36Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.37"Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.38Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
There is a wonderful picture of sacrifice here that we do well to incorporate into our lives. Jesus teaches that there is a reward for radical obedience, which includes being willing to serve those who would be considered our enemies - they may offer nothing in return, but in God's eyes, our reward will be great. We obey, not because of what we may receive back, but because of our love and devotion to Him and the desire to serve other people that He implants in our hearts. He is calling each of us to be willing to do whatever it takes in order to fulfill His will in our lives.
From 2nd Corinthians 9, we can recognize that God supplies the resources we need in order to accomplish His work.10Now may He who supplies seed to the sower, and bread for food, supply and multiply the seed you have sown and increase the fruits of your righteousness,11while you are enriched in everything for all liberality, which causes thanksgiving through us to God.12For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also is abounding through many thanksgivings to God...
One of the two missionaries who contracted the deadly Ebola virus while ministering to people afflicted with it is now on American soil and undergoing treatment in Atlanta. The other is expected to come to the U.S. this week.
The Ebola virus causes massive internal bleeding and has a mortality rate of 60 to 90 percent, according to the Samaritan's Purse website, which relates that a horrific outbreak is spreading throughout Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea and infecting hundreds of people at an unprecedented rate. This wave has claimed more than 725 lives.
In the span of 32 years (1976-2008), the Ebola virus infected 2,232 people in remote village areas and killed 1,503. Just since early this year, the mortality rate has already claimed nearly a third of those fatalities as it has infiltrated three capital cities with populations in the millions.
Dr. Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol responded to the call to reach out to the afflicted. Dr. Brantly completed his residency in family medicine at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, before joining a Samaritan's Purse post-residency program. He was in Liberia and became part of the medical team responding to the Ebola crisis. Nancy Writebol works with SIM, which stands for Servants in Mission, which manages ELWA Hospital, and that organization has been working closely with Samaritan’s Purse to combat Ebola since the current outbreak began in Liberia in March. She had been working as a hygienist who decontaminated those entering and leaving the isolation ward of the Case Management Center at the hospital.
I do think it takes a special kind of person to step up to do this kind of work. Kent and Nancy knew they were dealing with people fighting a deadly virus, but they followed the call of God to do this kind of ministry. Franklin Graham, President of Samaritan's Purse, said: “Their heroic and sacrificial service—along with the entire team there—is a shining example of Christ’s love in this crisis situation.”
About Dr. Brantly, Dr. David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical and Dental Associations, of which Dr. Brantly has been a member since he was in medical school, is quoted as saying:
“Kent has been called a ‘hero.’ Of course he is in the sense of having courage and great strength of character, but he would tell you that he is just living the ‘normal Christian life’ that every Christian should live. He is simply a Christian disciple ‘denying himself, taking up his cross and following Jesus’ as Christians have done for millenniums (Matthew 16:24). He is simply laying down his life for others as Christ laid down his life for him,” said Dr. Stevens.Stevens added, “Last week we trained 20 more young healthcare professionals and their spouses who are going all over the world to serve as missionaries. Two of them are going to the same hospital in Liberia where Kent and Nancy were infected. I challenged them saying, ‘You will not live in fear of disease, suffering and even death if you die to self before you go.’ That is not extraordinary; it’s the normal Christian life that every Christian should live.”
And, there's another example of sacrifice that I found out about: Dr. Brantly initially turned down the offer of a dose of an experimental serum while still in Liberia on Wednesday. Graham said that, “An experimental serum arrived in the country, but there was only enough for one person. Dr. Brantly asked that it be given to Nancy Writebol.” Later, he was able to receive a dose of the serum as well.
Dr. Brantly also received a unit of blood from a 14-year-old boy who had survived Ebola under his care. Franklin Graham said, “The young boy and his family wanted to be able to help the doctor that saved his life."
These stories can provide some inspiration for our lives. For one thing, Kent and Nancy devoted their lives to the service of others, and they did so in a fashion that was quite risky. There may be occasions in our lives when we are called to step out of our comfort zones, to take risks, to be adventurous, and to trust God with our very lives. Following Jesus, living a life of radical obedience, will involve being willing to do whatever He calls us to do. It's important that we do not reject God's direction because we feel it is too risky - God will give the braveness to meet and exceed the challenges.
Not only were they involved in sacrificial work, but Dr. Brantly exhibited an extraordinary degree of sacrifice - there was thought to be one dose of the life-saving serum, and instead of taking it for himself, he asked that it be given to his fellow worker. He was willing to lay down his life so that someone else might live. This is the type of compassion that Jesus possessed, as He gave His life so that we could have new life.
But, Dr. Brantly's servant heart resulted in two encouraging occurrences: He did receive a dose of the serum, and...because He had served the Lord and treated these patients suffering from the life-threatening virus, a young boy stepped up to provide a unit of blood, because he wanted to help the doctor who had treated him and saved his life. There are rewards for radical obedience and radical service - sometimes those blessings are seen in this life, perhaps not. And, we don't follow Christ for the rewards; we serve Him because He has called us to love, and given us the capacity to do so. Our lives are in His hands, and He calls us to follow wholeheartedly - as we give, He also will shower His love and blessings on us.
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