The Crown of Life

Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown. Whoever has ears, let them hear what the Spirit says to the churches. The one who is victorious will not be hurt at all by the second death. Revelation 2:10 – 11

When we become healthy our best days are over. This is because our difficult days can be turned into fighting days. When we are sick, we have the opportunity to call on the Lord in a special way, to fight alongside him in his suffering. We can stand completely with him against the need of the world. We can cry out, look up to heaven – awake and expectant – and truly pray, “Your kingdom come, your will be done!” (Matt. 6:10). When we do this, we are of far more use to the kingdom than those who happily enjoy good days. Isn’t it true that healthy days often produce extremely little – a cheerless heart and a dull spirit? But sick days, if we turn to God, can help to make us and others into citizens of heaven.

When in Prison

But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you. 2 Corinthians 4:7–12

The Spirit of Sickness

On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

Get Ready to Fight

But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you. John 16:7

Jesus had to go away to his Father in heaven, away from his disciples who had trustingly left everything to follow him. He had to go away, otherwise he could not send them their true helper, the Holy Spirit. If we think about this a bit, we realize that it was more important for the disciples to receive the “Advocate” than to further their personal relationship with Jesus. In order to become what God had in mind, they had to do without their Lord.