1 Peter 2:24 (NIV)
“He himself bore our sins” in his body on the cross, so
that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; “by his wounds you have
been healed.”
About 400 AD, Augustine, during his pastoral ministry,
came to know a woman in Carthage named Innocentia. A devout woman and highly
regarded, she tragically discovered that she had breast cancer. A physician
told her the disease was incurable. She could opt for amputation and possibly
prolong her life a little, or she could follow the advice of Hippocrates and do
nothing. Either way, death would not be put off for long.
Augustine reports: Dismayed by this diagnosis, "She
turned for help to God alone, in prayer." In a dream, Innocentia was told
to wait at the baptistery for the first woman who came out after being baptized,
and to ask this woman to make the sign of the cross over the cancerous breast.
Innocentia did as she was told, and she was completely cured.
When she told her doctor what had happened, he responded
with a contemptuous tone, "I thought you would reveal some great discovery
to me!" Then, seeing her horrified look, he backpedaled, saying,
"What great thing was it for Christ to heal a cancer? He raised a man who
had been dead for four days."
Through Christ's wounds, we are healed from the death
sentence of sin.
Dear Lord, we give thanks to You for Your sacrifice for our
sins. We thank You for given Your life on the cruel cross for each of us. In
Jesus’ Name, Amen.
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