Looking To The Reward

Heb. 11:24-26 says, "By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God, than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin; considering the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt; for he was looking to the reward."

When you have an individual physical problem, there always seems to be "left turns when you were expecting right turns."  First there is a cancerous disease, that slows life down to a turtle's pace.  Then after years of treatment and the normal "ups and downs" other difficulties are added to the mix.  Some people (referring to myself) just so happen to acquire additional diseases simply from accepting the treatment in the first place (boy is this disturbing to a person who tries to stay on the "up" side).

At any rate, my wife and I have continued to pray, as we have, from the beginning, left the "hard stuff" in the hands of the Lord, knowing that His Grace has always been sufficient.  As I mentioned, there are "highs and lows" as you go through these treatments.  I've met some wonderful people in chemo that I pray for and am sure that they pray for me.  In fact, a good friend named Dennis, has begun to discuss Godly things with me which is what I believe for both our lives, this is what God wants.

Some of you may know that Barb and I have been trying for 4 months to get a Liver Biopsy done so we can at least know if I qualify for a Bone Marrow Transplant in the future.  Well that biopsy finally was completed a few days ago and we got a call from the Liver doctor to let us know what it actually looks like.  We were "stunned" to say the least and in "SHOCK" at this moment, still.

Barb wrote down what he read off the report and I want to share it in its entirety so you can see the reason we seem to be walking a couple of inches off the floor:

Diagnosis:  Liver, needle core biopsy:
     Minimal portal hepatitis with mild steatosis, compatible with clinical history of chronic hepatitis C (grade 1 inflammation, stage 0 fibrosis) (grade1 & stage0 are lowest levels of difficulty)

Comments:
Sections show portions of benign liver tissue in which the architecture is normal.  There is minimal portal inflammation composed of lymphocytes.  There is no interface activity or bile duct damage.  the hepatic lobules show no significant inflammatory component.  There is mild macrovesicular fatty change.  No pigment deposition, granulomatous inflammation or metastatic tumor is identified.  an iron stain shows minimal iron deposition.  A trichrome stain shows no evidence of fibrosis.  (end of report).

Of course there was a lot more but this was what was so amazing.  When I had my first Liver Biopsy, it was much, much worse than this and I have never been treated for my liver because of other, more pressing issues.  Can anyone say "Miracle of God"?

Heb. 2: 1-4 says, "For this reason we must pay closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.  For if the word spoken through angels proved unalterable, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?  After it was at the first spoken through the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard.  God also bearing witness with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will." 

How can all of this have anything to do with my Liver Biopsy?  Because it has been continually "spoken through the Lord and unalterable angels so as to bring forth a miracle of great magnitude.  MY LIVER IS VERY NEARLY PERFECT after all the chemotherapy, after all the antibiotics, after all the blood transfusions and platelet transfusions, not to mention the diagnosis of hepatitis C over 8 years ago.

In the beginning I quoted a passage of scripture explaining how Moses would rather live with the difficulties of his life than to "STOP LOOKING FOR HIS REWARD."  Is this what we do?  It is what I do.  And I know, without doubt that "THOUSANDS" of wonderful Christian men and women have continued through the years to lift me up to the Father for HIS REWARD.  Today, I believe I received a portion (a LARGE portion of that reward) and the results of these findings brings me ONE major step closer to a Bone Marrow Transplant, which they have always said was the only step to get to as a "life saving" step.

What a joy to wait on the Lord and finally see His marvelous miracles at work.  How thankful I am that I experienced "so great a salvation".

There are too, too, many to say thanks to so just let me say, God loves you, just like He loves me.  Keep looking for  that reward because you have "so great a salvation."

Dave