm!! Stanley was one who could really tell you a joke & you'd buy into it hook, line & sinker.
He is missed by so many people. Although, he left this world in a terrible car accident, Stanley had been battling a horrible sickness, cancer. Today's RBC devotion relates to sickness. I truly believe The Great Physician has healed Stanley's body. His body is new and without pain. In our grief and anger we ask why God allows his children to suffer and be sick. But, think about it, if there were no sickness or suffering, would we ever fully trust & rely on God? Romans 5:3-4 also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4perseverance, character; and character, hope.
As much as I would love to have Stanley back here, I want him to be cancer free and pain free. And with Jesus, he is enjoying his new cancer free & pain free body! And, I'm sure when we see each other again, he's going to have so much to fill us in on since we last saw one another. And, it's going to be a great story!


The Great Physician
He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses. —Matthew 8:17
In reflecting on his deteriorating health, John Donne (1572–1631) described his feelings as physicians examined him to find "the root and occasion" of a serious illness. In hushed tones, they discussed their conclusions outside his room.
At first Donne was afraid, but in time he saw compassion in their faces and began to trust them. Their concern reminded Donne that he could trust the Great Physician. As he read the Gospels, he saw God the Father’s face in the tender, compassionate face of Jesus.
Many of us struggle with our thoughts about God, especially during illness. Perhaps we grew up attending a church that portrayed an angry God who inflicted sickness on us. Can we trust Him? Like Donne, we turn to the Gospels for our reason to trust God. And we find it in His Son Jesus, who was unfailingly compassionate toward those who were afflicted, regardless of the reason.
So we pray as Donne prayed, "Deliver me, therefore, O my God, from these vain imaginations"—the belief that by our sin we have forfeited God’s goodness and mercy. As Donne wisely said, the Great Physician "knows our natural infirmities, for He had them, and knows the weight of our sins, for He paid a dear price for them."