Jesus Our Calm, Balm And Alm By Dr. Dan Cheatham, www.devotional.net III John 2: Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul propereth. III John 2 (DCV Paraphrase): Beloved, more than anything else I want you to enjoy His provision His ALM for your life and also His healing BALM in your physical body, just like your soul enjoys His CALM. Jesus is CALM for our inner man, our soul. Jesus is BALM for our outer man, our body. Jesus is ALM for the working man, our living. Jesus is our WHOLE MAN and WHOLE LIFE SALVATION. CALM When we receive Jesus as our personal Lord, we receive the divine nature in our hearts and become a new creation. Once our hearts were filled with the storm of sin and frustration. Now Jesus has calmed the storm by depositing peace within us: peace with God, peace with ourselves, peace with others, and peace of heart and mind. When Jesus spoke to his disciples just prior to his crucifixion, he imparted His peace to them. He said, “CALM I leave with you, my CALM, I give unto you.“ “These things have I spoken unto you, that in me you may have CALM. In the world you will have tribulation (storms), but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.“ (John 24:27 and John 16:33). After his resurrection Jesus again imparted peace to his disciples. Three times he blessed them: “CALMNESS BE YOURS! CALMNESS BE YOURS! CALMNESS BE YOURS!“ (John 20:19,21,26). God is not nervous. God doesnt use deodorant because Hes not sweatin it. Jesus is not biting his fingernails. God the Father is not pacing the floor of heaven in worry. The good news is that Jesus has given us His serenity, tranquillity, quietness of soul, and presence of mind. Prosperity of soul is PEACE OF MIND! Praise God, Jesus is OUR CALM! BALM Jeremiah 8:21,22 teaches us that Jesus is the BALM OF GILEAD and THE GREAT PHYSICIAN. God wants to recover us from our hurt, or physical pain. God wishes “above all things that we be in health.“ Our physical health is top priority with God. Jesus wants to heal us. Our healing, according to 3 John 2, is His Passion and Priority! Then after were healed, He wants to keep us well. Balm means “healing ointment“ or a “medicinal with healing virtue“. Gilead means “perpetual fountain“. Thus Jesus is a perpetual fountain of healing virtue within us. Perpetual means continuous. We can learn to experience a continuous rush of healing virtue. We can walk in a place with God where we are perpetually supercharged with healing power, walking in divine health and divine life. I, for one, am learning how to “get my healing in advance“ each day as I pray. Luke 6:40 says, “The whole multitude sought to touch him for there went virtue out of him and healed them all.“ Jesus healing ministry has not decreased since his resurrection. Jesus healing ministry has increased. Now that he has risen, he has a “more excellent ministry“ of healing than he had during his earth walk in a limited human body. He is “the Sun of Righteousness“ that Malachi spoke of, “risen with healing in his wings.“ Divine healing and divine health belong to us. They can be appropriated through faith and prayer. “WITH HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED.“ (Isaiah 53:5). Praise God, Jesus is OUR BALM! ALM Alms giving is sharing ones material resources with someone else. God is a giver. God wants to share his resources with us. The natural by-product of a thriving relationship with the Lord is success in every endeavor of life. The definition of “prosper“ is “to do well“. We can only prosper on the outside as our soul prospers on the inside. As we experience GODS CALM in our hearts and minds, we also experience His provision, or His ALM. We begin to look to Him as THE SOURCE of everything we need. He becomes ALM to us. We enjoy His alm by hooking up with His spiritual laws. His alm comes to us as we participate in the law of tithing (Mal 3:10,11). Jesus becomes our alm as we learn the law of diligence: hard work and smart work (Prov 10:4, 12:24, and 21:5). We experience Him as Jehovah-Jireh when we live the law of reciprocation: give and it shall be given to you (Luke 6:38). We are blessed and made a blessing as we practice the law of alms giving: “He that gives to the poor lends to the Lord and He will repay him in full“ (Prov 19:17). He blesses us through the law of the hundred-fold return (Mark 10:29-30). He blesses us through the law of seedtime and harvest: “he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully“ (II Cor 9:6-7). Some have abused the laws of prosperity, but that doesnt make these laws any less scriptural truths. God is not a slot machine. The laws of prosperity are not gimmicks or “get-rich-quick“ schemes. The laws of prosperity are to become a way of life for the obedient believer that brings him into a vital relationship with His covenant provider. Praise God, Jesus is OUR ALM