"Three Cheers"
By Dr.Samuel
Kumar(CA)
An orthopedic surgeon after operating on a patient told him,
"I have good news and bad news. First, the bad news. We amputated your good leg.
The good news is that the bad leg does not have to be amputated after all."
When the angry patient said he would sue him, the doctor said, "You can't because you do not have a leg to stand on!"
We are living in an age when we hardly hear any encouraging news. We hear and read about depressing events around the world.
Things seem to be going from bad to worse. In the midst of such a bleak scene, the Lord Jesus promises cheer.
On three occasions He said, "Be of good cheer!" Let us examine these three cheers and draw comfort from them.
PARDON:
In Matthew 9:2, we read about a paralytic who was brought to the Lord Jesus. Before He healed the man, the Lord said,
"Son, be of good cheer. Thy sins be forgiven thee." The greatest burden we bear is that of sin guilt.
The greatest need we have is that of forgiveness. How paralyzing guilt is. How totally helpless we are to erase it.
No degree of remorse, no amount of tears and no effort at restitution, can release us from sin and guilt.
Only the Lord Jesus can give us forgiveness and set us free. He alone can wipe our slates clean and expunge our record of guilt.
In Him "we have redemption through His blood, even the forgiveness of our sins." (Col. 1:14) His forgiveness extends to sins past,
present and future and His blood keeps on cleansing us from all sin. If we confess our sins,
He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:7-9)
PRESENCE::
In Matthew 14:24-33, we read about an unusual event. After the Lord miraculously fed more than five thousand people,
His disciples were sent away to go ahead of Him. As they rowed, they encountered bad weather with violent winds and a great turbulence.
To add to their distress in the midst of this storm, they saw a shadowy figure walking on the water! They were terror-struck and they started screaming.
The Lord immediately set them at ease and said, "Be of good cheer. It is I, be not afraid." (v. 27)
You and I may be tossed around by storms that are allowed by the Lord but we need not be afraid.
His presence will cheer us. Our spiritual muscles are developed by rowing in the storm. We should never despair because the Lord said,
"I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." (Heb. 13:5) His promised presence should replace our fear with cheer.
PEACE:
Not long before the Lord went to the cross, He told His disciples, "These things I have spoken unto you that in Me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33) It is inevitable that in this world,
we will have trials and testings. We are not immune from adverse circumstances. But the Lord says that in Him we will always have peace and nothing can rob us of it because
He is the Prince of peace and He has bequeathed His peace to us (John 14:27) May our hearts be cheered by the fact, that our Captain had passed this way before and has blazed a trail of victory.
We are called to follow in the footsteps of the Victor and the Overcomer. In the midst of our trials, let us cheerfully remember that we are on the ground of victory won by our Master.
His peace will never depart from us.
His presence will never desert us. His grace will never fail us.
Dear reader, do you know the Lord Jesus? Have you placed your trust in Him and sought
His forgiveness? Have you turned your life over to Him? If not, do not rob yourself of eternal life and
His cheering presence every day. Do not struggle. You cannot make it on your own. Come to
Him now and let your heart be cheered by His pardon, His presence and His peace.
