Last week, I went to see a doctor for my weeks-long coughing problem. Initially, I was not inclined to do so until it begins to impact my normal daily life. Interesting thing is my wife and I held a different opinion on my problem. She kept saying that I am having an allergy but I don’t think it is the reason. So, we let the doctor to be the judge. After a physical checkup, the doctor prescribed cough-suppressing medication and antibiotics for my case.  His explanation is a persistent coughing could damage small tubes inside my lung and left blockages there. And, the original cause of the coughing could be either viral or bacterial. He told me that I need to go back to his office if my symptom does not improve. It looks like he is trying to cover all the bases.

Sometimes, I am wondering how many of us are listening to doctor’s prognosis and taking his prescribed medication seriously? I know once a while I may opt to stop my medication when I feel fine already. The other times, however, I did follow the prescription faithfully. This brings up a fundamental question, “Do we really know our own physical condition?”  From my observation, in some cases, we may “perceive” that we are fine but in reality it is not. On the other cases, we may recognize that we do have a problem but we don’t want to see a doctor because we are either lazy or stubborn. In conclusion, we don’t know our physical condition truly.

Another related question is “Do doctors in this world really know your physical condition?” I don’t think so, either. My observation is they have their own limitations too – based on limited information they can gather and diagnostic tools they can use, they make their best prognosis of our surfaced symptom. Therefore, the prescribed medication may or may not cure our illness.

These can be applied to our spiritual realm too. In the Gospel Mark, it records one of Jesus’ responses to the Pharisees and teachers of laws’ criticism. Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. 康健的人用不著醫生、有病的人纔用得著．我來本不是召義人、乃是召罪人(Mark 2:17)”  Jesus indicated that the Pharisees are the ones who do not know their status and condition. Because, they are no different from anyone else from His eye – they are all sinners. If we ponder a little bit we may find that on one hand, they perceive that they are fine – the righteous – so they don’t need a doctor. On the other hand, their stubbornness in tradition and letter of laws prevents them from seeking the true doctor, Jesus Christ.

In our life journey, we may or may not seek doctors’ help in alleviate or cure our physical illness unless we learn the first imperative: we know our physical condition is either sick or healthy. Without knowing or recognizing our problem, we won’t be seeking for help for sure. On the same token, when we don’t know our spiritual condition well, we may assume that we are OK and this is exactly what the devil wants us to believe. He is working diligently to put a blind-fold on us to prevent us from recognizing our spiritual illness. Apostle Paul indicated to us that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God 因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀 (Romans 3:23)”. Consequently, my dear friends, we are all having spiritual sickness and there is NO exception. We all need a true doctor to cure our sickness and he is Jesus Christ. He knows us inside out because He created us. He cures us because He loves us. May you realize the existence of spiritual sickness and seek for His help!

Last week, we went back again to my friend’s house to install the ceiling fan and light kit. This is a new replacement of the last DOA (dead on arrival) that I shared with you last time. This time, the kit is from a different vendor with a simpler design. The installation went smoothly without problem. We were all joyful when we saw the light and fan come on flawlessly. I looked at my friend’s eye and saw a trace of disappointment. I knew that he likes previous one better than the current one because the previous one is fancier and looks nicer. I told him that it is more important to have a functional kit than a nice looking one.

This lets me think of a joke that I heard recently from a radio broadcast, based on my memory, though.

One day, an old man was walking in the field, alone. In the middle of his walking, he heard someone was calling him, “Hey, old man”. He looked around and found no one. Then, the calling came again, “Hey, old man, I am a frog just next to your feet”. The old man looked down and found the frog. He was shocked to learn that a frog is able to speak.

The frog continued to say, “I am a frog being cursed, if you pick me up and kiss me once, I will become a beautiful woman.” While is still in his shock, the old man didn’t move.

Again, the frog pleaded, “Please… please pick me up and kiss me once, I can become a beautiful woman for you!” The old man came to his sense and picked up the frog. He then put the frog into his coat pocket.

The frog started to yell, “Don’t you understand what I have just said? You just need to kiss me once and then you will have a beautiful woman!”

 “At this time of my age, I would rather to have a talking frog than a beautiful woman!” The old man replied.

How many times we fell into the same trap of “Outward appearance is more important than anything”? Probably quite a few times, right? This is because we live in a society with a culture emphasizing outward appearance – “looking good” is a key to everything. To become a “looking good” person, we may take drastic measures such as push our diet to certain extreme or wear beautiful dress with gold jewelry, etc. However, this does NOT mean that we should not be looking good. It is the “over-emphasis” part is the problem. Apostle Peter in his epistle instructed, “Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. 你們不要以外面的辮頭髮，戴金飾，穿美衣，為妝飾，只要以裡面存著長久溫柔安靜的心為妝飾‧這在神面前是極寶貴的(1 Peter 3:3-4)”. 

In the ceiling light and fan kit case, is it more important to have a nice looking but malfunctioned kit hangs on the ceiling or a truly functioning unit?  I think you know the answer. This actually applies to our spiritual journey too. We all know that Jesus dislikes teachers of the law and Pharisees and He scolded them as hypocrites like whitewashed tombs. Jesus wants us to learn that it is more important to follow Him by heart (a functional Christian) than by lips (a hypocrite).

May we be diligent to listen to His words and do what He says!

Yesterday, I spent a few hours in helping my friend install a new ceiling fan and light kit in his house. Initially, I thought it is just a direct swap with his old one. I found out that is not the case when arrived at his house later – it is a brand new and more complicated one actually. So, I have to figure out how to piece its components together. The installation took much longer than I thought due to the limited head-room clearance and complication in install. When it came to the time of power-on, we were all eager to find out its result. The light turned on and off properly but the fan would not spin. We were all baffled and thought there must be something wrong during the installation. Took down the fan kit and rechecked the fan for lockage and the wiring and then reinstalled, it is still no luck. We could hear the fan motor humming but its blades are not moving. Great, I told myself. How can a brand new fan being a dead-on-arrival (DOA)? Now what should we do? Finally, my friend and I decided to take the fan kit down and disassemble it back to its original form in order to request a replacement from store. You could imagine how disappoint we were after being labored so long 🙁

This is an interesting experience and it gives me a thought to share with you. Do you know that we are all DOA when we were born, my friends? This is of course from spiritual point of view, instead of from physical. When God in the garden of Eden commanded Adam, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die. 園中各樣樹上的果子，你可以隨意喫‧只是分別善惡樹上的果子，你不可喫，因為你喫的日子必定死‧(Genesis 2:16-17)”, He wants Adam (the man) to listen to His instruction and learn its consequence. This command becomes a verdict to mankind when Adam’s wife Eve listened to the serpent’s tempting words and Adam followed suit in violating God’s command. What a tragic outcome! As a result, we the mankind is separated from the source of life – God – become spiritual dead. That’s reason apostle Paul indicated to us that we were dead in our transgressions and sins (Ephesians 2:1). 

Analogously, our DOA is also like the humming motor couldn’t spin the fan – it can not function properly. Even my friend and I spent so much time in trying to make it work, it is still no success. Similarly, throughout human history, we could see tremendous efforts have spent in trying to use our own deeds and works in order to gain God’s eternal life. The end result, I would say, is completely futile. As apostle Paul said, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. 你們得救是本乎恩，也因著信，這並不是出於自己，乃是神所賜的‧也不是出於行為，免得有人自誇 (Ephesians 2:8-9)”. Realize the fact that we are DOA does not mean that there is no solution. God does offer a solution for us: to receive His Son, Jesus Christ, as our personal savior.

When we decide to take this action, God can make us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgression. This is by grace totally! Therefore, my friends, do you want to exchange your DOA status with a “live” status? Then, please come to our God to do the request!

Looking at the scene of impacted homes and roadways at my hometown from the TV screen, I shook my head thinking how could a tropical storm causes such damage – numerous home were flooded, many got hurt and some even lost their lives. The culprit, as many believe, is due to sudden rampageous rain compounded by insufficient and malfunctioned sewer drainage system, around the area. At this time, the usual scene of finger-pointing by local and central government officials appeared. Isn’t this similar to the scene in the book of Genesis among Adam, Eve and the Serpent?

This incident brings up many questions. Since most people acknowledge the mother nature of the storm is uncontrollable by human hands, the key question is then circling around “Who should be responsible for the sewage system problem?” To me, the root cause is truly a personal integrity issue. This includes both government officials and the general public – how commit is the government officials in performing their duty in protecting the general public and how well the general public would follow government’s regulations without blocking the sewage system / overdeveloping natural resource.

In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus teaches His disciples about the wise and foolish builders (Matthew 7:24-28). A wise builder is who listens to Jesus’ words and puts them into practice, whereas a foolish builder is the one listens to Jesus’ words and does not put them into practice. In the case of sewage system at my hometown, a person who is committed in doing his / her duty responsibly at his / her position can be called a wise builder. The end result, as is indicated by Jesus, is a house on the rock – when rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock (Matthew 7:25).

My dear brothers and sisters, as we are Jesus Christ’s followers, we need to ask ourselves constantly the question, “Am I a wise or a foolish builder?” One day, we will stand before Him and He can ask the same question from us. May we put His words into practice!

Last week, in light of my tingling fingers, my wife wanted me to see a doctor. Initially, I was trying to put off the appointment thinking that the tingling would go away after a few days. Under my wife’s insistence, however, I went to see the doctor reluctantly. Through this opportunity, I also did an annual physical check-up at the same time.

Entering the examine room, I sat on the examining chair and glanced through postings on the wall. A plaque titled “A doctor’s prayer” caught my eyes. Yet, I couldn’t see its context clearly from distance due to my aged eyes.  The doctor then came in and we chatted. Interesting thing is I find that the doctor and I shared the same lower back problem. As an experienced solider to the problem, the doctor offered me advises in how to minimize its pain and possible cure. After my check-up, I finally had a chance to read the context of “A doctor’s prayer”.  It says,

Lord Jesus Christ, you are the great Physician of our souls. During your life on earth, you healed the sick and even brought the dead back to life.

From your heavenly abode, continue to be the Divine Physician for your people and bless the noble work to which you have called me. Make me truly wise in my medical judgments and genuinely sympathetic in my dealings with patients. Amen.

I find that this interesting experience gives me things to ponder. Originally, I was trying to delay my doctor’s appointment, thinking that I can wait. The truth is without gone through the check-up, I really couldn’t know what is going on in my body. The likely result is a small problem could lead to a big problem. This reminds me of an advertisement, “This year, thousands of men will die from stubbornness. 有上千個男人今年會死於頑固”.  I think there is a moment of truth in the advertisement. 🙂 “How stubborn are you?” is a good question to ask yourself. Chinese has an old saying, “Refuse to be convinced until one is faced with the grim reality不見棺材不掉淚” gives us a vivid picture of one’s stubbornness.

My dear friends, do you perceive that you are healthy without any problem? My question to you is “How true is your perception?” To me, I may obstinately assume that I am healthy. Not until I gave up my stubbornness in order to be checked up by a doctor then I learned my own problems. Besides, even my doctor can’t be free from physical problems too.

The doctor’s prayer, described in the plaque, recognizes the authority and power of Jesus Christ – He is the “Jehovah-Rapha (Exodus 15:26)”.  Owing to His great love, He came to our world to take away our pain and suffering from sin. We have to realize that He is the ultimate healer to all our sickness, both physical and spiritual. When we are stubborn to our self-righteousness, we would not be able to see our spiritual sickness – a sinner in God’s eyes. This is the reason Jesus said to the teachers of the laws who are Pharisees, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. (Mark 2:17)”

If we didn’t learn that “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) 因為世人都犯了罪，虧缺了神的榮耀”  through God’s word, we wouldn’t know that we are having the spiritual illness. Therefore, my dear friends, when we humble before the greatest healer, Jesus Christ, we can be sure that we will be cured from all diseases. Because, the apostle John told us that “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away. 神要擦去他們一切的眼淚；不再有死亡，也不再有悲哀、哭號、疼痛，因為以前的事都過去了 (Revelation 21:4)”.

May you meet the greatest healer, Jesus Christ, personally!