Encouragement
As I write this, my wife La Moyne is home after a long stay in the
hospital with a variety of problems. She had lost 22 lbs. but after
they took her gallbladder out, thankfully her appetite came back.
Unfortunately, she fell 2 days after the surgery, hitting the back of
her head in her hospital room. (Loud enough that the nurses came
running as they said it sounded like an 'explosion')
The dizziness has been persistent despite several treatments for vertigo,
so the Dr. wants her see the Neurologist next Tuesday to make sure
that there is no worse damage to her neurological system.
We need your prayers as '09 was a rough year for her and '10 has
not started off much better. Home Health Care was a big help
throughout '09 and she is now under their care again.
One of their ministries was to place a monitor in our home and
check her vital signs each day at 11:00 a.m. It checks her blood
pressure, pulse, and oxygen, then immediately sends the report
to Loving Care's main office. With over 30 years of lupus, plus
other recent problems, this ministry is vital right now.
At 76 and 81, we must check our vital signs quite often. But people
set themselves up for problems if they only check their physical vitals
and forget about their Spiritual vital signs.
1st and most importantly, Spiritual vital sign is our Spiritual heart
condition. There are over 100 passages in the Bible that deal with
the heart. My favorites are:
Proverbs 4:23:
"Keep your heart with all diligence for out of it are the issues of life."
Luke 10:27:
"Love the Lord thy God with all your heart, all your soul,
and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself."
ALL is the key; for partial love will not be sufficient!
Matt. 5:8:
"Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God."
Luke 12:34:
"Where your treasure is there will your heart be also."
Too many people treasure gadgets instead of God.
"Trust in God with all your soul, mind, and strength."
Dad had two brothers who died of heart attacks.
One died on a wheat harvest and one in Dad's arms
at an 8th grade ballgame I was playing in.
(He seemed strong and healthy when he went to the game with us.)
Needless to say, I've kept a close watch on my heart health
especially after having two strokes. With the risk of heart disease
in my family, it's important I do my best to take care of it. But I
must always remember to take care of my Spiritual heart as well.
You cannot live physically with a bad heart nor can you live
Spiritually and Eternally with "an unbelieving and untrusting
in the Lord" heart.
Some of you may know by now that one of my favorite topics is
faith. Faith is the 2nd crucial Spiritual vital sign of life!
One entire chapter of Hebrews (Ch 11) is devoted to the topic of
faith. The writer deals with Abel and Enoch, Noah, Abraham,
Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, and many others (11:39-12:2).
The ending of 12:2 states, "Looking unto Jesus the author and
finisher of our faith."
The 3rd vital sign is Love (1 Cor. 13). I started to put patience and
perseverance as the 3rd vital sign but decided on Love as it is
impossible to have this without patience and perseverance.
While pasturing in Kona, I was honored to preach the annual
sermon at the meeting of all of our churches. I chose 1st Cor. 13
for no greater passage with no greater topic exists. The last verse
of 1st Cor. 13 states, "Now abideth Faith, Hope, and Love.....
but the greatest of these is Love."
How is your Spiritual heart? I first took care of my Spiritual heart at
age 11 when I trusted Jesus as my Savior. However, now at 81, I
must take care of my physical heart. Each morning, I take Plavix
and Lipitor.
Our life is in the blood ~ both physically and spiritually!
Bible study and prayer time are vital signs, as well. We tend to
spend so much time on the body and neglect the Spiritual
dimensions of life. We feed the physical three times a day and do
some activities to help the brain. Yet, these are for naught if we
forget to devote time to promote Spiritual growth.
For several months now, La Moyne and I have had to rely more
heavily (than ever before) on the Lord to see us through.
I'm sure you've 'been there and done that' yourself and know that
it is not easy. In fact, it is impossible; but "all things are possible
to those who love the Lord."
Thank you SO much for your love, concern and prayers for us!!
PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
Reader Count & Comments
Date
Thank you so much Travis and La Moyne for this very encouraging article. I too have to depend on God as my husband has a very bad heart. It gives me such hope knowing however that He is is the hands of the great physician. I so agree with you that LOVE is one of the key vital signs. I have been praying earnestly to have that kind of love mentioned in 1 Corin.13:4-8. What a blessing that would be. May God just heal you speedily and give you both a wonderful 2010. In His love, your friend, Sharon
The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com. This is especially true with articles that
deal with personal healthcare and prophecy. We encourage the reader to make their own decision in consultation with God, His Word, and others as needed.
This article has been read 3036 times < Previous | Next >
Read more articles by Travis Wiginton or search for other articles by topic below.
This article has been read 3036 times < Previous | Next >
Search for articles on: (e.g. creation; holiness etc.)
Read more by clicking on a link:Free Reprints
Main Site Articles
Most Read Articles
Highly Acclaimed Challenge Articles.
New Release Christian Books for Free for a Simple Review.
NEW - Surprise Me With an Article - Click here for a random URL
God is Not Against You - He Came on an All Out Rescue Mission to Save You
...in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them... 2 Cor 5:19
Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Acts 13:38
LEARN & TRUST JESUS HERE
FaithWriters offers Christian reading material for Christian readers. We offer Christian articles, Christian fiction, Christian non-fiction, Christian Bible studies, Christian poems, Christian articles for sale, free use Christian articles, Christian living articles, New Covenant Christian Bible Studies, Christian magazine articles and new Christian articles. We write for Jesus about God, the Bible, salvation, prayer and the word of God.