Our world is one that screams control. I put gas in my car yesterday, and when I turn my key to my car, it will turn on. When I drive down JTB and I want to go faster, I just press on the right pedal instead of the left. I have an app on my phone that controls what music I want to hear, the lights in my house, and show me the news I want to see. If I want to go eat a sandwich for lunch from Firehouse, I can walk down there and give them some money in exchange for a sandwich. All of these things are from my doing right? I have authority over my car, my music, my news, and my food. But what about if you get sick? We have the authority to take medicine and heal ourselves. But what about if you get real sick, what if you get cancer? Do you have authority over the millions and billions of cells in your body? What if you get side swiped on the way to work today, at no fault of your own, and you end up in a ditch?
I am certain that at almost every moment in my life when I think to have control, God taps on my shoulder and gives me a reminder....I am not. I have found that those reminders can be bigger in size the further away from God I am, and small reminders when I am living in obedience and pursuing Godliness. This weekend, an old friend from many years ago suffered a tremendous loss. I assume that you have friend "windows" or seasons I guess....people or friends that were a part of your life at one time, but as we move to new places, get to different points of life, the relationship fades. This was the case with such person. He was very influential in my early golf life and was/is a great golfer. I can still recall the many games in which we were playing for higher stakes and I could feel the pressure of competition make me a better player. Back to the tap on the shoulder....This weekend, my friend lost his young wife. I did not know her well other than a casual hello from years back and recently when I saw them at a local restaurant. Why did this happen to these people? Why was this pain brought on to them? We all have had terrible things happen in our lives that we naturally are forced to ask why. When I take a step back and really look into everything, even asking the question why shows our need for control.
What are you asking God about right now in your life? What is your "Why" question? The pain and suffering of losing a loved one, especially a close person, is something that I am not very familiar with. I don't want to even begin to compare any type of loss or pain, rather I want to focus on when we ask God: Why?
I can only answer with what we know from the Bible: God is GOOD. God is COMPASSIONATE. God is in CONTROL.
Lamentations 3:32 "For if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness."
I think it was John Maxwell who said that when a Christian dies, it is just a change of address to a greater house. I truly agree with that. We have a wonderful change of address coming in our future.
Who has the authority over your life? If it is anyone other than God, or anything other than God...I simply want to ask you: Why? We know that God loves us, is for us, sent His Son to die for us...why should we question? We know the miracles performed on the person who laid on a mat and couldn't walk, or the little girl who had a hemorage and touched Jesus's clothes and was instantly healed. We also know that the results we get in this horizontal world view means nothing unless it has a vertical connection to God. You getting a promotion, a bigger house, a nicer car, all mean nothing to God. You growing in relationship with Him through struggles is more important than hitting your work goal. You deepening your understanding of who God is by reading about Him in the Bible is more imporotant than the 10 pounds you're trying to lose in January.
I pray so much this week for my friend and his family. I pray that God puts people around him that will offer support and remind him that God's plan is perfect. I pray that you offer your authority back to God. I pray that when we ask why, we are all reminded to ask Who? When death gives you sting, when life gives you struggle, when you feel like you're within the grasps of sin and shame, when affliction and addiction have trapped you, when you feel like you can't move forward anymore: ask WHO? Asking this will point you to the only answer: Jesus. He is The way, The life, and The truth, and when our earthly address is changed to the greatest address in all of creation, we will be shown that there is no such thing as death to a person who believes in Jesus. Our time scale is forever. The moment you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have given authority to the One who crushes death and rids you of your hurt!
From one of my favorite Hymns: O Joy that seeks me through pain, I cannot close my hear to Thee, I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.
God will never let go of you. "You've been made whole by a love that will not let you go."
Song of the week: Oh Love that Will Not Let Me Go
I am certain that at almost every moment in my life when I think to have control, God taps on my shoulder and gives me a reminder....I am not. I have found that those reminders can be bigger in size the further away from God I am, and small reminders when I am living in obedience and pursuing Godliness. This weekend, an old friend from many years ago suffered a tremendous loss. I assume that you have friend "windows" or seasons I guess....people or friends that were a part of your life at one time, but as we move to new places, get to different points of life, the relationship fades. This was the case with such person. He was very influential in my early golf life and was/is a great golfer. I can still recall the many games in which we were playing for higher stakes and I could feel the pressure of competition make me a better player. Back to the tap on the shoulder....This weekend, my friend lost his young wife. I did not know her well other than a casual hello from years back and recently when I saw them at a local restaurant. Why did this happen to these people? Why was this pain brought on to them? We all have had terrible things happen in our lives that we naturally are forced to ask why. When I take a step back and really look into everything, even asking the question why shows our need for control.
What are you asking God about right now in your life? What is your "Why" question? The pain and suffering of losing a loved one, especially a close person, is something that I am not very familiar with. I don't want to even begin to compare any type of loss or pain, rather I want to focus on when we ask God: Why?
I can only answer with what we know from the Bible: God is GOOD. God is COMPASSIONATE. God is in CONTROL.
Lamentations 3:32 "For if He causes grief, then He will have compassion according to His abundant lovingkindness."
I think it was John Maxwell who said that when a Christian dies, it is just a change of address to a greater house. I truly agree with that. We have a wonderful change of address coming in our future.
Who has the authority over your life? If it is anyone other than God, or anything other than God...I simply want to ask you: Why? We know that God loves us, is for us, sent His Son to die for us...why should we question? We know the miracles performed on the person who laid on a mat and couldn't walk, or the little girl who had a hemorage and touched Jesus's clothes and was instantly healed. We also know that the results we get in this horizontal world view means nothing unless it has a vertical connection to God. You getting a promotion, a bigger house, a nicer car, all mean nothing to God. You growing in relationship with Him through struggles is more important than hitting your work goal. You deepening your understanding of who God is by reading about Him in the Bible is more imporotant than the 10 pounds you're trying to lose in January.
I pray so much this week for my friend and his family. I pray that God puts people around him that will offer support and remind him that God's plan is perfect. I pray that you offer your authority back to God. I pray that when we ask why, we are all reminded to ask Who? When death gives you sting, when life gives you struggle, when you feel like you're within the grasps of sin and shame, when affliction and addiction have trapped you, when you feel like you can't move forward anymore: ask WHO? Asking this will point you to the only answer: Jesus. He is The way, The life, and The truth, and when our earthly address is changed to the greatest address in all of creation, we will be shown that there is no such thing as death to a person who believes in Jesus. Our time scale is forever. The moment you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have given authority to the One who crushes death and rids you of your hurt!
From one of my favorite Hymns: O Joy that seeks me through pain, I cannot close my hear to Thee, I trace the rainbow through the rain, and feel the promise is not vain, that morn shall tearless be.
God will never let go of you. "You've been made whole by a love that will not let you go."
Song of the week: Oh Love that Will Not Let Me Go
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