All in Trouble
When we are afraid where do we turn? When we are lost, threatened, or our world appears to be collapsing, where do we look for deliverance? In our confusion who do we look to for wisdom and guidance? If we turn to man, or to our own counsel, then we are teetering on the brink of disaster, but when we look to God, then our path is made straight, and the outcome of every challenge in life will most certainly be good.
Do you carry around a heavy load of stress, and anxiety that comes from all the problems you have in your life? Do you keep repeating “The Lord won’t put any more on me than I can endure.” as if that were scripture? Yet, the problems keep mounting and you are about to break? Well that saying isn’t scripture, and the Lord never intended that we solve our own problems, but rather that we bring them to Him. We were not created self-sufficient; we were made to need God, to love Him, and be worshipful of Him.
When you were a child, your mother and father comforted you in times of trouble, they would give you words of encouragement and quote bible verses to you, but now you are older, so who comforts you now? Where do you turn for relief from today’s trouble when you are filled with the worries of the world?
Are You Facing trials in your life right now? Does it feel like God has abandoned you and let the world have its way with you? Well praise God for where you are right now because in your misery God is expanding the beam of our faith. It is in such times that our faith isn’t tested... it is stretched as we reach desperately for His hand.
Are there things in your life that distract you from focusing on Jesus Christ? You know the ones... an unresolved argument that worries and distracts you during prayer, a problem with your home or automobile that nags at you when you sit to read and study scripture, or perhaps too many planned activities in your day that tempt you to place them before worship. Is this your life?
When do we rejoice and when do we mourn? Is there really a spiritual separation or difference? Are we meant to give God the glory for the good times and ignore or blame Him for the bad or painful ones?
Are you experiencing hardship in your life right now? Is there a problem at work, a health issue, the loss of a loved one? There are so many issues that plague us in life, and being a Christian doesn't exempt us from them... but it does help us through them.
Are there clouds in your life, and if so what do they look like? Are they the big billowy white ones of a bright summer day? How about the thin wispy ones that stretch out as if forever? Or, are they the dark churning clouds that tower into the sky filled with lightning and ominous rolls of thunder? God is in the clouds... how does He come to you today?
I am thinking about what it means to turn the other cheek this morning. Is it a sign of cowardice, bravery, or something else entirely? I think it might be the latter. Although it could be construed as a sign of weakness, or that it takes courage to stand and not retreat, it also demonstrates great faith to resist being provoked, or enticed to sin.
Carrying anger or hatred in us for long periods of time, that is my concentration this morning. Do we resolve issues quickly and move to forgive in a timely manner, or are we suffering as we carry that baggage day after day. What does God's Word tell us about this?
Being true to the Word of God while dealing gently with those who I come into contact with, as I spread the news of Christ's love and sacrifice. This is my concentration this morning; how to turn the heart of a failing individual without losing the patient in the process.
How many times have I experienced sorrow in my life? I would be unable to count them. Sorrow is a fact and the result of caring, loving, and regret. God uses sorrow for His purposes, and we should see His hand there. In our sorrow God teaches us of Himself.
Am I a sinner? Am I leading a life of innocence, or seeking to be pure? Will God forgive me when I sin against Him? These are the questions I am asking myself as I contemplate sin in my life, and the world around me.
We suffer in our lives, but no suffering is experienced without God using it for His good purposes. The question becomes this... do we see Him working in our most dire circumstances? If we are attuned to the will of God in our lives we should acknowledge His mark, even in our misery... unless, of course, we are blinded to Him by our disbelief.
Do I believe in Christianity or do I believe in Jesus Christ? When we first come to faith we ask Jesus to come into our lives... where is our faith based today? Is it still in Jesus, or in the practice of Christianity? Let's take a few moments and consider our own lives and the faith we proclaim.