There are dear ones right now who have recently lost a loved one. Won't you lift them to the Father in prayer? I don't know these folks, but I can pray to the One Who cares about each one. He really does care.
I only watched a snippet of this sermon, but I encourage you to listen. You can listen to all 8 parts of the sermon "How Great is Our God" by Louie Giglio on Tangle. What an AWESOME Creator we serve!
And while we are pondering that, just keep the many folks in your prayers who are in the hospital right now with their precious loved one who may be sick or had an accident. You don't need to know who the person is. God knows exactly who you're talking about. I have been following this blog only briefly. Pray for Stellan.
Our small troubles in life pale to these stories. Yet God is still concerned about anything that is troubling us in our lives, be it large or small. He really does care for us. And that is so comforting!
Last week I read the book The Fall and Rise of Christian Standards by David Kidd. What in the world is the Christian church thinking in this day and age? Do we think we can look and act like the world and get by with it? I urge you to read this book as a commentary but most important search God's Word to answer your questions.
Another book I started reading is Loving God When You Don't Love The Church - Opening the Door to Healing by Chris Jackson. How many of you have been wounded at church? You're done because you've been hurt over and over. Then this book is for you.
I'll be honest. We've had many hurts. And we've been to different churches.
"People don't expect to get hurt in church, so when they do, the piercing runs especially deep. Not only are people unprepared for church hurts, but when the wounds come, they often never receive closure. People don't expect to be wounded in the house of their brothers and sisters in the first place, and then, once they receive the hurt, they very likely are never met by the leadership with a humble embrace and a desire to pursue reconciliation. They are never heard." page 27
I love this next part:
"Jesus didn't come to earth to institute a religion - He came to reveal God. And if our religion is all about learning to know this God more, then it should constantly become more exciting and dynamic, not less. If we are truly experiencing the Creator of the universe on a daily and weekly and monthly basis, then the fruit of our Christian service should be anything but dry and lifeless. We should be the picture of a spiritual oxymoron: fully satisfied and yet full thirsting. We should be satisfied because we have touched our Creator, but desperate because we want more of Him.
I realize, of course, that the intensity and depth of our Christian experience shouldn't be contingent upon what our church does, and that, ideally, we should engage in the spiritual disciplines and walk of faith on our own initiative. However, God created us to be part of a community, and from the beginning He determined that it wasn't good for man to be alone. We need the Church!........
.........We need each other. We need the Body of Christ, and for many, the life believers receive in the corporate church experience is vital to their spiritual growth and maturity. How tragic then, that for some, that cute little old lady took the words right out of their mouths: 'Where's the beef?' " pages 47, 48
LOVE this, too:
"Our God is a God of encounter, and He expects His people to be changed forever every time they meet with Him. If we, as the Church, are providing messages and methods that fail to produce life and practical equipping in the hearts of people, we run the risk of escorting them outside the room in which we're so desperate to keep them. 'The church has no relevance for my life.' What a tragic statement! And what an untrue one. God has placed the keys to life in His Word and in the hearts of His people - it's just that in some places, the church isn't really being the Church...........
........The true Church, God's sons and daughters who have His spirit living inside them and who are growing daily to resemble Him more do have the answers for our society. The church, as it exists in some circles today, might not be enough to slake our thirst - but its God, whom it exists to worship and make famous, is more than enough." page 50
God is All we need! I am so thankful that God has forgiven us. He has helped us not become bitter. We love each of the people who have hurt us. And our prayer is that all would find true peace and happiness in our Lord Jesus Christ. And the know hows to love the hurting.
God in our hearts gives us love that we of ourselves could never have - Enough love to love those who we've been wounded by! It is truly amazing!
God is Love.
We must love men ere they will seem to us worthy of our love. William Shakespeare
Be not disturbed at being misunderstood; be disturbed rather at not being misunderstood. Chinese proverb
Study to be patient in bearing the defects of others and their infirmities be what they may: for thou hast many things which he must bear withal. Thomas a Kempis
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