For many years I have been disabled with constant pain from osteo-arthritis.  I have asthma and struggle with major depression.  I have pain in my knees, feet, neck, head, spine, etc.  Each day I can barely function, walk, or stand up for very long.  I am 54-years-old and have a lot of fatigue.  I don’t have a job because of all the pain and trouble breathing in hot and humid weather.  I feel weak and frail.  I have to be careful how I move, or I might hurt myself.  I move slowly and do everything slowly.  I have prayed to be healed physically, emotionally, and mentally.  What does God think of people who are disabled with pain… people who are sick… who can barely function?  What does God expect me to do in this world… when I can barely get through each day?  Please answer me soon.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
No Stranger To Suffering

Dear No Stranger To Suffering,

Do what you can – and don’t worry about the rest.  God has a lot to say about those who are sick and ill in this life.  Sickness is a result of Adam and Eve’s sin in the garden of Eden (Gen 2:17Gen 2:17
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17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Sickness and pain are not what God wants for us; they are the consequences of our choices.  God will eventually remove all sickness, pain, and death when we get to heaven (Rev 21:4Rev 21:4
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4 and he shall wipe away every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more; neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain, any more: the first things are passed away.  

WP-Bible plugin).

When Jesus walked this Earth, He showed constant compassion for the sick (Matt 14:14Matt 14:14
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14 And he came forth, and saw a great multitude, and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Jesus is the same today, yesterday, and forever (Heb 13:8Heb 13:8
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8 Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and to-day, [yea] and for ever.  

WP-Bible plugin).  You may never know this side of heaven why it is that you’ve had to suffer, but know that it wasn’t because God doesn’t have compassion.  There is some reason why He has told you “No” when you’ve prayed to get better.  Paul had a physical ailment that he prayed God would remove, and God didn’t give him what he asked for either (2 Cor 12:7-92 Cor 12:7-9
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7 And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch. ⁸ Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. ⁹ And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for [my] power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Paul learned to trust in the Lord more because of his illnesses and how dependent it made him.  Your illness has the potential to draw you nearer to God as well.  God only holds us accountable for what we are capable of doing (2 Cor 8:122 Cor 8:12
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12 For if the readiness is there, [it is] acceptable according as [a man] hath, not according as [he] hath not.  

WP-Bible plugin).  If you are ready to work, but are unable to because of sickness, God understands.  Do what you can: write letters of encouragement to others (1 Thess 5:141 Thess 5:14
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14 And we exhort you, brethren, admonish the disorderly, encourage the fainthearted, support the weak, be longsuffering toward all.  

WP-Bible plugin), read your Bible for encouragement and comfort (Rom 15:4Rom 15:4
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4 For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that through patience and through comfort of the scriptures we might have hope.  

WP-Bible plugin), continue to go to services when you can because your example will do wonders for others (Heb 10:24-25Heb 10:24-25
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24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works; ²⁵ not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting [one another]; and so much the more, as ye see the day drawing nigh.  

WP-Bible plugin), and stand fast in your convictions and morals (1 Cor 16:131 Cor 16:13
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13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.  

WP-Bible plugin).  We don’t know how or when, but the Lord will cause your circumstances to turn out for good (Rom 8:28Rom 8:28
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28 And we know that to them that love God all things work together for good, [even] to them that are called according to [his] purpose.  

WP-Bible plugin).

Can one christian cause or contribute to another christian’s wrongdoing… or dishonor that person’s mother and father and convince that person that what they are doing is right… and if it was wrong, would God let that person know?

What does the Bible say about this matter?

Sincerely,
Who’s To Blame?

Dear Who’s To Blame,

The Bible says to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling (Php 2:12Php 2:12
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12 So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling;  

WP-Bible plugin).  You cannot control what your relatives, friends, neighbors, etc. tell you or choose to do themselves.  All you can do is control yourself.  Eventually, everyone will be held accountable for the decisions they make in their lives (Heb 9:27Heb 9:27
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27 And inasmuch as it is appointed unto men once to die, and after this [cometh] judgment;  

WP-Bible plugin).  The key is to make sure that you live as the Bible teaches… you can’t control everyone else.

Do you believe once we have accepted Christ as our Savior, yet keep falling short, trying, not always succeeding…repenting, changing, then fall again… will He still take us into His loving arms if our lives ended today?

Sincerely,
Never Good Enough

Dear Never Good Enough,

Yes.  If you have taken the steps to become a christian (read “What Must I Do To Be Saved?”), then the rest of your life will be a collection of victories and failures in spiritual growth.  The key is to never give up; always get back up and try again (Pr 24:16Pr 24:16
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16 For a righteous man falleth seven times, and riseth up again; But the wicked are overthrown by calamity.  

WP-Bible plugin).  When we sin – and admit it – God is righteous and ready to forgive us (1 Jn 1:8-91 Jn 1:8-9
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8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Always be honest about your failures and sins (1 Jn 1:101 Jn 1:10
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10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.  

WP-Bible plugin).  God is ready to forgive us an innumerable amount of times as long as we continue to repent (Matt 18:21-22Matt 18:21-22
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21 Then came Peter and said to him, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? until seven times? ²² Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times; but, Until seventy times seven.  

WP-Bible plugin).

Why do Catholics pray to Mary?  I have read articles that say they pray to her as an intercessor, but I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that says to do this.  How do they justify this Biblically?

Sincerely,
Who’s That Girl?

Dear Who’s That Girl,

Praying to or through Mary is wrong.  Technically speaking, Catholics are not taught to pray to Mary – but to ask Mary to intercede on their behalf before God.  Catholicism teaches that Mary (and other Catholic saints) have more “clout” with God than us, and therefore, Catholics are instructed to ask these Catholic-appointed saints to pray for them.  Having said all that, many Catholics are confused about their own doctrine and do, in fact, pray directly to Mary.  Either behavior is in direct contradiction to the Bible.

Jesus is the only Mediator between man and God (1 Tim 2:51 Tim 2:5
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5 For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, [himself] man, Christ Jesus,  

WP-Bible plugin).  We pray to the Father through Jesus… not through Mary or any other Catholic figure.  We are told to confidently approach God directly (Heb 4:16Heb 4:16
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16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness unto the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace to help [us] in time of need.  

WP-Bible plugin).  We should ask of God and pray to Him through the name of Jesus (Jhn 14:13-14Jhn 14:13-14
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13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ If ye shall ask anything in my name, that will I do.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Praying to (or through) Catholic saints is sinful.

[This question is a follow-up to “A Thanksgiving To Remember”]

Why is it so important to apologize to others?  I know it is important to apologize to God… but other people when they do you wrong also?  Why can’t others just forget about it, sweep it under a rug so to speak?

Sincerely,
Get Over It

Dear Get Over It,

It is important because God says it is important (Lk 17:4Lk 17:4
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4 And if he sin against thee seven times in the day, and seven times turn again to thee, saying, I repent; thou shalt forgive him.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Confessing our sins to one another is part of the growth process that God expects us to go through (Jas 5:16Jas 5:16
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16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Heb 10:24Heb 10:24
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24 and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works;  

WP-Bible plugin says that we need to consider one another… and that is part of what apologizing is.  An apology shows that you have considered the feelings of the other person after you have wronged them.  Admitting we are wrong is a sign of maturity and humility (Matt 23:12Matt 23:12
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12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Love seeks the benefit of the other person (1 Cor 13:51 Cor 13:5
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5 doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil;  

WP-Bible plugin) – apologizing helps those we have hurt to heal.

I have got a question about “we reap what we sow”.  I can’t seem to understand this.  It seems that if this were true… how come some people that are really “bad or sinful” get really great lives and seem to have such great luck while some people give to the needy and help people all their lives and always seem to have bad things happen to them?  It would seem that this “we reap what we sow” would not let that happen.  Sometimes I would see someone (for example) lie to get a job, and I would think that one day it would come back to bite them, but after years of them getting everything (it seems all that they ever wanted), I start to wonder.  I do believe in “we reap what we sow”, but I just don’t understand why it only seems to work for some people.  I’m sure this is a question a lot of people wonder about; that is another reason why I am asking it.  Thanks and God bless!

Sincerely,
Small Harvest

Dear Small Harvest,

It is a question that a lot of people ask, and the answer is “consider their latter end”.  In Ps 73:3-12Ps 73:3-12
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3 For I was envious at the arrogant, When I saw the prosperity of the wicked. ⁴ For there are no pangs in their death; But their strength is firm. ⁵ They are not in trouble as [other] men; Neither are they plagued like [other] men. ⁶ Therefore pride is as a chain about their neck; Violence covereth them as a garment. ⁷ Their eyes stand out with fatness: They have more than heart could wish. ⁸ They scoff, and in wickedness utter oppression: They speak loftily. ⁹ They have set their mouth in the heavens, And their tongue walketh through the earth. ¹⁰ Therefore his people return hither: And waters of a full [cup] are drained by them. ¹¹ And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the Most High? ¹² Behold, these are the wicked; And, being alway at ease, they increase in riches.  

WP-Bible plugin, the psalmist, Asaph, ponders why it is that wicked people prosper and the righteous are downtrodden.  The question vexed him deeply because his enemies succeeded while he, a godly man, was constantly in pain (Ps 73:13-14Ps 73:13-14
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13 Surely in vain have I cleansed my heart, And washed my hands in innocency; ¹⁴ For all the day long have I been plagued, And chastened every morning.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Eventually, Asaph went to the temple and thought about the end of a wicked man’s life (Ps 73:16-17Ps 73:16-17
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16 When I thought how I might know this, It was too painful for me; ¹⁷ Until I went into the sanctuary of God, And considered their latter end.  

WP-Bible plugin).

A life of wickedness is a slippery slope – one lie leads to another until all you have is a tangle of lies and deception (Ps 73:18Ps 73:18
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18 Surely thou settest them in slippery places: Thou castest them down to destruction.  

WP-Bible plugin).  The wicked man has no peace because he is totally dependent upon his own strength and wiles for success… every moment of life is lived upon a precipice (Ps 73:19Ps 73:19
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19 How are they become a desolation in a moment! They are utterly consumed with terrors.  

WP-Bible plugin).

Contrast that life to one of a righteous man.  God holds the hand of the righteous, so they will not despair (Ps 73:23Ps 73:23
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23 Nevertheless I am continually with thee: Thou hast holden my right hand.  

WP-Bible plugin), and God is a righteous man’s counselor and friend (Ps 73:24Ps 73:24
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24 Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, And afterward receive me to glory.  

WP-Bible plugin).  Ultimately, the righteous go to heaven, and the wicked spend eternity in hell (Ps 73:25Ps 73:25
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25 Whom have I in heaven [but thee]? And there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.  

WP-Bible plugin).

It may seem like wicked people prosper, but eventually, their wickedness becomes their downfall.  Sometimes their sins take years to catch up with them (pay attention to some of the latest headlines in politics and Hollywood), but they always do.  If a man becomes wealthy through evil… he may have money, but he won’t have peace.  As Pr 15:17Pr 15:17
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17 Better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, Than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.  

WP-Bible plugin points out, a wealthy feast filled with hatred isn’t nearly as enjoyable as a humble meal eaten with loving friends.  Financial prosperity is not synonymous with happiness.  Gal 6:7Gal 6:7
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7 Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.  

WP-Bible plugin is always true… but you and I may not always see the sorrow and suffering that goes on behind closed doors.