2nd Samuel 9:12
“And Mephibosheth lived in Jerusalem, because he always ate at the king’s table; he was lame in both feet.”
Why can’t I be in the red group for math? Those were the words I said through tears to my 4th grade teacher when she moved me away from my friends and into the low math group. Her answer, “It doesn’t matter what math group you are in. You won’t graduate from high school anyways!”...Me
Those words stung my heart and started me down a path of believing the life that I was not “good enough”. I was taught that God loved me and had an amazing plan for my life, but I really did not believe it. Then I read about the story of a man with a very funny name, Mephibosheth. Mephibosheth (say that three times fast!), was lame in both feet, handicapped, a burden. During his life he had to face many challenges, heartache and difficulties. Yet, he did not realize that the king of Israel was about to bless his life. King David, was the most powerful man in all of Israel, but he went out of his way to bless someone that others viewed as unworthy. Our King of kings, our great Lord almighty desires to do the same with our lives.
Have you ever been told that you were too fat, too skinny, to short, too tall, too young, too old. You may be, dealing with a handicap, the loss of a child, divorced, singleness, unable to have children, without a job or living with regret over past mistakes. We all face challenges and difficulties in our lives that make us feel unworthy to serve the Lord. We feel that there is no way that God could possibly use us, because the things that we cannot do for Him. But do we ever stop and think about the things that we can do for God. God does not look at our outsides, our limitations of our failures. He looks at His perfect creation (that’s you and me), and says, “I can use you, I want to use you”. Live in this truth and do not let anyone or anything stand in your way of serving our great King of kings and Lord of Lords!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Rachel
Seriously! Seriously! She is pregnant AGAIN!! How many times can one person get pregnant. Why God, Why! All I want it one child. I am not asking to have a litter of children like Leah and the rest of the ladies around here...but is one child too much to ask. It seems like every time I turn around we are having another baby shower for Leah. How many baby gifts do I have to make or buy from the market before it will be my turn to be a mother. I know Jacob says he loves me, but I see the disappointment in his eyes as year after year goes by without me giving him a child. What do I have to do for it to be my turn?
Read Genesis 29-30
Rachel longed for a child. She sat sadly and helplessly as her sister Leah had child, after child. Not only were Rachel and Leah sisters, but they were also both married to the same man, Jacob. Now don't be freaked out or think this is an episode of "Sister Wives", because that was the accepted practice in the Jewish culture in the Old Testament. Leah was Rachel's older sister. Since Jacob loved Rachel and wanted to marry Rachel, he had to marry Leah first in order to keep with Jewish culture. Rachel may have had the undying love of Jacob but what she really wanted was to be a mother like her older sister. After enduring many, many years of longing for a child, Rachel's prayers were finally answered and she gave birth to a son Joseph, and what a mighty man he turned out to be! If you want to read more about Joseph's life, Read from Genesis 39 to the end of the book.
Do you or are you feeling like Rachel? You may be feeling that everyone around you are just checking off their life goals and you are waiting to put down the first check mark. Are you single waiting for your spouse? Are you a wife waiting to become a mother? Or are you a mother of one who is feeling the pressure to expand you brood? The world and sometimes even the church define a “complete Christian” as one who is married and has two to three children. A woman that is single or childless or maybe just has one child, is many times made to feel that she is an incomplete Christian. It is the desire of most Christian women to be a wife and a mother, but that is not always God’s plan for their lives. The message that needs to be said loud and clear is simple. The Church and those in “Christian land” need not to dim the light of God’s amazing plan for these ladies’ lives by making them feel inadequate.
Read Genesis 29-30
Rachel longed for a child. She sat sadly and helplessly as her sister Leah had child, after child. Not only were Rachel and Leah sisters, but they were also both married to the same man, Jacob. Now don't be freaked out or think this is an episode of "Sister Wives", because that was the accepted practice in the Jewish culture in the Old Testament. Leah was Rachel's older sister. Since Jacob loved Rachel and wanted to marry Rachel, he had to marry Leah first in order to keep with Jewish culture. Rachel may have had the undying love of Jacob but what she really wanted was to be a mother like her older sister. After enduring many, many years of longing for a child, Rachel's prayers were finally answered and she gave birth to a son Joseph, and what a mighty man he turned out to be! If you want to read more about Joseph's life, Read from Genesis 39 to the end of the book.
Do you or are you feeling like Rachel? You may be feeling that everyone around you are just checking off their life goals and you are waiting to put down the first check mark. Are you single waiting for your spouse? Are you a wife waiting to become a mother? Or are you a mother of one who is feeling the pressure to expand you brood? The world and sometimes even the church define a “complete Christian” as one who is married and has two to three children. A woman that is single or childless or maybe just has one child, is many times made to feel that she is an incomplete Christian. It is the desire of most Christian women to be a wife and a mother, but that is not always God’s plan for their lives. The message that needs to be said loud and clear is simple. The Church and those in “Christian land” need not to dim the light of God’s amazing plan for these ladies’ lives by making them feel inadequate.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Sarah
So.....Abram keeps telling me that God told him that he is going to be the father of a nation. Really God...with whom? Do you not know that my womb has continued to prove that it is not a place where a baby wants to be. Don't get me wrong, I believe and trust that God created the earth, saved Noah from the flood, and can give my sweet Abraham a nation, I am just not sure it will be through me? HMMMM, maybe my servant Hagar could help him out? I wonder how that would turn out? It could work, right!
In Genesis 16 we see Sarah's plan for giving Abram an heir to begin the great nation that had been promised to him by God. Sarah was going to "help" God out. She figured if she could not give Abram a child, she could give her servant Hagar to Abram, who in turn would give Abram a child. Once Hagar had the child, the child in which Sarah thought would be the solution to her childless problem, an abundant amount of problems came to be. Hagar became insensitive and prideful. In response to Hagar's actions and attitude, Sarah kicked Hagar and her newborn child out of the camp. Sarah was again left with no child and now had no servant.
How many time do we in our lives to do this? You may be asking God for a job, a house, a husband, or a child, and waiting on Him to answer. Well, in theory anyways!
We claim God's promises and answers to our prayers, but sometimes we try to "help" God out. We will work harder, prayer more, volunteer at every church event and even give God suggestions as to how He could answer our prayers. When really all God wants us to do is to "be still and know that HE IS GOD!". So today as you are waiting on God to answer your hearts cry, be still and allow God to work in His on time and with His own plan. Sarah tried to do her own plan instead of waiting on God, and we see what happened. Learn from Sarah and even when it is easier said then done sometimes....WAIT!
In Genesis 16 we see Sarah's plan for giving Abram an heir to begin the great nation that had been promised to him by God. Sarah was going to "help" God out. She figured if she could not give Abram a child, she could give her servant Hagar to Abram, who in turn would give Abram a child. Once Hagar had the child, the child in which Sarah thought would be the solution to her childless problem, an abundant amount of problems came to be. Hagar became insensitive and prideful. In response to Hagar's actions and attitude, Sarah kicked Hagar and her newborn child out of the camp. Sarah was again left with no child and now had no servant.
How many time do we in our lives to do this? You may be asking God for a job, a house, a husband, or a child, and waiting on Him to answer. Well, in theory anyways!
We claim God's promises and answers to our prayers, but sometimes we try to "help" God out. We will work harder, prayer more, volunteer at every church event and even give God suggestions as to how He could answer our prayers. When really all God wants us to do is to "be still and know that HE IS GOD!". So today as you are waiting on God to answer your hearts cry, be still and allow God to work in His on time and with His own plan. Sarah tried to do her own plan instead of waiting on God, and we see what happened. Learn from Sarah and even when it is easier said then done sometimes....WAIT!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Jesus throughout the Bible
Just in case you thought Jesus only showed up in the New Testament..
In Genesis, He is the Seed of the Woman.
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus, He is our High Priest.
In Numbers, He’s our Pillar of Cloud by day and our Pillar of
Fire by night.
In Deuteronomy, He is the Prophet like unto Moses.
In Joshua, He is the Captain of our salvation.
In Judges, He is our Lawgiver.
In Ruth, He is our Kinsman Redeemer.
In First and Second Samuel, He’s our Trusted Prophet.
In Kings and Chronicles, He is our Reigning King.
In Ezra, He’s our Faithful Scribe.
In Nehemiah, He’s the Rebuilder of the broken walls.
In Esther, He’s our Advocate.
In Job, He’s our Ever-Living Redeemer.
In Psalms, He is the Lord, our Shepherd, so we shall not want.
In Proverbs, He is our Wisdom.
In Ecclesiastes, He is our Goal!
In the Song of Solomon, He is our Lover and our Bridegroom.
In Isaiah, He’s the Prince of Peace.
In Jeremiah and Lamentations, He is the Weeping Prophet.
In Ezekiel, He’s the Wonderful Four-faced Man.
In Daniel, He’s the Fourth Man in the burning, fiery furnace.
In Hosea, He’s the Eternal Husband, forever married to the
backslider.
In Joel, He’s the Baptizer in the Holy Ghost.
In Amos, He’s our Burden-bearer.
In Obadiah, He’s our Savior.
In Jonah, He’s the Great Foreign Missionary.
In Micah, He’s the Messenger with beautiful feet.
In Nahum, He’s our Avenger.
In Habakkuk, He’s the Evangelist pleading for revival.
In Zephaniah, He’s the Lord, mighty to save.
In Haggai, He’s the Restorer of the lost heritage.
In Zechariah, He’s the Fountain springing up with
everlasting life.
In Malachi, He’s the Son of Righteousness, rising with healing in
His wings.
In Matthew, He’s the Messiah.
In Mark, He’s the Wonder Worker.
In Luke, He’s the Son of Man.
In John, He’s the Son of God.
In Acts, He’s the Holy Ghost, moving among men.
In Romans, He’s the Justifier.
In First and Second Corinthians, He’s the Sanctifier.
In Galatians, He’s the Redeemer from the curse of the law.
In Ephesians, He is the Christ of unsearchable riches.
In Philippians, He’s the God who supplies ALL of our needs.
In Colossians, He’s the fullness of the godhead bodily.
In First and Second Thessalonians, He’s our Soon-coming King.
In First and Second Timothy, He’s the Mediator between God
and man.
In Titus, He is the Faithful Pastor.
In Philemon, He’s the Friend of the oppressed.
In Hebrews, He’s the Blood of the everlasting covenant.
In James, He is the Lord who raises the sick.
In First and Second Peter, He’s the Chief Shepherd, who shall
soon appear.
In First, Second, and Third John, He is Love.
In Jude, He’s the Lord coming with ten thousand of His saints.
In Revelation, He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
In Genesis, He is the Seed of the Woman.
In Exodus, He is the Passover Lamb.
In Leviticus, He is our High Priest.
In Numbers, He’s our Pillar of Cloud by day and our Pillar of
Fire by night.
In Deuteronomy, He is the Prophet like unto Moses.
In Joshua, He is the Captain of our salvation.
In Judges, He is our Lawgiver.
In Ruth, He is our Kinsman Redeemer.
In First and Second Samuel, He’s our Trusted Prophet.
In Kings and Chronicles, He is our Reigning King.
In Ezra, He’s our Faithful Scribe.
In Nehemiah, He’s the Rebuilder of the broken walls.
In Esther, He’s our Advocate.
In Job, He’s our Ever-Living Redeemer.
In Psalms, He is the Lord, our Shepherd, so we shall not want.
In Proverbs, He is our Wisdom.
In Ecclesiastes, He is our Goal!
In the Song of Solomon, He is our Lover and our Bridegroom.
In Isaiah, He’s the Prince of Peace.
In Jeremiah and Lamentations, He is the Weeping Prophet.
In Ezekiel, He’s the Wonderful Four-faced Man.
In Daniel, He’s the Fourth Man in the burning, fiery furnace.
In Hosea, He’s the Eternal Husband, forever married to the
backslider.
In Joel, He’s the Baptizer in the Holy Ghost.
In Amos, He’s our Burden-bearer.
In Obadiah, He’s our Savior.
In Jonah, He’s the Great Foreign Missionary.
In Micah, He’s the Messenger with beautiful feet.
In Nahum, He’s our Avenger.
In Habakkuk, He’s the Evangelist pleading for revival.
In Zephaniah, He’s the Lord, mighty to save.
In Haggai, He’s the Restorer of the lost heritage.
In Zechariah, He’s the Fountain springing up with
everlasting life.
In Malachi, He’s the Son of Righteousness, rising with healing in
His wings.
In Matthew, He’s the Messiah.
In Mark, He’s the Wonder Worker.
In Luke, He’s the Son of Man.
In John, He’s the Son of God.
In Acts, He’s the Holy Ghost, moving among men.
In Romans, He’s the Justifier.
In First and Second Corinthians, He’s the Sanctifier.
In Galatians, He’s the Redeemer from the curse of the law.
In Ephesians, He is the Christ of unsearchable riches.
In Philippians, He’s the God who supplies ALL of our needs.
In Colossians, He’s the fullness of the godhead bodily.
In First and Second Thessalonians, He’s our Soon-coming King.
In First and Second Timothy, He’s the Mediator between God
and man.
In Titus, He is the Faithful Pastor.
In Philemon, He’s the Friend of the oppressed.
In Hebrews, He’s the Blood of the everlasting covenant.
In James, He is the Lord who raises the sick.
In First and Second Peter, He’s the Chief Shepherd, who shall
soon appear.
In First, Second, and Third John, He is Love.
In Jude, He’s the Lord coming with ten thousand of His saints.
In Revelation, He is King of kings and Lord of lords.
Monday, January 17, 2011
EVE
"Stupid, Stupid, Stupid! How could I have been so stupid, so easily misled? I knew that sinister serpent was sketchy! What had Adam always told me, most importantly what had God said? Do not eat of this one fruit, you can eat of anything else in the Garden but do not eat of this ONE fruit. AHHH the Garden. It was perfect there! We could run around and not worry about being hungry, or clothes, or fear of the animals or health issues, or pain, it was perfection, paradise. I did not have this pain and grossness every month, and wow do I not look forward to having another child. Cain and Abel were born with such ease, but now I do not look forward to having "pain" in childbirth. Adam did not have to work so hard to provide food and shelter for us. Poor Adam...OOOh Adam was so mad at me after he ate the fruit! Wait a minute, he ate the fruit too, why is he mad at me!!! Even though Adam is still angry and disappointed in me, the biggest regret that I feel and the one thing I miss the most is the true, real, no boundaries relationship I had with God. Now it is different, there is a seemingly cavern between us. Will our relationship ever be restored?"----EVE
The above are just some dialogue that I thought Eve may have possibly had running through her mind after she realized what she had done in eating the "forbidden fruit". She had lost her home, her health, her perfect marriage and most importantly her unhindered relationship with the Lord.
In Genesis 2 we see that God had created Eve as a partner for Adam. God had given her a perfect partner and a perfect life. Eve had flawless beauty and had no pain, no need, no suffering. All God asked in return was contentment. Contentment....not love, obedience, works, or sacrifice, but contentment. Eve's downfall and subsequent loss of her perfect life, happened because of her DISCONTENTMENT!
But don't we as women fight discontentment every day? If you are single, you want to be married. If you are married you want a child. If you have one child, you want another child. If you have a house, you want a bigger one. If you have a car, you want a better one. If you have your health, you desire beauty and perfection. We as women fight discontentment every day and in so many ways!
Yet, in trying to get rid of our discontenment we may be throwing away the paradise that God has planned for us! The paradise God has planned for you may be to be single while the paradise for many of your other friends may be marriage. God's paradise for me may be to be the mother of only one child while the paradise for some of my other friends may be to have a quiver full of children. Many times as women we miss out on enjoying the paradise God has for us because of our discontentment with the paradise that God has already given us! John Piper states in Desiring God, "God is most glorified, when we are most satisfied in HIM!"
What are you discontent about in your life?
The above are just some dialogue that I thought Eve may have possibly had running through her mind after she realized what she had done in eating the "forbidden fruit". She had lost her home, her health, her perfect marriage and most importantly her unhindered relationship with the Lord.
In Genesis 2 we see that God had created Eve as a partner for Adam. God had given her a perfect partner and a perfect life. Eve had flawless beauty and had no pain, no need, no suffering. All God asked in return was contentment. Contentment....not love, obedience, works, or sacrifice, but contentment. Eve's downfall and subsequent loss of her perfect life, happened because of her DISCONTENTMENT!
But don't we as women fight discontentment every day? If you are single, you want to be married. If you are married you want a child. If you have one child, you want another child. If you have a house, you want a bigger one. If you have a car, you want a better one. If you have your health, you desire beauty and perfection. We as women fight discontentment every day and in so many ways!
Yet, in trying to get rid of our discontenment we may be throwing away the paradise that God has planned for us! The paradise God has planned for you may be to be single while the paradise for many of your other friends may be marriage. God's paradise for me may be to be the mother of only one child while the paradise for some of my other friends may be to have a quiver full of children. Many times as women we miss out on enjoying the paradise God has for us because of our discontentment with the paradise that God has already given us! John Piper states in Desiring God, "God is most glorified, when we are most satisfied in HIM!"
What are you discontent about in your life?
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Treasures in my heart
Luke 2:19, "And Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart."
In reading the Christmas story in Luke 2, I have always been drawn to the above passage. The fact that in the midst of the miracle of God becoming flesh, Mary took a moment to just take it all in, amazing me. In the midst of the miracle, Mary took a moment to just be a mom. There were several times when my husband and I were trying to become parents that I wondered if I was ever going to experience the pondering of the thoughts and experiences of a new mom. Then once I became pregnant with my daughter I finally realized the sweet moments that you do treasure. The first heartbeat, the first movement, the first kick and the first hiccup.
At a mere 28 weeks pregnant I had some major complications with my pregnancy that caused me to put on bedrest at the hospital. In those tense and scary moments of monitors and medicine, I treasured each heartbeat I heard, and every moment that was given to me with my daughter. After nine days in the hospital, the complications were finally settled down and I was allowed to go home...it just happened to be Christmas day, 2008! Over 2000 years before the biggest, most amazing miracle occurred, GOd became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ! In 2008 God did another miracle in allowing me to be in my home for Christmas and for my child to still be growing and thriving in my tummy.
As I sat in front of our Christmas tree that Christmas day, I treaured the fact that God had been gracious and my daughter was still thriving and growing inside of my. Then 5 days later in the early morning of December 30th, my husband rushed me to the hospital and that visit resulted in my precious, miracle daughter being born, when I was just 30 weeks pregnant! The next eight weeks my daughter fought for her life, and over and over again God showed up in a miraculous way in my daughter's life, in my life and in my family's life. In every God moment I had, I treasured them into my heart. Eight weeks after my daughter's early arrival, she was able to come home and enjoy her baby cradle for the first time.
Fast forward two years! Yesterday on Christmas day, instead of being rolled out of the hospital with a baby inside me, I was able to celebrate Christmas 2010, with my precious miracle daughter, my husband, parents, brother, sister in love, niece and nephew, and many extended family members. I was able to testify about God's goodness, faithfulness and love that He had poured onto our family. Again yesterday, I pondered the many joys that God had given to me the last few years. I say joy and not happiness, because joy is that deep, everlasting love and enduring faith that God showed to me and confirmed to me in my heart the last few years. I accepted God into my life when I was just eight years old, with a child like faith. Now at almost 34 years old I have a faith in God that is real and has been fleshed out in both joyous and very saddening times! I love God not because of what He does or doesn't do in my life, but because of WHO HE IS!!
In reading the Christmas story in Luke 2, I have always been drawn to the above passage. The fact that in the midst of the miracle of God becoming flesh, Mary took a moment to just take it all in, amazing me. In the midst of the miracle, Mary took a moment to just be a mom. There were several times when my husband and I were trying to become parents that I wondered if I was ever going to experience the pondering of the thoughts and experiences of a new mom. Then once I became pregnant with my daughter I finally realized the sweet moments that you do treasure. The first heartbeat, the first movement, the first kick and the first hiccup.
At a mere 28 weeks pregnant I had some major complications with my pregnancy that caused me to put on bedrest at the hospital. In those tense and scary moments of monitors and medicine, I treasured each heartbeat I heard, and every moment that was given to me with my daughter. After nine days in the hospital, the complications were finally settled down and I was allowed to go home...it just happened to be Christmas day, 2008! Over 2000 years before the biggest, most amazing miracle occurred, GOd became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ! In 2008 God did another miracle in allowing me to be in my home for Christmas and for my child to still be growing and thriving in my tummy.
As I sat in front of our Christmas tree that Christmas day, I treaured the fact that God had been gracious and my daughter was still thriving and growing inside of my. Then 5 days later in the early morning of December 30th, my husband rushed me to the hospital and that visit resulted in my precious, miracle daughter being born, when I was just 30 weeks pregnant! The next eight weeks my daughter fought for her life, and over and over again God showed up in a miraculous way in my daughter's life, in my life and in my family's life. In every God moment I had, I treasured them into my heart. Eight weeks after my daughter's early arrival, she was able to come home and enjoy her baby cradle for the first time.
Fast forward two years! Yesterday on Christmas day, instead of being rolled out of the hospital with a baby inside me, I was able to celebrate Christmas 2010, with my precious miracle daughter, my husband, parents, brother, sister in love, niece and nephew, and many extended family members. I was able to testify about God's goodness, faithfulness and love that He had poured onto our family. Again yesterday, I pondered the many joys that God had given to me the last few years. I say joy and not happiness, because joy is that deep, everlasting love and enduring faith that God showed to me and confirmed to me in my heart the last few years. I accepted God into my life when I was just eight years old, with a child like faith. Now at almost 34 years old I have a faith in God that is real and has been fleshed out in both joyous and very saddening times! I love God not because of what He does or doesn't do in my life, but because of WHO HE IS!!
Monday, December 6, 2010
Suffering Stinks: Semi-Homemade
In full disclosure, this blog is semi-homemade. That means that I did not come up with all of the content of this blog by myself. The main points of this blog are from this Sunday's sermon at Cedarcrest Church given by George Wright. It was an incredible sermon and I wanted to share the main points. In sharing with you the main points of the sermon, I also wanted to expound on them what God has taught me through suffering. The passage of scripture that we looked at this Sunday was Acts 16:25-34. Paul and Silas were in prisoned for thier faith, yet they still praised the Lord and led others to salvation.
Let's all admit that suffering stinks. Whether you are suffering from your first broken heart in the 9th grade, failing a class, loss of a job, loss of a child, infertility, depression, divorce, suffering is no fun. Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean enduring suffering isn't hard. In many cases as Christians we have a distorted faith about God. We believe that if we do good things then God will give us good things but if we have bad things happen in our lives it must mean with have or are commiting some great sin. All of this untrue! For proof that this believe is untrue just look at the like of Job. (You can read about the life of Job in the Old Testament book of Job). Many times God allows suffering in our lives to happen, because God desires to deepen our faith or to get out of our lives some things that should not be there. Other times, suffering happens just because we live in a sinful, fallen world, with sinful fallen people. So how and why should you worship, serve and love God when you are suffering? That question was answered for me not only in this Sunday's sermon, but also through personal heartache.
1. Worshipping in the midst of suffering reminds us what is important.
Since 2004 my family has endured some not so fun suffering. From the death of my precious nephew at birth in 2004, to myself and some of my other family members struggle with infertility, to my own daughter being born 10 weeks premature, suffering has seemed to be the theme. But in the suffering it helps me take the focus off of what really didn't matter in life and put my focus on what really mattered. Before the suffering, I was more worried about what my clothes and my hair look liked, instead of worrying about what my faith looked like. I was more concerned about other's approval then I was about my Lord's approval. Suffering helped me refocus on what was and still is very important in my life; faith, family and friends.
2. Worshipping in suffering protects us from using suffering as an excuse for sin.
There have been many times during my times of suffering when I just said to the Lord, "I am done". I wanted to go out and do activities that I knew were wrong,I felt like I deserved to be a little bit bad because of all the "badness" that was occurring in my life. Thankfully I had a strong support system that brought me to my senses and told me that if I did those activities, I was just going to feel worse not better!
3. Worshipping in suffering takes the focus off the suffering and places the focus on Christ. It helps us forget what is wrong with ME and focuses on what is right with THEE (God).
A friend of mine gave me one of my most favorite quotes about dealing with sufffering and sadness. She said Abbey, "Life is hard, God is good, don't get the two confused!" I have come to realize that statement is so very true. Life is hard, but God is so very good. Do we as children of God, always go through good stuff and not bad, no. But through in every step we see that God is good and faithful.
4. Worshipping in suffering is an amazing testimony to those around you.
After the death of my nephew, I will never forget my brother telling me of all the people that were calling, encouraging and praying for him and my sister in law. One of his friends from high school who had been away from the Lord for many years, in seeing the strength of my brother's faith turned back to the Lord. In my own life, I have had friends tell me that they had not prayed in years, but when they heard about my daughter being born so early and so little, they prayed. That is what it is all about! As Christians our goal is to bring glory and other people to God, even it means that we have to suffer in the process.
5. Worshipping in the midst of suffering reveals God's faithfulness.
I can definitely vouch for the fact that of God's faithfulness. When my daughter was born 10 weeks early an spend 8 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), I experienced God's amazing faithfulness. One occasion in particular energized my faith like nothing I have ever experienced. While my daughter was in the NICU the doctors did a battery of tests to get a base line for the care they would be giving her. One test they gave her was to test and see if she has Cystic Fibrosis. The test came back positive, but the doctor said they were going to redo it just to confirm. At that moment, I broke down. I went crying to my car and sent out a massive text to my friends and family and asked them to stop what they were doing an pray! The next day the doctor came back in my daughter's room and told me that they had redone the test and my daughter did not have Cystic Fibrosis. God truely did a miracle in not only in my daughter's life but in the life of many people who observed the miracle. I am so very thankful that God chose to do show me His faithfulness in such a great way.
So in closing be encouraged to worship in your suffering. As Paul states, in Romans 8:18"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Suffering stinks, but through it God molds and refines us, others are encouraged in their faith and through it we learn to worship God in a whole new way!
Let's all admit that suffering stinks. Whether you are suffering from your first broken heart in the 9th grade, failing a class, loss of a job, loss of a child, infertility, depression, divorce, suffering is no fun. Just because you are a Christian doesn't mean enduring suffering isn't hard. In many cases as Christians we have a distorted faith about God. We believe that if we do good things then God will give us good things but if we have bad things happen in our lives it must mean with have or are commiting some great sin. All of this untrue! For proof that this believe is untrue just look at the like of Job. (You can read about the life of Job in the Old Testament book of Job). Many times God allows suffering in our lives to happen, because God desires to deepen our faith or to get out of our lives some things that should not be there. Other times, suffering happens just because we live in a sinful, fallen world, with sinful fallen people. So how and why should you worship, serve and love God when you are suffering? That question was answered for me not only in this Sunday's sermon, but also through personal heartache.
1. Worshipping in the midst of suffering reminds us what is important.
Since 2004 my family has endured some not so fun suffering. From the death of my precious nephew at birth in 2004, to myself and some of my other family members struggle with infertility, to my own daughter being born 10 weeks premature, suffering has seemed to be the theme. But in the suffering it helps me take the focus off of what really didn't matter in life and put my focus on what really mattered. Before the suffering, I was more worried about what my clothes and my hair look liked, instead of worrying about what my faith looked like. I was more concerned about other's approval then I was about my Lord's approval. Suffering helped me refocus on what was and still is very important in my life; faith, family and friends.
2. Worshipping in suffering protects us from using suffering as an excuse for sin.
There have been many times during my times of suffering when I just said to the Lord, "I am done". I wanted to go out and do activities that I knew were wrong,I felt like I deserved to be a little bit bad because of all the "badness" that was occurring in my life. Thankfully I had a strong support system that brought me to my senses and told me that if I did those activities, I was just going to feel worse not better!
3. Worshipping in suffering takes the focus off the suffering and places the focus on Christ. It helps us forget what is wrong with ME and focuses on what is right with THEE (God).
A friend of mine gave me one of my most favorite quotes about dealing with sufffering and sadness. She said Abbey, "Life is hard, God is good, don't get the two confused!" I have come to realize that statement is so very true. Life is hard, but God is so very good. Do we as children of God, always go through good stuff and not bad, no. But through in every step we see that God is good and faithful.
4. Worshipping in suffering is an amazing testimony to those around you.
After the death of my nephew, I will never forget my brother telling me of all the people that were calling, encouraging and praying for him and my sister in law. One of his friends from high school who had been away from the Lord for many years, in seeing the strength of my brother's faith turned back to the Lord. In my own life, I have had friends tell me that they had not prayed in years, but when they heard about my daughter being born so early and so little, they prayed. That is what it is all about! As Christians our goal is to bring glory and other people to God, even it means that we have to suffer in the process.
5. Worshipping in the midst of suffering reveals God's faithfulness.
I can definitely vouch for the fact that of God's faithfulness. When my daughter was born 10 weeks early an spend 8 weeks in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), I experienced God's amazing faithfulness. One occasion in particular energized my faith like nothing I have ever experienced. While my daughter was in the NICU the doctors did a battery of tests to get a base line for the care they would be giving her. One test they gave her was to test and see if she has Cystic Fibrosis. The test came back positive, but the doctor said they were going to redo it just to confirm. At that moment, I broke down. I went crying to my car and sent out a massive text to my friends and family and asked them to stop what they were doing an pray! The next day the doctor came back in my daughter's room and told me that they had redone the test and my daughter did not have Cystic Fibrosis. God truely did a miracle in not only in my daughter's life but in the life of many people who observed the miracle. I am so very thankful that God chose to do show me His faithfulness in such a great way.
So in closing be encouraged to worship in your suffering. As Paul states, in Romans 8:18"For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us." Suffering stinks, but through it God molds and refines us, others are encouraged in their faith and through it we learn to worship God in a whole new way!
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