A Bible devotional to give hope to people with ALS or other terminal illnesses, or anyone else who needs it.
Author: Wade McRoberts
I'm a follower of Jesus Christ. I graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1976 and served in the Air Force for 29 years. I flew the A-7D, the A-10A, the F-117A, and the F-16C. After retirement in 2005, I worked as a defense contractor. I was diagnosed with ALS in April, 2018. I received my tracheostomy in December, 2019, and have been breathing with the aid of a ventilator since. I have lost total use of my limbs, and write using a tablet with eye-gaze technology. I want to share my journey with you and share the hope that I have in the Lord Jesus!
Last month I learned of the passing of a good friend and classmate, Gary Turnipseed. We had some interactions as cadets on the Honor Committee. We were in the same pilot training class at Vance AFB, OK. After graduation from pilot training, Sue and I got married. Gary was one of the saber bearers at our wedding.
We had some interactions on active duty in the Air Force as well. “Seed” came to visit Sue and me just before Memorial Day this year. He had some pictures in a slide show that reminded us of good times in our past. He then led us in a devotion from Ecclesiastes.
My prayers for Cathy Turnipseed and family for comfort, hope, and strength.
Heal me, O Lord, and I will be healed; Save me and I will be saved, For You are my praise. (Jeremiah 17:14, NASB)
I’ve had a rough time of late. In April I had a hard time opening my eyes due to sharp pain in my left eye. We went to my excellent ophthalmologist at the VA, Dr. Pennington. She diagnosed me with an ulcer in the left cornea. She went down the hall to get a cornea specialist. She returned with Dr. Benson.
Dr. Benson explained that the best way to heal a corneal ulcer is to keep the eye lids closed. Since I can’t keep my eye lids closed, he said the best thing to do was to glue my lids shut. He went on to say that to preserve the sight in my left eye, in case something would happen to the sight in my right eye, he recommended keeping my left eye permanently shut.
He glued my left eye shut. After three months with my left eye glued closed, I went into surgery, where Dr. Benson stitched my lids closed. He explained that when he removed the stitches, my eye would remain closed. I couldn’t figure this out.
After a month with my eye stitched shut, I returned to Dr. Benson. He removed the stitches, and sure enough, my eye remained closed–for most of the day. But by the end of the day it had opened up. To preserve the sight in my left eye, I’m wearing a patch for that pirate look. ARRRR! By the way, God saw fit to heal me from the corneal ulcer!
I went to the ER three weeks ago with high temperatures and elevated pulse. The doctors figured that I had pneumonia. I was admitted to the ICU for two nights. They filled me with antibiotics then sent me home on Saturday just in time for college football!
I’m still getting used to typing with one eye. With the help of tech support, Sue figured out how to reconfigure my computer so I can calibrate with one eye. I hope to get back in the swing of things quickly!
Friends of Wade, you may have noticed that there has been a longer than usual break since his last post. We (his family) want to let you know that he is having another bout of trouble with his eyes and it’s going to take some extra rest before he’s able to blog again. We are hopeful that in a few days he’ll be back on his computer and doing his favorite thing, writing. We know that many of you are praying for him, and we thank you for that.
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessingandhonorand glory and dominion forever and ever.” (Revelation 5:13, NASB)
On 25 February I wrote an essay, “The Name Above All Names.” I wrote, “When I go through my mental prayer list, and I pray in Jesus’ name, I run through the list of adjectives, nouns, and verbs below, as an act of worship. These words describe Who Jesus is, name Him, and they tell us what He does!” I’ve decided to write about each of these words (actually, I credit the Holy Spirit with this idea, as I’m not smart enough to come up with this). The Spirit has given me several more of these descriptors:
Lord Jesus, You are the perfect Lamb of God; You are the Light of the world; You’re my Peace; You are the Potter (I am the clay); You’re my Rock; You are my Sacrifice; and You are Truth. Lord Jesus, I love you with all that I am!
Next time: Awesome.
Worship: “When the Stars Burn Down,” by Phillips, Craig & Dean
And it will be in the day when the LORD gives you rest from your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved. (Isaiah 14:3, NASB).
I heard the above verse when Sue read it to me. We have a verse of the day calendar which Sue reads to me everyday to get our day started. The calendar has a picture of God’s glorious, beautiful creation and the verse. It’s a great way to start our day. As I listened I thought I could write an essay about it. After all, who wouldn’t want to be relieved of “your pain and turmoil and harsh service in which you have been enslaved.”
Actually, the context for this verse is entirely different. The first two verses explain: “When the Lord will have compassion on Jacob and again choose Israel, and settle them in their own land, then strangers will join them and attach themselves to the house of Jacob. 2The peoples will take them along and bring them to their place, and the house of Israel will possess them as an inheritance in the land of the Lord as male servants and female servants; and they will take their captors captive and will rule over their oppressor.” Israel had been defeated by Babylon, and many people of Judah taken into exile. Isaiah prophecies here about the day when the people will return to their Homeland and be restored in God’s sight.
I still claim this third verse. But I’m not in any chronic pain. I suppose I’m in turmoil, as I’d prefer not to have the ALS that’s in my body. But God’s plan is far superior than mine. I have to keep reminding myself of this. The “harsh service in which [I’ve] been enslaved” is the ALS in my body. Actually, I can’t say that I’m suffering. I’m well cared for. Sue leads a team of great caregivers (I hate this term, because it makes me the careTAKER, although it accurately describes what they do).
Still, I look forward to the day when Jesus heals me, whether on this earth or in heaven. In heaven, we’re told, there is no more death, nor illness, no more suffering, nor crying. Who wouldn’t want this?
I say this prayer to Jesus every morning to thank Him. It seems especially appropriate on this Resurrection Sunday:
Lord Jesus, I praise You and I thank You for Your sacrifice, which I don’t deserve, and for sending Your Holy Spirit. Thank You Lord.
Lord Jesus, You vacated Your heavenly throne, and You left the comfort, majesty, and glory of Your heavenly home, to come to the earth which You created, on the greatest rescue mission in history. Lord Jesus, I praise You and I thank You for rescuing me.
Lord Jesus, You humbled Yourself and took the form of a man; You walked among us, and You taught us; You took on all the aches and pains of earthly flesh; You were tempted and tried, yet You still lived a perfect life, free from sin, so You were an acceptable sacrifice to the Father. Lord Jesus, You are the spotless, the unblemished, Lamb of God. Thank You, Lord.
Lord Jesus, when the Father’s timing was right, You submitted Yourself to horrific, unspeakable torture, and to the agony of crucifixion. You did so willingly, and You did so for me, because You love me so much. Thank You, Lord.
Lord Jesus, You died on the cross. You were laid out in the tomb. But on the third day, God raised You from the dead, for life everlasting, so that by Your grace, I shall live forever, with You, in heaven! Thank You, Lord.
Lord Jesus, You ascended into heaven, where even now, You’re seated at the right hand of God; You’re my Advocate before the Father; You’re praying for me right now; and You’re preparing a dwelling place, a mansion, for me in heaven. Thank You, Lord.
Lord Jesus, You spoke with the Father, Who then sent us Your Holy Spirit. Thank You, Lord.
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20, NASB)
Worship: “Crucified With Christ,” by Phillips, Craig & Dean
Lord Jesus, I have been crucified with You, and it is no longer I who live, but You live in me. Lord Jesus, my heart is Your home. Please help me not to defile Your Tabernacle, so that You will find complete rest and comfort with me here. Thank You, Lord. And the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in You. You love me so much that You gave Yourself up for me. Thank You Lord.
Lord Jesus, I love You with all that I am. I thank You for Your sacrifice, which I don’t deserve, and for sending Your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Worship: “Was It a Morning Like This?” by Sandi Patty
Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” (Genesis 22:10-12, NASB)
I was watching The 700 Club Interactive this post Thursday. One of the hosts, Andrew Knox recounted how, many years ago, he had trouble getting excited about Palm Sunday and Holy Week. He decided to ask God for help. God pointed him to Genesis 22, to the story of Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac.
Abraham had just finished the preparations to sacrifice Isaac, when the Angel of the Lord told him to stop. God then provided a ram in the thicket as a substitute for Isaac. Much the same as Jesus being OUR substitute! God later told Andrew that while He had prevented Abraham from sacrificing his only son, God did not refrain from sacrificing His only Son! God loves us so much that He sent His Son Jesus to cleanse us from our sins with His blood!
Worship: “God Will Provide a Lamb,” by Michael Card
Our dear friends, Bart and Gail Barton, sent us the Holy Week message from their Pastor Marv Fisher (what a great name for a pastor!). Here it is in its entirety:
Dear Church Family,
This Sunday we will celebrate Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rides down the slopes of the Mount of Olives, and enters Jerusalem on a colt, saying,
“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord; Peace in heaven and glory in the highest.” Palm Sunday begins what many believers refer to as holy week. This week concludes on Resurrection Sunday which we will celebrate this year on March 31st. At our Wednesday evening service on the 27th, we plan to have several of you read through the scriptures beginning with Jesus in the upper room with His disciples, to His crucifixion and burial. On Friday evening we will share the seder together, (sign up by this Sunday) and on Sunday we will celebrate Christ’s victory over the grave!
Jesus was fulfilling prophecy when He rode that colt into the holy city over 2000 years ago, declaring Himself to be King. But perhaps one of the mysteries of this prophecy is when He decares; peace in heaven, as he descends and declares His kingship. Jesus was entering the most difficult week of His 33 years on earth. On Monday, He drives out the money changers in the temple, on Tuesday His authority was challenged, and He tells a parable which described Himself as a vineyard owners son being thrown out and killed, on Wednesday Satan enters into Judas, and the chief priests and scribes plot His death, on Thursday we read of the intimate gathering in the upper room where Judas leaves to betray Him, and later that night, His trial begins under the cover of darkness. On Friday Jesus is crucified, and He spent Saturday in the grave. So, with all this betrayal about to take place, how is therepeace in heaven?
The will of the Father brings peace. Walking in the will of the Father produces the peaceful fruit of righteousness. Walking in the will of the Father can be very difficult. Walking in the will of the Father may require us to cry out as Jesus did in the garden; not my will, but yours be done. The will of the Father meant hardship for Jesus, but it brought peace to heaven. The prophecy of the redemption of millions of people was about to be fulfilled. This Sunday we will compare the triumphal entrance of Jesus into Jerusalem to the eternal judgement of Satan as he is thrown into the lake of fire in Revelation 20:10. The will of the Father brings about the peaceful fruit of righteousness for the many, are you one of them?
He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23, NASB)
Jesus had just finished a discussion with some Pharisees, who had wondered why His disciples were eating with unwashed hands. Jesus called them hypocrites, since they obeyed man’s traditions instead of God’s commandments. He then got into a discussion with the people. The passage above is Jesus explaining further to His disciples.
Mark 7:21-22 image. Found at Bible Portal, Mark 7:21-22 N
Jesus tells His disciples that they should guard their hearts because out of the hearts come defilement. He then gives us a laundry list of the sins that defile us. My heart is the home of the Holy Spirit. I pray every day for God to renew my heart and my soul and my mind so that I will be wholly and totally devoted to Him. I pray to the Holy Spirit to help me not to defile His Temple so that He will find complete and total rest and comfort here with me. In this season of Lent we should all resolve to guard our hearts. From our hearts come true defilement.
Worship: “Jesus Paid It All,” by Fernando Ortega
Worship: “It’s About The Cross,” by The Ball Brothers
Our daughter Meredith Cooper is visiting Sue and me this week. She posed an interesting question yesterday. She was reading from the Torah and she said that when the Israelites were wandering through the Sinai wilderness they were required to make grain offerings. She wondered where they got their grain. I took a few hours to think and then I got on the computer. It seems to me that when God gives us a command He also gives us the means to carry it out. God must have led the Israelites to a place where they could harvest grain. God also commanded them to observe the Passover in which they had to eat unleavened bread so they had to have gotten their grain from somewhere.
I waited patiently for the Lord; And He inclined to me and heard my cry. He brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay, And He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. (Psalm 40:1-2, NASB)
In this season of Lent, I remember how I cried out to God, and how He heard me. He lifted “me up out of the pit of destruction, out of the miry clay.” How? He gave me Jesus Christ as my Savior. It’s because of Jesus’ sacrifice, and because of God’s grace that I am saved. Because we serve a great God that I have escaped from an eternity in hell. Instead, I’ll get to spend everlasting life with Him in heaven!
Then the Lord called to Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, “Speak to the sons of Israel and say to them, ‘When any man of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of animals from the herd or the flock. If his offering is a burnt offering from the herd, he shall offer it, a male without defect; he shall offer it at the doorway of the tent of meeting, that he may be accepted before the Lord. He shall lay his hand on the head of the burnt offering, that it may be accepted for him to make up the blood and sprinkle the blood around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting. He shall then skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces. The sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire on the altar and arrange wood on the fire. Then Aaron’s sons the priests shall arrange the pieces, the head and the suet over the wood which is on the fire that is on the altar. Its entrails, however, and its legs he shall wash with water. And the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord. (Leviticus 1:1-9, NASB)
This Lenten Season, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice. But in the Torah, we get a picture of sacrifices that Jesus eventually would fulfill. The book of Leviticus has commandments which God passed through Moses, which were fulfilled by the sons of Levi, which were how to perform the sacrifices. Let’s look for Jesus in God’s instructions.
First, Jesus was “without defect.” He lived a perfect life, free from sin, so that He was an acceptable sacrifice to the Father. Next is the blood. God demands blood for atonement of sins. God commanded that the blood of the sacrifice be “sprinkle[d] around on the altar that is at the doorway of the tent of meeting.” Jesus’ sacrifice had much blood. We are cleansed from all of our sins by His blood! Finally, “the priest shall offer up in smoke all of it on the altar for a burnt offering, an offering by fire of a soothing aroma to the Lord.” Jesus is, indeed, that Soothing Aroma to the Lord!
Per God’s command, sinners were required to repeat this process every time they sinned. Believers in Christ Jesus have been forgiven. Once we have called upon the name of the Lord to be saved, we only have to confess our sins to Him! Jesus is my Atonement!
Worship: “O The Blood,” by Selah
Worship: “Nothing But the Blood,” by Hillsong UNITED
