Physicians

Matthew 9:10-12

“Physician. One upon whom we set our hopes when ill and our dogs when well,” defines A. Bierce in The Devil’s Dictionary.

Of all the professions, that of the physician has to be the most paradoxical. Brilliant and quick-thinking . . . yet unable to write so that anybody (except a pharmacist) can decipher the words. Decisive and disciplined . . . yet more preoccupied than an overworked inventor on the edge of a discovery. He’s the only guy I know who can have both hands in your mouth while asking you three questions back to back as he stares up your nose and has his mind on his golf game. Honest and principled . . . yet lies through his teeth every time he says, “This won’t hurt a bit . . . you’ll hardly feel it.”

The physician lives with two unique pressures day and night.

The pressure of life and death. A wrong decision, an unexpected change in a person’s body, a drastic reaction to medication, a risk that backfires, a misdiagnosis, a hurried oversight, and a dozen other technical or ethical errors can result in death. What a heavy weight to hang on the thin wire of fallible humanity!

The pressure of success and failure. In a moment of time, years of schooling and decades of a respected practice can crumble and fall. Or, because of “the breaks,” the doctor can find himself on the lofty pinnacle of power, prestige, and wealth, dangerously close to the point of idolatry.

If any profession on earth calls for a living, vital, incessant relationship with the eternal God, this one does. And yet therein lies the greatest paradox. Many of those dealing with life-and-death issues are themselves neither prepared to live nor ready to die.

In light of all this, it is interesting to ponder how much we owe to one medical doctor of the first century. His name was Dr. Luke, the beloved personal physician of Paul, the great apostle.

Through Luke’s counsel and treatment, Paul was able to live on, fight hard, finish his course, and reach the Roman Empire with the message of hope. Like all great physicians, Luke realized all he could do was diagnose properly, treat the illness correctly . . . and then wait. Only God can heal.

And so, we thank our Lord for every Dr. Luke today—not miracle workers, but mere humans desperately in need of the Divine.

Our Great Physician understands the unique pressures each one of us faces, day and night. Ask for His counsel and diagnosis.

The Great Physician knows the unique pressures you face each day. Ask for His counsel and diagnosis.

Charles R. Swindoll Tweet This

Taken from Day by Day with Charles Swindoll by Charles R. Swindoll. Copyright © 2000 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com

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Pastor Charles R. Swindoll has devoted his life to the accurate, practical teaching and application of God’s Word. He is the founding pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, but Chuck’s listening audience extends far beyond a local church body. As a leading programme in Christian broadcasting since 1979, Insight for Living airs around the world. Chuck’s leadership as president and now chancellor emeritus at Dallas Theological Seminary has helped prepare and equip a new generation of men and women for ministry.

పాస్టర్ చార్లెస్ ఆర్. స్విండాల్ దేవుని వాక్యాన్ని నిర్దిష్టంగా, ఆచరణాత్మకంగా బోధించడానికి మరియు అన్వయించడానికి తన జీవితాన్ని అంకితం చేశారు. ఆయన టెక్సాస్‌లోని ఫ్రిస్కోలోని స్టోన్‌బ్రయర్ కమ్యూనిటీ చర్చి వ్యవస్థాపక కాపరియై ఉన్నారు, అయితే చక్ యొక్క శ్రోతలు స్థానిక సంఘ పరిధి దాటి వ్యాపించి ఉన్నారు. 1979 నుండి క్రైస్తవ ప్రసరణలో ప్రముఖ కార్యక్రమంగా, ఇన్‌సైట్ ఫర్ లివింగ్ ప్రపంచవ్యాప్తంగా ప్రసారమవుతోంది. డల్లాస్ థియోలాజికల్ సెమినరీకి ప్రెసిడెంటుగా, అలాగే ఇప్పుడు ఛాన్సిలర్ ఎమెరిటస్‌గా చక్ యొక్క నాయకత్వం క్రొత్త తరం స్త్రీపురుషులను పరిచర్య కొరకు సిద్ధపరచడంలో సహాయపడింది.