Morning Devotional

July 27, 2003

“The Cure”  

by Don Emmitte

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"Don't be troubled. You trust God, now trust in me. There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly. When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. And you know where I am going and how to get there." "No, we don't know, Lord," Thomas said. "We haven't any idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?" Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had known who I am, then you would have known who my Father is. From now on you know him and have seen him!" (John 14:1-7 NLV). 

How do you get well when you are sick? Most modern adults understand that viruses, bacteria, and other organisms often cause illness. So when we get sick, we take medicine designed to eliminate the cause. This makes perfect sense to us, since we know the cause of disease. But what if we didn't know about germs? What if we had lived a century ago, before germs were discovered? We certainly wouldn't admit that we had no idea how to treat sickness; instead, we would come up with some other explanation. For instance, we might conclude that sickness is caused by evil spirits, and treat it with magic spells or complex incantations. 

During the mid 1800's, the British Empire spanned the globe, and the British Navy was without rival. Sailors on British ships received the best medical care the empire had to offer, but at times, it was worse than useless. Four major theories existed about the cause (and cure) of disease, and doctors trained in these four philosophies treated their patients very differently. Each philosophy had its strong proponents who championed it while criticizing the others. Each had followers who were convinced they were absolutely right. One school of thought taught that illness was caused by an imbalance of 'nervous energy', so patients were forced to exercise. Another school believed that weak organs were the cause, and prescribed massive doses of opium and morphine. Other groups favored bloodletting, electric shock, and even such poisons as arsenic and strychnine. In the end, the most fortunate sailors were not those treated by trained physicians, but rather the relatively untrained navy surgeons, who usually prescribed rice, medicinal wine, and bed-rest. In this particular case, a little knowledge was far more dangerous than none.  

There are several schools of thought today on how to make sense of life. One school says, "You are the master of your course; take care of yourself." Another teaches, "Life is meaningless; do whatever you choose because it doesn't matter anyway." Still another proposes, "One philosophy is as good as another; choose the one you like best." Each has its strong proponents, its prophets, and its champions. Yet in the end, they will be proven worthless. There is one cure for the ills of mankind. Jesus Christ is the way! There are lots of other ways, but only one true way. You have lots of choices. Which way have you chosen? Which “cure” are you counting on?