Relief of Physical Suffering

And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:7, 8.
Perilous times are before us. The whole world will be involved in perplexity and distress, disease of every kind will be upon the human family, and such ignorance as now prevails concerning the laws of health would result in great suffering and the loss of many lives that might be saved. . . .
As religious aggression subverts the liberties of our nation, those who would stand for freedom of conscience will be placed in unfavorable positions. For their own sake, they should, while they have opportunity, become intelligent in regard to disease, its causes, prevention, and cure. And those who do this will find a field of labor anywhere. There will be suffering ones, plenty of them, who will need help, not only among those of our own faith, but largely among those who know not the truth.
The medical work done in connection with the giving of the third angel’s message, is to accomplish wonderful results. It is to be a sanctifying, unifying work, corresponding to the work which the great Head of the church sent forth the first disciples to do.
Calling these disciples together, Christ gave them their commission: . . . “And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.” “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:7, 8, 16.
It is well for us to read this chapter and let its instruction prepare us for our labors. The early disciples were going forth on Christ’s errands, under His commission. His spirit was to prepare the way before them. They were to feel that with such a message to give, such blessings to impart, they should receive a welcome in the homes of the people. {Mar 185.6}
God reaches hearts through the relief of physical suffering. A seed of truth is dropped into the mind, and is watered by God. Much patience may be required before this seed shows signs of life, but at last it springs up, and bears fruit unto eternal life.
How slow men are to understand God’s preparation for the day of His power!
Maranatha p. 185
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Prayer Requests
—–Please keep me in prayer today as I will be having surgery. They will be either reconstructing my stump or doing an above the knee amputation if they cannot reconstruct the area below my knee area. Kim
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Dear Friends, 
In 1977 and 78, I worked in the physical therapy department in an army hospital in Alabama. It was very easy and interesting work and I really enjoyed it. Mostly the soldiers would come in for treatment when they just wanted a day off, so they would complain of a stiff neck or a sore back.  It was easy to tell that they were perfectly fine by the way they did the exercises after the ultrasound treatment. Captain Meyers, the head of the physical therapy department didn’t care whether the soldiers had a legitimate complaint or not, he treated them anyway.  He was more interested in having a good time and made working there a lot of fun.
After I had worked there about a year, Captain Meyers was transferred to another base and Major Wheeler took his place. He was so different—tall, quiet, very stern, quite unapproachable, and all business. The fun stopped.  The way he treated the soldiers bordered on the cruel.  He had the opinion that anyone who came through that office were there because they just didn’t want to work that day, so he gave them painful examinations and harder exercises than they would have had if they had stayed on duty.  He was even cruel to the little four-year-old boy with CP that came for exercises and gait training.  Major Wheeler felt that the boy’s mother a poor widow woman, babied him too much, so he got one of the doctors to do the necessary paperwork to institutionalize the child with the stipulation that the mother could only occasionally visit him.  The mother was heartbroken.  I was incensed.  From that moment my dislike of Major Wheeler bordered on hatred.
One day a young soldier walked into our department. He had some rather unusual complaints about pain and weakness. The major felt that he was  slacker and treated him very harshly. The young man took it all in a gentle and smiling way. I felt sorry for him because I knew that even if he were exaggerating his condition, the major’s treatment was painful and way too harsh.
Several times a week the young man came back for more treatments thinking that this was what he needed to get better. Each time he told of more unusual and worsening symptoms.  Finally, the young man was transferred to a different hospital by his doctor.  A few weeks later, Major W. came into the department with a more solemn look on his face than usual. He asked me if I remembered that young man. I said that I did. He told me that he had been talking with the young man’s doctor and that the other hospital had tested him and they had found a tumor on that soldier’s upper spine. Major Wheeler was now very sorry that he had given him exercises and treatment the were contrary to what that young man needed, but it was too late.
How easy it is to misjudge another’s actions or motives and be so wrong about them. The prophet Samuel learned this lesson when looking at the sons of Jesse.  As he saw the strong and handsome Eliab, Samuel was sure he was the one God had chosen to be king, but the young man was rejected.  God explained, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.”  1 Sam 16:7  Jesus bids us, “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.” Matt 7:1-5
Again He says, “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24 How can we judge righteously? He gives the answer, “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.” Matt 7:20 We cannot judge another person’s motives, but we can know them by their fruits. Does the fruit of the Spirit—“love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance”—show forth in the life? Gal 5:22  Yet even then, we must be very careful. We must remember that “we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ.” Rom 14:10
The True Witness offers us the eyesalve of spiritual discernment.  It is ours for the asking.  Let us ask that we may receive.  (Rev 3:18; John 15:7) Let us hide God’s word in our hearts that we may be able to have that discernment we must have in these last days that we will not be deceived. Let us pray for, rather than gossip about, those we feel have wrong actions motives is my prayer.
Rose