Trials and Bearing burdens with others.......

There were number of Christians in the Bible who were sick (i.e. 2 Timothy 4:20 Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus.) 1 Timothy 5:23 Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses. Trusting God is important when you are sick AND at the same time, allow God to use you to help others who are facing similar situation. God's eternal blessings do not depend on how I healthy I am physically. If my eternal hope rested on how I felt physically, which is temporal, I might as well forget eternal blessings. The point is this: my feelings (i.e. cope) in no way change my eternal blessings because of great examples in Hebrews 11. I will NOT dare not relate my faith and hope to my emotions of the moment and to how I feel today or whatever the circumstances I am facing. My eternal hope depends on God's Word and His decisions because He will make good on His eternal promises at HIS time, not mine. The subject of my human emotions and circumstances, God does not play on our emotions to bring us to the point of His spiritual decisions. God uses circumstances for His glory, not ours.

People who focus on healing rather than opportunities are more self-centered. God has given us opportunities to do the Great Commission with our circumstances which means an opportunity that is defined as a providential circumstance which permits us to use to glorify God. All circumstances can turn people to God. Jesus said in Matthew 6:34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. The Scriptures have demonstrated similar stories from great FAITHS. The"normal" life of a disciple can never become a life of sadness and pessimism because we are to rely on the Holy Spirit who keeps us from giving up with His Sufficient Grace. At the same time, we should understand that God, just because He is almighty, needs no support from us and He is still able to do what He wills to do. God wants us to be busy rejoicing in the gracious prospect of all opportunities of God's will. Reading Hebrews helped me understood that I am to be aware of obstacles and hindrances I would meet during my life, to throw me off balance that hinders doing the Will of God that could entangle my life easily if I do not submit myself to God's power of grace. God's grace is more than sufficient in my life that I am to fix my eyes on Jesus who is my author and perfecter of my faith (Hebrews 12:2).

The bottome line. This is NOT about US and our will but this is about GOD and HIS Will. Giving up something is never an issue for me because of my commitment to Christ when I accepted Christ's conditions in the following verses..... Luke 14:27 And anyone who does not carry his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. Luke 14:33 In the same way, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple. Giving up has to do "self" while cost of discipleship has to do with "others". Therefore its more about having grace in our lives. Spiritual liberty means the freedom to be all that we were designed to be, but this is not a freedom that is without restrictions or responsibilities. Grace is about loving other people that we have the freedom to do so but at the same time, don't flaunt our freedom or mock those who disagree. We are in the building up relationship, not destroying. Grace is we live in the Spirit AND also walk in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit dwells in us with all the power and gifts of God, necessary to enable us to walk the noble, spiritual, Son-like life with God. With Grace, we can show mercy and help others (Heb. 4:13-16). By focusing on what Christians ought to get, they forget the burden of loving help which we are commanded to give to others: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2). We have the responsibility "for each one should carry his own load" (Galatians 6:5). The cost of discipleship is a price I am gladly pay for the privilege of walking in fruitfulness with others who are in the same burdensome. We all have to come to the understanding that while God wants us to be Spirit-filled that God's loving desire that we should reflect His own holiness and goodness.