Daily Devotional for October 30, 2014

Psalm 30:2-3
I prayed to you, Lord God,
    and you healed me,
saving me from death
    and the grave.
 
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
 
Recently, my mother got a virus on her computer. She phoned in something of a panic…hoping that I would know how to fix this. I determined that it might be easier to go to her house and assess the problem than to try to help her over the phone.  I really thought she had gotten “malware” – malicious software that can somewhat “freeze” the computer and deny access to certain files and programs.  Mother was really upset…the messages she received indicated that her files were “dead and gone” and that retrieval was impossible.
 
I wish it had been as simple as “malware”. My mom, her husband Lee and I determined that she had somehow gotten something called “CryptoWall Ransomware”…a really bad virus that arrives when the user clicks (sometimes inadvertently) on a file like a PDF or a “Word” document or a .zip file…and this malicious program begins a scan of the user’s hard drive and all of its files – plus any files that might be on a “peripheral” apparatus, like a flash drive or DVD.  All of these files are also encrypted, so that they no longer can be opened conventionally.  The “fix” the hacker proposes is for the user to pay a “ransom” that begins at $500 and increases to $1000 or more each day that the person who has been violated waits.  In return for this ransom, a “key” is provided to decrypt the files.
 
This is hopefully not the only repair option for this virus.  We are in the process if trying some suggestions from YouTube videos and information we Googled about “CryptoWall Ransomware” that will hopefully enable my mom to remove the virus and retrieve at least SOME of her files…or a previously stored version of them. Most certainly, this will not be a 100% solution.  There will be collateral damage, probably in the form of lost files and photos that Mom worked on in the last week or so.  But the goal is to repair the hard drive and contain the destruction.
 
What does this have to do with the healing power of God?  For starters, I spent more than a few minutes in prayer for help as I sat at my mother’s computer and searched for a solution.  I have prayed that these “remedies” will indeed work.  But more importantly, I have been reminded of another “ransom”…one that was paid for my sins – and for yours!
 
The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus covered all of our sins…and restored us COMPLETELY in the eyes of God.  We don’t have to worry about the loss of “important data”.  We are “fixed”, complete, whole, even better than new in the eyes of God.  And it’s all because of the “blood” of Jesus Christ.  He paid the price in full, so that we could be totally well.  We were on the brink of death, but Jesus rescued us.  The only thing we “lost" was the burden of our sins and the potential to spend eternity in hell.  And I don’t think any of us minds one little bit to give up either of these!

There are “take-aways” from these situations for all of us.

1. We must tighten our security measures on our computers.
2. We must be painfully careful about every click we make…every document we open.
3. We must disconnect from the Internet when we are not using it…and disconnect “peripheral” devices when we are not using them.
4. We must recognize the tremendous sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us…the “ransom” that He paid for our sins.
5. We must thank God for sending Jesus…and for providing us with a “fix” that ensures us of Salvation through the ransomed blood of Jesus – and the promise of spending time in His presence in Heaven - forever and ever.
6. We must guard our hearts and the privilege of a ransomed life in Christ with as much fervor and attention as we give to caring for the files on our computer…maybe even more!
7. We must recognize that at the end of the day, computers and files are just stuff…important though they may seem…but our salvation through Jesus is the most important “file” that we will ever have.

I’m hoping that a week from now, my mother is “back in business” and well on her way to creating new files, and recreating those that could not be retrieved - or learning to live without them.  My hope for each of us is that we have the ultimate “protection” in place in the form of salvation through Jesus…that He has rescued us from near death…that we trust Him completely to heal us and keep us free of the “virus” of sin.
 
My “ransom” from sin has been paid, praise God! The “hard drive” of my heart is fully protected…my Eternity with Jesus Christ is secured.  He paid for the “decryption key”…and I have accepted His offer of healing and deliverance.  Can you say the same thing?  Will this be the day that you do?
 
©2014 Debbie Robus

Daily Devotional for October 28, 2014

Psalm 107-19-22
Some of you were sick because you’d lived a bad life,
    your bodies feeling the effects of your sin;
You couldn’t stand the sight of food,
    so miserable you thought you’d be better off dead.
Then you called out to God in your desperate condition;
    he got you out in the nick of time.
He spoke the word that healed you,
    that pulled you back from the brink of death.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
    for his miracle mercy to the children he loves;
Offer thanksgiving sacrifices,
    tell the world what he’s done—sing it out!
 
Scripture quotations from The Message. © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene Peterson.  Used by permission of NavPress, Colorado Springs, CO.  All rights reserved.
 
Because it is almost Halloween and we have company visiting this week, I set a dish of candy on the ottoman that serves as our coffee table…Snickers® bars, and a bag of mixed candy “corn” and “pumpkins”.  One of our guests picked up the bag and asked us, “Have you ever made yourself sick on these?”  Oh, yes!
 
If we are honest, we’ve probably all made ourselves a little miserable on too much candy during Halloween, Christmas or Easter.  We all know that over-stuffed feeling of eating too much turkey and more than one slice of our favorite dessert on Thanksgiving Day!  We might have even felt so miserable that we temporarily thought we’d be better off dead!  And let’s be honest…the extra pounds that stick around long after the sweet taste of whatever we thought we couldn’t live without weigh us down in more ways than one!
 
So it isn’t so much of a stretch to envision our lives in this context…sick from the sin of indulging in things we shouldn’t…everything from offensive language and gossip to indecent activities to mistreatment of others, and yes – gluttony, plus a myriad of transgressions of every kind!  And quite often, these leave us sick at heart…weighted down with guilt and shame…if not literally wishing that we were dead.  Sometimes, things can seem so bad that there doesn’t appear to be an “out”!
 
This is where the latter verses of this passage come into play and remind us that “God got us in the nick of time!”  We can call on Him any time, day or night, and He will rescue us, heal us, and pull us from the brink of death. When we stay close to God through prayer, Bible study and fellowship with other believers, He will strengthen us against future “bouts of sin sickness”!
 
I believe we all have “sin sickness” from time to time…certain situations and circumstances where we overdo it and suffer the consequences. Like the Thanksgiving dinner or overindulgence in candy or sweets, we can sometimes correct this with a nap or a “time out”.  But there are times, when we need “the big guns”…a rescue or “intervention”.  Aren’t we glad that we serve a God who stands ready to “pull us back from the brink of death”?  Isn’t it wonderful to know that we can confess our sins, ask God to forgive us, and expect Him to do this?
 
Are you “gorging yourself” today on some sort of sinful activity?  Will you have to get to the point where you have made yourself “deathly sick” before you turn back to God…or are you ready to say, “Enough!” and call on Him for help?  The choice is yours.  This is no trick!  “Treat” yourself to a healthy dose of God’s grace, mercy, love and forgiveness…and share the good news of His miraculous healing with everyone you meet!
 
Enjoy an extra piece of holiday pie or that Halloween candy (in moderation). But when it comes to the temptations of sin, trust in God to give you an appetite for things of His world instead.  Give God the glory for His amazing love and care…and prepare to feel better in every way.
 
©2014 Debbie Robus