4.SERIOUS ILLNESS AND DISABILITYWhat happens if I get sick? How will my family get by? Illness is perhaps the most common humanthreat to wellbeing. Everyone gets hit by an illness at some point. Some people have the challenge ofa recurring health issue or a permanent disability.SCRIPTURES AND LIFE APPLICATION NOTES1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NLT: “Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives inyou and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price.So you must honor God with your body.”LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 6:19-20 What did Paul mean when he said that our bodies belong to God?Many people say they have the right to do whatever they want with their own bodies. Although they thinkthat this is freedom, they are really enslaved to their own desires. When we become Christians, the HolySpirit comes to live in us; therefore, we no longer own our bodies. That we have been “bought . . . with ahigh price” brings to mind the picture of slaves purchased at an auction. Christ’s death freed us from sinbut also obligates us to his service. If you live in a building owned by someone else, you try not to violatethe building’s rules. Because your body belongs to God, you must not violate his standards for living.Isaiah 41:10, NLT: “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God. I willstrengthen you and help you. I will hold you up with my victorious right hand.”LIFE APPLICATION NOTE: 41:8-10 We need not fear because (1) God is with us (“I am with you”); (2) Godhas established a relationship with us (“I am your God”); and (3) God gives us assurance of his strength,help, and victory over sin and death. Are you aware of all the ways God has helped you?2 Corinthians 4:16-18, NLT: “That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spiritsare being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet theyproduce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at thetroubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we seenow will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.”LIFE APPLICATION NOTES: 4:16 It is easy to lose heart and quit. We have all faced problems in ourrelationships or in our work that have caused us to think about giving up. Rather than quitting whenpersecution wore him down, Paul concentrated on experiencing the inner strength that comes from theHoly Spirit (Ephesians 3:16). Don’t let fatigue, pain, or criticism force you off the job. Renew your commitmentto serving Christ. Don’t forsake your eternal reward because of the intensity of today’s pain. Your temporaryweakness allows the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment.4:17 Our troubles do not need to diminish our faith or disillusion us. We should realize that God caresdeeply about our suffering, even when we don’t have tangible evidence of his work. However, our problemsand human limitations can have several positive results: (1) They can teach us how to suffer with Christ. (2)They can teach us to persevere faithfully. (3) They can teach us to look beyond this life for hope. (4) Theycan be used by God to demonstrate his power. Even when our pain feels great, God is still good andfaithful, and his glory is always greater.4:18 Paul gives a strategy for how to cope with terrible illness, persecution, or pain. We are to fix our hopenot on this life but on the life to come. Knowing that we will live forever with God in a place without sin andsuffering can help us live above the pain that we face in this life.Facing Our 10 Biggest Fears: A sample of Scripture and Commentary from the new Life Application Study Bible - Third Edition.
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