Wednesday 24th March 2005
The Life Of Christian Doctor
By Guest Speaker
Dr Abbi Lulsegge
Life as a Doctor
- Interesting
- Busy
- Hectic
- Fun
- Rewarding
- Challenging
- Inspiring
- Appealing
Excellence in the workplace
God will give you the ability to succeed
Daniel 1:17 (NIV) To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds.
Exodus 31:1-5 (NIV) Then the Lord said to Moses, 2″See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts– 4to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.
Success at work
- The Bible contains examples of people anointed to do their jobs
- Ask God to give you the necessary skills
- Remember in all this your motives are important
- Do you desire praise for yourself?
- Are you doing it for yourself or for Jesus?
- Seek first the Kingdom of God…..
Promotion
Medicine and allied health professions are hierarchical
Psalm 75:6-7 (KJV) For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. 7But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.
Coping with stress:
Prayer
Psalm 138:3 (NLT) When I pray, you answer me; you encourage me by giving me the strength I need.
- Prayer is the lifeline
- In all things give thanks
The Word
Psalm 119:28 (NLT) I weep with grief; encourage me by your word.
- The solution to every problem is contained in the word
- Reading the word gives one faith and encouragement
- God still talks to us through His word
Friends
Acts 16:40 (NIV) After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them. Then they left.
2 Cor. 7:6 (NLT) But God, who encourages those who are discouraged, encouraged us by the arrival of Titus.
Surround yourself with Christ-centered colleagues, encourage each other
Patients
- They are not “objects”
- They are real people with families, relatives and loved ones
- They may have serious spiritual and emotional needs
- Be sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s guidance
- Pray for them
Sharing your faith
Philemon 1:6 (NIV) I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.
Faith and Science
- Remember Jesus created everything:
Col. 1:16 (NIV) For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
- Jesus “owns” science and He created the laws by which science operates
- Exodus 20
Exodus 20:9-11 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. 11For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.
Workplace ethics
“Stealing” can be subtle
- Taking time off, sick days
- Using your employer’s phones for personal calls
- Using employer’s time to surf the internet
1 Peter 4:15 (NLT) If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs.
Ephes. 4:28 (NIV) He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.
- Firstly it is God’s will that we work
Proverbs 12:11 (NLT) Hard work means prosperity; only fools idle away their time.
Proverbs 12:24 (NLT) Work hard and become a leader; be lazy and become a slave.
Romans 12:11 (NLT) Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically.
- Difficult at times to work hard all the time
- On call, night shifts, multiple tasks
- Our job is service to the Lord:
1 Cor. 7:24 So, dear brothers and sisters, whatever situation you were in when you became a believer, stay there in your new relationship with God.
Gossip
Ephes. 4:29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.
Proverbs 26:20 (NLT) Fire goes out for lack of fuel, and quarrels disappear when gossip stops.
Leviticus 19:16 ” ‘Do not go about spreading slander among your people. ” ‘Do not do anything that endangers your neighbor’s life. I am the Lord.
1 Tim. 5:13 (NLT) Besides, they are likely to become lazy and spend their time gossiping from house to house, getting into other people’s business and saying things they shouldn’t.
The bottom line
- Nothing matters as much as Jesus Christ
- Do you adore Him?
- Do you think about Him daily?
- Do you truly love Him above all else?
- Because this is what He wants
- The amazing thing is He will give it to you if you ask earnestly
Matthew 22:37 (NIV) Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Psalm 63:1 (NIV) A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
Letter to Church at Ephesus
Rev. 2:2-5 (NIV) I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance. I know that you cannot tolerate wicked men, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary. 4Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken your first love. 5Remember the height from which you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
Finally
Be a Christian Doctor not a Doctor who happens to be a Christian
We were asked to give a small talk at the third meeting of the CMS, discussing what we, as medical students, would like from the CMS. We mentioned the following points (and below is a more detailed explanation of our intentions :
- Ethics Discussions
- Mission to Egypt
- Establish contacts
- Prayers
- Visiting the sick
- Expanding the CMS website
- Career choices
Ethics Discussions
Medicine is expanding at an amazing rate, and with this growth comes responsibility. As future doctors, we would like to be given the opportunity to discuss where our church stands on such controversial issues, such as abortion and IVF. More importantly, we hope that the CMS can show us how to defend our Christian opinions in medical practice and how to represent Christ in medicine.
Mission to Egypt
God has generously given each one of His children a precious gift; a gift that He wants us to use in glorifying His name. As medics, He has afforded us the opportunity to heal people. Therefore, we feel that God is calling us to use this talent to serve the needy in Egypt. We propose that all the medical students and doctors join forces to set up an intensive, two-week, charity medical care session in Egypt – offering our services to those, whom God sends us. As medical students, we may not be able to do any medical procedures, but we are willing to raise money for the cause, cook, clean, be social workers – to do everything that we can to serve the people. There are two Orthodox groups (the Orthodox Christian Mission Centre; www.ocmc.org and the International Orthodox Christian Centre; www.iocc.org) that have done similar work in other countries. We believe that perhaps these groups may be able to support us in this mission.
We are aware that this will not be easy to accomplish, but if God supports the cause, then it will be done. We ask for your prayers in this matter.
Establishing Contacts
There are many Coptic doctors all over the world; however, we feel that this is not being used to our benefit. We recommend that, perhaps the details of many of our doctors (both here and abroad), be collated and inserted on a web page that can be accessed by us. This would be extremely useful (for example when planning electives or visiting other hospitals) and would strengthen the links between the members of our vast medical community.
Prayers
All activities, whether medical or not, require prayers for the blessing of God and His powerful touch. Therefore, we would like a section on the CMS website to be dedicated to prayer requests for one another (e.g. during exams), for the sick (e.g. specific patients who have come from abroad for treatment) and for medicine (e.g. asking for God’s guidance in medical advances).
Visiting the Sick
The social aspect of practising medicine is equally as important as the actual science. Therefore, as Christian medical students (and doctors), we feel that it is our calling to attend to the social needs of the sick. We encourage a rota to be initiated, whereby all the sick and elderly of our church can constantly be cared for, visited and prayed for by us.
Expanding the Website
The website, as it stands, is excellent!!! We would also like to see sections advertising medical books and equipment for sale, as well as a contacts page and prayer page as mentioned earlier.
Careers Choices
Copts in the field of medicine span many generations, and we would like to use this to our advantage. For example, the ‘older’ lot could share advice on their different specialities with the younger doctors. This would help in important career decisions. As medical students, we could advise A-level students on the different medical courses at the various universities. Therefore, we recommend construction of another website (or page) which presents helpful information on the different career paths available to us during our lifetimes.
History
Coptic Medical students (St Luke’s Medical Group) of Kasr Alainy Faculty of Medicine visiting Pope Kyrillos VI at The St. Mark’s Grand Church in El-Azbakia Cairo 1968.
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