Is Anything That Bad?

 

This is not my usual type of blog post. It is something that is on my mind and my heart. Please forgive me if I offend you for this deep soul searching message.

Fear nor, for I am with you; be not dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.” Isaiah 41:10

I received a message via Facebook one Sunday afternoon. A lady who used to go to our church called our office administrator. Her daughter had been found dead.

That Sunday evening, I called a friend from church to clarify something else with her. I found myself expressing concern about the lady that experienced the loss. I was told that the daughter took her own life.

The mother is taking this VERY hard. She does not know what bothered her daughter to the place where she, the daughter, would take her own life.

In my lifetime, I have heard of several people who chose to take this way out. The lingering question of those close to them is “WHY?” In each instance the only answer that makes sense is,”Only God knows for sure.”

God gave us life. He wants us to honor our lives as well as the lives of others.

As we go through life, we sometimes come up against difficulties that seem insurmountable. As teens, our parents told us that they would listen to our concerns and any issues we may have.

In God’s eyes, there is nothing that we experience that is as bad as it looks to us.

This young daughter must have been distraught and was not thinking straight. I wonder, how many other young adults will find themselves so discouraged that they choose the path that this young girl choose?

In today’s world, events look pretty grim. However we all face the same type of issues. My question at the beginning of this post makes me wonder, is anything that bad that a person has to take his/her own life?

As Christians, we need to take the time to truly listen to those around us and guide those who are troubled to someone who is skilled in listening and helping those who need assistance.

What Lacking Self-Control Looks Like

 

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A man without self-control is like a city broken into and left without walls. Proverbs 25: 28 (ESV)

Words of Solomon, the son of David.

Someone without self-control seems to fall for ‘the latest’, what he or she hears from the television or reads in the newspaper. That person is not grounded in faith.

We see this result in our world today with the seeming popularity of “groups” that promote ideas that were unheard of 40, 50, or more years ago.

Carla Gasser, author of The Beauty of An Uncluttered Soul, tells us that a person who practices self-control practices spirit- control. That person lives with the Holy Spirit guiding him or her.

At first, it is not easy to function with the Holy Spirit leading our lives. I believe it gets easier to do as we go practice giving issues to the LORD through our days. Even then, we may have times when the enemy chooses to test our resolve.

We must remember that we serve a LORD who understands the stress when the enemy tempts us. He tempted Jesus and Jesus rebuked him.

My sister-in-law had a friend give her a print-out of a meme that had a special message:

“When the devil knocks at your door, ask Jesus to answer it.”

A Gift of God’s Grace

 

For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, and godly lives in this present age.

Titus 2:11-12 (NIV)

When we turn over our hearts and lives to Jesus, He gives us His Father’s grace to guide us through our lives. We receive salvation and so much more.

We receive the strength to stand against the worldly ungodliness that, from time to time, we have to face. Yes, as I read this scripture believers can say “No” to the worldly things.

The grace of God teaches us that we can manage in this world when we trust in the Holy Spirit to utilize self-control through Him and live lives pleasing to God before our neighbors and those we see where we do business.

I believe it is important that each follower of Jesus must strive to get closer to God and model our beliefs to those around us. However, I do not say this is easy to do. We have to rely on the Holy
Spirit to guide us through the roadblocks that life throws in our way.

Purpose in Season

 

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To everything there is a season. A time for every purpose on earth.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 (NKJV)

God creates our live and gives us many epochs in each life He creates. As a person goes through life, he or she might go through certain stages.

As young adults, we study, we work, date, maybe marry.

As young marrieds, we work, provide for our families and care for our homes.

As parents, we care for, provide for and rear children.

As Empty Nesters, we rediscover favorite pastimes. and even learn new skills.

As Caregivers, we spend time caring for or helping older family members.

As Senior Citizens, we may volunteer for church or civic positions.

Each of these seasons have a purpose. God gives His children duties and tasks to perform. Each ‘season’ has a beginning and an end.

Since two weeks before the COVID lock down, I have had several health issues. It seems like one after another. I sincerely need to pray about finding God’s purpose about how He wants me to spend my days in this season I find myself.

Sometimes, all we can do is seek the LORD’s guidance and follow His leading.

Are any of you going through times like this?

God’s Plan

 

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For I know the thoughts [plans] that I think towards [have for] you,

says the LORD. Thoughts [plans] of peace not evil, to give

you a future and hope. Hebrews 29:11 (NKJV) [NI V]

The words in brackets are how I learned this verse.

The LORD has set in motion a time of exile for the Israelite people. They will be in bondage for 70 years, a life time to a lot of people now. How many generations of Israelite people lived in this bondage during those years?

Yet, God had plans for them. False prophets had misled them. One told the Israelite people the enslavement would last just two years. God took him out two months later.

God’s plans were positive-in the long run. The people had to learn some lessons and learn to respect God.

Recently, I came across the thought that what we see happening in our world today has come about because we have lost respect for God and the lessons we have needed to learn. This thought makes sense to me.

What do you think about this? Does God still have plans for His children? Will His children respond to God in a way that uplifts Him?

Let Your Gentleness Be Known

 

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Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

Philippians 4:5 (NKJV)

As believers, we must not haggle over unimportant details.  One afternoon recently, I had two incidents with a clerk at our CVS store. I had to ask where something was that I could not find. His response was, “Aisle Seven.”

Instead of responing to my query, I felt that he should have accompanied me to the area. That to me is good customer service.

When I checked out, I had two coupons, one of which did not get applied to my bill. I was not in the best frame of mind when I left the store. I did not know that the second coupon was not applied until I had returned home and checked my receipt.

I decided how to handle my response on this. This is not the first time I have had issues with his service.

Then, I read this scripture. I do have some work to do on this gentleness issue. When I was asked to evaluate the service I received (online), I gave the store middle valued response. When I had to evaluate the person who checked me out, I gave that person low markings.

My reasoning for the action I took was as follows:

# I am a senior citizen, in my late 70s. If a person working in a store treats a senior citizen badly, it reflects on the store. I have seen people in the business world help and guide an elderly person through the process he or she has to go through to complete their transactions or even to find what they are looking for.

# I walk with a cane, it is sometimes hard for me to get around. When I have to hunt for the location of a product, I get frustrated when I have looked and still can’t find it.

As I said above, I do have some work to do on this gentleness issue.

Patience and Gentleness

 

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By long forbearance a ruler is persuaded, and a gentle tongue breaks a bone.

Proverbs 25:15 (NKJV)

Moses listened to the Lord and patiently awaited the day that Pharaoh would finally let the Israelite people depart Egypt and head to the land God had promised them.

Hannah exercised patience and faith as she awaited receiving her first-born son, Samuel. Hannah also practiced gentleness, although it was difficult, as she endured the taunts from Peninnah.

When we have stress-causing circumstances in our lives, we have to practice patience and, yes, gentleness in our daily lives. We may have to spend more time with God, as he gently whispers words of comfort, healing and love into our ears as we face overwhelming circumstances in our lives.

When we hear things from others that upset us, we need to apply the rule that our mothers said, “If you can’t say anything nice, say nothing at all.” This was a rule that a lot of us senior citizens heard from early on in our growing-up years. It is a pity that this rule seemed to fall by the wayside during the last half-century

Can we begin teaching this “rule” to children of these times?

Bear with one Another in Love

 

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I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit, in the bond of peace.

Ephesians 4:1-3(NKJV)

Words of Paul written to Ephesian believers.

walk worthy of the calling

He encouraged them to live in a way that reflected God to others. He goes into detail as to how that would look. As we read those words, they can also apply to us who live in the 21^st Century.

with all lowliness and gentleness,

As believers in Christ, we must abandon all thought of ourselves as being better than others. We must also respond to each other with tenderness, no matter how others treat us.

bearing with one another in love,

Believers must accept those around us in love and be available for others as we can be. I sometimes find this difficult to do given the mindset of those in the world.

endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit

Paul’s purpose in his ministry was to introduce people to Jesus Christ and then to educate them in the ways of Christ. His goal was to unify those converted to the faith.

in the bond of peace.

Paul tells his readers, then and now that all we should do must have peace as its ultimate aim. I have had times when someone in the business world has been almost rude in response to a question I asked. In one instance, the woman could have explained their position better than she did.

Do you find it difficult to bear  certain people in your life?

We Must be Faithful

 

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This is a faithful saying:

For if we died with Him,

We shall also live with Him.

If we endure,

We shall also reign with Him.

If we deny Him,

He will deny us.

If we are faithless,

He remains faithful;

He cannot deny Himself.

2 Timothy 2:11-13 (NKJV)

Paul wrote these words to Timothy. This was his last letter he would write. Paul knew he would die.

Paul gives words of encouragement to Timothy to stay close to God. These words are especially important to followers of Christ today. We see people who followed Christ in their youth go their own ways and get tripped up by the enemy. We have at least two generations that seem to have denied Christ. We must endure for His sake. We must not deny Him. God is faithful; we must be faithful to Him.

Each of us must re-dedicate our lives to live for Jesus, to stand for what He has taught us.

Faith-Our Lifeline

 

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised

is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 (NKJV)

When a person gives his heart to Jesus, he or she becomes a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17). God has forgiven that person for his or her sins. This is basic to the Christian belief.

Each new Christian goes through a time when all things are new and bright. However, certain issues enter the new Christians’ life that can cause them to fall away.

The writer of Hebrews tells us we are to hold fast to that which we experienced when we first met Jesus. We are not to waffle in our beliefs or “sit on the fence” about our faith. We are in the world but not of the world. We have a life-line that we can hold onto when we are faced with issues the world puts in our path.

We can hold fast to our beliefs and our salvation because we have the promises of God.

                              

God’s Goodness

 

Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which you have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence in the presence of the sons of men!

Psalm 31:19 (NKJV)

As children, we learned the table grace, “God is Great, God is good.” Somewhere in the process of growing up, we seem to forget how great God really is.

As we look around our world, we see people take for granted that God loves them and the many ways He provides for us.

When we pray, we need to begin with the words, “Thank You,” or even “Forgive us, Father,” We need to remember that all we have and all we are, we owe to Him and His graciousness.

We learn to trust God and His goodness as we go through the trials and hardships of life here on earth. I don’t need to elaborate on the many trials people to through to you who read this; I am certain that each of you have gone through trials of various sorts.

As I type this essay, I am trusting Him to guide my husband and myself through the day tomorrow as we go for his pro-operative tests for his surgery early in August. This time has been one of learning for me.

We all see things that remind us of God’s goodness to us, His children. In return, we must show His love to the world. We should always remember that He died for our sins Because of that act we will be able to spend eternity with God.

Everlasting Mercy

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For the LORD is good; his mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.

Psalm 100:5 (NJKV)

 

These words come from a Psalm of Thanksgiving. I find comfort in them as I type them. I remember learning this Psalm in the fifth grade.

 

We sing choruses about God’s goodness to us. But do we really understand what we mean? God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are the only truly good persons we know of. They are without sin. God endows His children with His goodness so that they can display that goodness to those who need His love axpalnd kindness.

The goodness God showed to the Biblical heroes He can also show to us. What was truth in those times is still truth today. God never changes. We as a nation and a people need to get back to following God. 

We never realize how merciful God is until we know we have received mercy in a way that we cannot explain any other way. I experienced His mercy in this way several times lately.

God will see us through these difficult times.                             

       We must remember God's goodness to each of us. I trust you will enjoy this song.

What God Requires

 

 

He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to love justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God!  Micah 6:8 (NKJV)

 

God shows us His goodness to us each day. The sun shining through my living room window brings the words, “Thank You, Lord!” to my mind and heart. When I manage to get some good sleep through the night, I try to thank Him for that gift.

 

God shows us His goodness in many ways, ways we often take for granted. What does He expect from us?

 

God expects us to love justly. What does that mean? Could it mean that when we hear of someone doing wrong to another that we are to ask God to deal with this person according to His standard of right and wrong-according to what His justice?

 

The Lord also expects us to love mercy. Could this mean that we are to show mercy to those who have done wrong to us or to others? Showing mercy can be difficult but God expects His children to do it.   

 

He also desires that we “walk humbly” with Him. God wants His children to know that He is perfect and infallible, while we, His children are imperfect and make mistakes.

 

I was reminded of this song as I initially typed this blog entry. I hope you enjoy it.

We Must Give Thanks

 

      

 

For the word of the LORD is right, and all His work is done in truth. He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.            Psalm 33:4-5 (NKJV)

 

The psalmist tells us some wonderful thoughts about our LORD. He writes that His word is always correct; when we follow what he tells us, we will never go astray.

 

He continues by reminding that God works in truth; the Lord will not steer us in the wrong direction. It is up to us to listen to and obey what He tells us.

 

God delights in His children when He sees them living righteously for Him. He also delights in them when they seek justice for others and themselves.

 

The Lord showers goodness down on the earth. He gives us beauty in nature. He provides fresh fruit and vegetables during the summer. He allows us to have people in our lives who are good to us. These people display His goodness to us.

 

For every way the LORD displays His goodness to us, we must give thanks.

 

 

We Must Forgive

 

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Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering, bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another even as Christ forgave you, so you must all so do. Colossians 3:12-13 (NKJV)

 

The Apostle Paul conveys this message to the believers at Colossae. This is basically the same message he gives the Ephesian believers. However, he goes deeper with the meaning of being kind. He writes that we should “put on” these attributes as we dress ourselves for each day.

 

tender mercies

 

If we should have issues with someone, we must approach that issue carefully and speak with tender words. We don’t always realize how we come across when we just blurt out the issue that is on our hearts.

 

 kindness

 

Even when we have issues with another person, we should approach that person with kind words because we don’t know what they might be going through in their personal lives.

 

 humility

 

We should always remember that each of us is no better or no worse than other people. God made us all. He allows each of us to have experiences and circumstances that allow us to grow. We should learn to practice humility in all our interactions with others.

 

 meekness

 

As people of Christ, we should learn to take the gentle path when dealing with people. We must realize that we are imperfect beings.

 

 longsuffering

 

I love this word. It is an old English word that means “patience”. We must have patience in this world as we deal with others. I walk with a cane. It takes me a while to go from “point A” to “point B”. I appreciate those who cross my path when I am shopping and they either wait as I get past them or help me by holding a door open for me. With all the upheaval going on in our nation, we all could benefit from having some more patience.

 

 bearing with one another

 

Sometimes, we become aware of the need those who are hurting have. We can do this through praying for them and their need. Maybe we can do something more practical. Taking someone to the doctor or to the ER, going to the grocery store for them. Our church has a food pantry that is open twice a month. This is a ministry that has grown over the years.

 

 forgiving one another

 

To get beyond hurts, we have to forgive each other. Someone once asked me to forgive her but then said, “But, I didn’t do anything.” The only way I could forgive her was to ask God to do it for me.

 

Forgiveness from God wipes away the record that He has on us. When we ask forgiveness from another person, we attempt to clear the air between that person and ourselves. 

Be Kind

 

 

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 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. Ephesians 4:32 (NKJV)

 

The Apostle Paul penned these words to the believers at Ephesus.The first time I read this, I was stopped in my thinking.

 

 and be kind to one another,

 

How can we be kind to other people? We can open doors for those who are around us as we enter or leave a business establishment. We can offer to help someone who is ill and can’t get out to get food and medicine.

 

tenderhearted

 

We should always remember the “Golden Rule”:

Do to others as you would have others do to you. (Matthew 7:12) Simply stated, we are to treat others as we would like to be treated.  

 

forgiving one another

 

 Forgiving can be difficult. When we can’t do it, we may have to ask God to forgive someone for us.

 

even as God in Christ forgave you.

 

These words caught me up that first time I read them. Do we forget that God forgave us when He entered our hearts, to live with us forever?

 

We have a responsibility to represent the LORD to those around us, our families, our neighbors, those we meet in the marketplace, and those who are healthcare workers. We can only follow through with this commission by learning to forgive those who cause us to hurt.

 

Patient in Tribulation

 

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Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another, not lagging in diligence to one another, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer. Romans 12:10-12 (NJKV)

 

 Paul writes to the believers at Rome. He also speaks directly to me.

 

 Be kindly affectionate - Speak well to and of those around us. Let them know that we care.

 

with brotherly love Love those around us as we would a sibling or another family member.

 

 in honor giving preference to one another Put another’s wishes, if possible, ahead of yours.

 

 not lagging in diligence, We are to serve the Lord fervently. “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” (Colossians 3:23, NIV)

 

 Fervent in spirit, serving the Lord

We are to be aglow with enthusiasm for God. Some people say we should be “on fire” as we work for God and work for Him.

  

 rejoicing in hope responding to news and stimuli with our eyes toward Jesus as He works to fix whatever is wrong.

 

patient in tribulation We sometimes must wait on the Lord to act in harsh circumstances of our lives.

 

 continuing steadfastly on prayer We can never forget the power of prayer. God answers our pleas to Him by doing what is best for the circumstance.  

 

PLEASE NOTE: These thoughts are to help me as much as to help you.

Bearing with One Another

 

 

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering (patience), bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

                                                                                                                Ephesians 4:1-3 (NKJV)

 

Words of Paul to the believers in Ephesus.

 

Paul tells us that they and subsequent believers should live humble and gentle lives. Believers are to be patient and should bear one another’s differences in love. While endeavoring to keep the unity of the Holy Spirit through the bond of peace.

 

There are times in our lives that we must realize that there are those prone to say or do things that do not represent godly thought, speech, or behavior. They may say they are Christians, but their behavior tells otherwise. It is possible that they might not realize what they are saying or doing is wrong in God’s eyes and does not represent Him.

 

According to what Paul tells us here, it is our duty to be patient,

12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; 13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do. 14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.

Colossians 3:12-14 (NKJV)

God’s Patience

 

 

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering (patient) toward us, not willing that anyone should perish but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV)

 

I sometimes have mixed emotions about God’s patience. At times, I want Him to act on my requests right then. Other times, I know that the person for whom I am praying might not be ready to receive the healing, or the change in his or her life.

 

God, in His wisdom, sees habits and conditions in our lives and the lives of others that cause Him to wait and gently lead those for whom we pray to the place they need to be.

 

A friend of mine shared with me something that happened to one of her family members. She and I had been praying for him about some needs he has.  It was a wake-up call for that relative; my friend called it sort of an answer to prayer.

 

God uses what He can to allow people to see their need and adjust their lives to be used by Him.  God must do this in His own time and His own way. We must learn to be patient and let Him work out the problems because His way is best.

 

Trusting in Him Yields Peace

 

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You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Isaiah 26:3 (NKJV)

 

I find these words comforting. They convey the core message of our search for peace.

We will find peace when we keep our focus, our eyes, on God.

 

In this world, something always presents itself before us that tries to cause worry and heartache.

 

We have God who loves us and desires the best outcome for our lives. When we look to Him when we have those issues enter our lives, He is there to bring comfort to us.

 

One of the hymns, I learned as a young adult speaks clearly to me as I compose these thoughts.

 

 Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus

O soul are you weary and troubled

No light in the darkness you see

There's light for a look at the Savior

And life more abundant and free

Chorus:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in his wonderful face

And the things of earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of his glory and grace

 

His word shall not fail you he promised

Believe him and all will be well

Then go to a world that is dying

His perfect salvation to tell

Chorus: *

 

 

Each of us must practice looking to Jesus for guidance, direction, and Peace

 

*Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus lyrics © Integrity Worship Music, Integrity's Hosanna! Music, Lead worship Songs, All Essential Music, Nth Degree Songs, New Spring Publishing Inc., Mercy/vineyard Publishing