The Practicality Of Love

Text: 1 Corinthians 13; John 15:13; Isaiah 53:1-12

Mr. James Dillingham ("Young Jim") and his wife, Della, are a couple living in a modest apartment. They have only two possessions between them in which they take pride: Della's beautiful long, flowing hair, almost to her knees, and Jim's shiny gold watch, which had belonged to his father and grandfather.

On Christmas Eve, with only $1.87 in hand, and desperate to find a gift for Jim, Della sells her hair for $20 to a nearby hairdresser named Madame Sofronie, and eventually finds a platinum pocket watch fob chain for Jim's watch for $21. Satisfied with the perfect gift for Jim, Della runs home and begins to prepare pork chops for dinner.

At 7 o'clock, Della sits at a table near the door, waiting for Jim to come home. Unusually late, Jim walks in and immediately stops short at the sight of Della, who had previously prayed that she was still pretty to Jim.

Della then admits to Jim that she sold her hair to buy him his present. Jim gives Della her present – an assortment of expensive hair accessories (referred to as “The Combs”), useless now that her hair is short. Della then shows Jim the chain she bought for him, to which Jim says he sold his watch to get the money to buy her combs.

Although Jim and Della are now left with gifts that neither one can use, they realize how far they are willing to go to show their love for each other, and how priceless their love really is.

This evergreen story by William Sydney Porter in “The Gift of the Magi” holds the fact that nothing beats the practicality and power of love. Love that’s genuine, unprejudiced and undiluted is beautiful and knows no bound. Such did our Lord Jesus evinced at the Cross of Calvary.

Though, Jim and Della displayed love that “bears all things and seeks not her own”, the love of Christ surpasses it all. He gave His life that we might be saved while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). “He was bruised for our iniquities; He carried our sorrows, He was despised and we esteemed Him not” (Isaiah 53:3).

Love is only meaningful when not in words but in deed and truth (1 John 3:18). “And now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13).

*** Story from “The Gift of the Magi” by William Sydney Porter ***

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Plan B

Text: Romans 8:28

Words spoken at the end of one’s life have a special value attacked to them. A person can look back at his or her life and see what really matters and what doesn’t. Last words mean something because they are filled with thoughts and beliefs that come from a lifetime of experiencing the best and worst that life has to offer.

It is an honor to listen to an elderly person reminisce about days gone by. Proverbs 16:31 says, “The silver-haired head is a crown of glory.” People who are in their latter years have experienced fully the journey of life and they know what they’re talking about. It would be wise for all of us to listen carefully to whatever it is they have to say.

The Bible is also filled with meaningful last words spoken by people toward the end of their lives on planet earth. Before He ascended on high Jesus expressed His desire for all men to be saved. 2 Timothy is the final letter written by Paul before his death and it will encourage you greatly as you hear him pour his heart out to his ever loyal friend and companion. Samson, with his eyes gouged out and his hands resting upon two pillars, made his only recorded faith confession just moments before his greatest victory and his own death. Joshua records in the final chapter of his own book these famous last words, “Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh. 24:15). What a powerful way to close out the story of one’s life.

There are many others, of course, but I want to focus on some of the last recorded words spoken by people in all of scripture. After the death of his father, Joseph tearfully listened to his older brothers as they pled for their very lives. They cried out and said it was their father’s final wish that they be not put to death for selling their younger brother into slavery many years before. Knowing they deserved the full fury of Joseph’s wrath and expecting it to be put upon them, they went and fell down before him offering their total selves to whatever he commanded.

How shocked they must have been as they heard the warm hearted Joseph speak these words, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now, therefore, do not be afraid. I will care for you and your little ones” (Gen. 50:19-21).

The message Joseph was conveying is that when things go wrong, when plans get interrupted, if you will put your trust in God there is always hope and the assurance that your God-given dream will come to pass.

These words have special meaning to me because like Joseph, I too am a dreamer. I dream and through much prayer and meditation I do that which is necessary on my part to help bring those dreams into manifestation. That which I cannot do I leave in the hands of the Lord. Because there is an enemy arrayed against us, a truth all believers must face is that our plans rarely unfold before us as we originally thought they would.

How many times do we set goals and make plans only to have something beyond our control interrupt them? More than once this happened in the life of the apostle Paul. He writes in Romans 1:13a, “Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you but was hindered until now…” He says in 1 Thessalonians 2:18, “Therefore we wanted to come to you - even I, Paul, time and again - but Satan hindered us.”

Did you catch that? Time and again - over and over and over - Paul had his plans interrupted. This was also true in the life of Jesus. Look how many times angry mobs of people drove Him from their presence. He wanted to teach these people and heal them, but His plans were interrupted. The reality of it all is that if we are to grow up and be mature in the things of the Lord then we must be ready and prepared for our plans to be interrupted and we must know what to do about it when they are.

Scripture teaches us that when plans get interrupted one must make the most of what’s left over. Always have a Plan B and a Plan C and a Plan D. God can do as much with a Plan B as He can with a Plan A. Look at what happened to Paul. We read where he was hindered from going to Rome. That was Plan A. He then moved on to Plan B and wrote these people a letter that we know today as the book of Romans. What the enemy meant for evil God meant for good. If the enemy hinders you from fulfilling Plan A as he did with the apostle Paul, then get in the Spirit and let God help you make the most of Plan B.

By all means, always seek the Lord in everything you do and never, ever stop making plans. The Word says in Proverbs 16:9, “A man’s heart plans his way but the Lord directs His steps.” How can the Lord direct your steps if you have no plans? Wisdom will always dictate that you should never get so wrapped up in Plan A that you don’t make a Plan B. Always make sure you’ve got a spare tire in the trunk of your car.

God never intended for Adam and Eve to sin but knowing they would, He had a backup plan. His name was Jesus! Israel had the evil King Saul as their Plan A for a king, but out in some field tending sheep was God’s Plan B, the great King David. Always have more than one plan and don’t get discouraged if your main plan gets interrupted because it probably will. When it does, give it to God and put all your effort into plan B.

This does not mean you’ve failed. What it probably means is that at this particular time God can do more with Plan B than He can with Plan A. More than likely Plan B will be fulfilled first and then Plan C and somewhere down the road Plan A will sneak up on you and will also get fulfilled. Never give up on Plan A but do not be afraid to lay it aside and go on to Plan B. Trust God for guidance and when the time is right the manifestation of Plan A will find its way into your life.

Paul's letter to the Romans was written at the end of his third missionary journey but at the conclusion of his fourth and final journey he did, indeed, end up in Rome. Paul’s Plan A did eventually get fulfilled and from a Roman prison cell came some of his most inspired writings. All things worked out for the good. Plan B got fulfilled and in time so did Plan A.

A lesson to be learned here is, rarely in life does Plan A get fulfilled first. The key to receiving its eventual fulfillment is to have the strength and maturity to lay it aside and move on to Plan B. Do not doubt or get discouraged. Take the same faith and spiritual energy you had for Plan A and use it instead on Plan B. For sure, when you trust God, He will see to it that all your plans get fulfilled. It worked for Joseph, it worked for Paul, and it will work for you and me.

*** Written by Randall J. Brewer ***

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From The Dust To The Throne

Text: Mark 1:34; Psalm 103:2-3; 40:2; 145:14

He lifts up the poor, from the dust to the throne

He gathers the needy, and calls them his own

He heals the sick, and makes the dumb speak

He lifts up the shabby, and makes him a king

From poverty to riches, from the muds to a gold

From a scrap to a diamond, of values untold

From a commoner, to the palace, forever to sing

He lifts up the shabby, and makes him a king

From rejection to celebration, from nothing to something

From tears to cheers, of joys unspeakable

From pains to gains, as the blessed comes rejoicing

He lifts up the shabby, and makes him a king

From bondage to freedom, from darkness to light

He takes away all sorrows, all worries and strife

A husband to widows, to sinners a friend

He lifts up the shabby, and makes him a king

He cleanses our hearts, from all the filths of sin

And makes it pure, whiter than snow

From a polluted mortal, without and within

He lifts up the shabby, and makes him a king

He gives us a hope, for a Kingdom of light

The abode of the Father, spirit and the son

Blessed trinity, the three who lives as one

He lifts up the shabby, and makes him a king

He lifts up the poor, from the dust to the throne

He gathers the needy, and calls them his own

He heals the sick, and makes the dumb speak

He lifts up the shabby, and makes him a king

*** Written by Sokari Jerry ©2015 | All copyrights reserved ***

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9 Ways To Break God's Heart - Part 1

Don't break God's heart.

Isn’t it startling to know God Almighty (the Omniscient Creator of the entire universe), like you and I, has a heart and that it can be broken like that of Amanda who caught James, her boyfriend, under lust’s arrest in an impious coitus with her best friend?

Although He is a Spirit being (John 4:24), but God has a heart with emotions. He feels like us – He gets angry (Deuteronomy 6:15, Exodus 32:10); He laughs (Proverbs 1:26); He grieves (Genesis 6:6-7); He is jealous (Deuteronomy 6:15); and of all these features, He loves the most (John 3:16, Isaiah 43:4, Romans 5:8).

All these, however, in no way indicate weakness on the part of God (as in the case of man). He is Almighty and none there is beside Him. He forever remains the same but like us, He has a heart and it can be broken. Though, it can’t be broken to such an extent that He suddenly hibernates and stops being God. It’s different from that.

That’s why God takes the heart and matters of the heart seriously, and He doesn’t take it lightly when someone breaks His by acts of commission or omission. Hence, here are 9 ways I discovered (not limited to these) on how one can break God’s heart but with a warning that you flee from them all or face God’s wrath.

1. Living a life of sin and unrepentance. “…All have sinned and are falling short of the glory of God which God bestows” (Romans 3:23). From the days of Adam and Eve, sin has gained free rein in the life of man and its wage -death- has been unbearable.

Our world is perverse, corrupt and polluted. In the midst of a crooked and wicked generation, darkness and all forms of immorality rule. Entropy is the day’s order and our institutions - families, schools, churches, and the society at large are the victims.

Sodomy as in the days of Sodom and Gomorrah has returned. There is evil in high places, murder, assassinations, rape, drunkenness, lewdness, envy, strife, malice, infidelity, homosexuality and lesbianism, absurdity, greed, deceit, etc. and all these only draw the wrath and indignation of God.

Yet, like the rebellious Israelites of old (Ezekiel 2:3-8), the world fails to repent and forsake its sinful ways. People fail to “honour and glorify God…instead, they become futile and godless in their thinking… Though they are fully aware of God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve to die, they not only do them themselves but approve and applaud others who practise them.” (Romans 1:18-32). And it breaks the heart of God to see such ungodliness in the world.

2. Searing your heart. “The grace of God has appeared for the deliverance from sin and the eternal salvation for all mankind. It has trained us to reject and renounce all ungodliness and worldly desires, to live discreet, upright, devout lives in this present world…” (Titus 2:11-12), but we still have some who ignore and repel the good news (Gospel) of Christ, God’s power working unto salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1:16).

Such people as stated in 2 Timothy 4 are those who will not tolerate sound instruction (doctrine), but having ears itchy… and will turn aside from hearing the truth and wander off into myths and man-made fictions. They have seared their hearts and won’t forsake devil’s bait. Their end is hell and this breaks God’s heart too.

3. Religious but not righteous. These are the Scribes and the Pharisees that the Bible talks about. Sadly, they exit till date and go about bringing ridicule to the body of Christ.

They don’t miss Bible studies; they are the first to come to church on Sundays to help clean the pews; they are never absent in vigils; Always ready for evangelism and stand in the fore front of promoting denominational doctrines. However, no ounce of righteousness is in their veins and blood.

The ‘Timothy’ you see in the church is a thief outside; a Christian on Sunday but a criminal on Monday; a pastor to the congregation but a pagan in his village; a saint he or she may appear but a subtle sinner within. They are religious but not righteous. The Lord identifies with righteousness and even stated that “the righteous shall live by faith” (Roman 1:17; Galatians 3:11) and to behold religiousness without righteousness sickens the Lord. Thus, it breaks His heart.

4. Preaching but don’t practicing. This is similar to point three in a way but with few distinctions. It still speaks of the so called believers who are deceivers of themselves and others; Christians that are strangers to Christ; holding a form of piety but are strangers to the power of it (2 Timothy 3:5).

The Gospel according to Matthew 23 reveals even better their guiles and wiles. “Observe and practice all they tell you; but do not do what they do, for they preach but do not practice (Matthew 23:3).  Some are cowardly enough to say to their followers: “do as I say but don’t do as I do”. And you wonder when such people claim to be truly born again?

5. Craving to fit in. I have heard people say countless of times that ‘if you are not informed, you will be deformed’. There is, however, an element of sense in this statement but sadly enough, most people misconstrue it for wading with the flow and copycatting the throng in doing irrational things.

Here do you have our lads sagging; ladies on spaghetti and bikinis openly without an iota of decency and feminine pride; invention of naked fashion as seen by contemporary celebrities (especially in the entertainment sphere) whom our teens forlornly take as role models; and all sorts of decadence and profligacies nameless to mention.

Our generation is bedeviled by all of these as God watches from heaven daily and grieves in His heart that man could stoop as low as mere animals in conduct and behaviours regarding appearance and lifestyle.

*** Please click: "HERE" to read '9 Ways to Break God's Heart 2' ***

*** Written by Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

Thanks for reading. Feel free to share, leave your reactions, replies, suggestions and comments. We would love to hear from you.

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Have You Been To Jesus?

Text: Matthew 26:28; Romans 5:9; Colossians 1:20

Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you fully trusting in His grace this hour?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you washed ... in the blood,

In the soul-cleansing blood of the Lamb?

Are your garments spotless? Are they white as snow?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Are you walking daily by the Saviour's side?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Do you rest each moment in the Crucified?

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

When the Bridegroom cometh will your robes be white?

Pure and white in the blood of the Lamb?

Will your soul be ready for the mansions bright,

Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?

Lay aside the garments that are stained with sin,

And be washed in the blood of the Lamb;

There's a fountain flowing for the soul unclean,

Oh be washed in the blood of the Lamb

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Plans Interrupted

Text: Psalm 143:1-12; 1 Corinthians 10:13

Life is like a road map. The plans we make to fulfill God’s purpose in our lives can be compared to the highways we take to reach a certain destination. Sometimes there are roadblocks and detours on these roads and signs are posted pointing the driver in another direction. Granted, the roads on the detour are not as well kept and maintained as the main highway and in truth, it can be a pretty rough ride. It is a fact of life that we all have to travel on this road, some more than others, and wisdom would dictate that we be prepared and know what to do when we encounter life’s detours.

So here we are going down life’s highway and for the moment everything is nice and smooth. Suddenly, without warning, our plans get interrupted and we are jerked onto a secondary, bumpy road that is full of crumbling blacktop, gravel, and potholes. We have no idea where we are or what lies ahead. We are in unfamiliar territory and we know not what to do.

On some detours the signs are far and few in between and you are tempted to wonder if you’ve missed the arrow sign somewhere behind you. Your mind is cloudy and you don’t know what to do or where to turn. You don’t have time to take out a calculator and figure things out and you can’t stop and pray for two hours. What happens next all depends on what’s inside of you.

The key to reaching your destination is to be mature when you come upon that detour sign. There is a time frame between this moment and the time you emerge back onto the main highway. It is during this detour when all the forces of the enemy seem to lash out against you. You need help and Psalm 89:19 says that God gives help to one who is mighty!

If you are mature you will trust God with all your heart and lean not on your understanding and if not you’ll probably panic. Let’s look now at some verses from Psalm 143, a prayer David wrote when his plans got interrupted. Twice David seems to start to panic but quickly overcomes this with trust in his Lord.

Verses 1a, 3, 4 says: “Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications.” Notice this is plural. He had more than one request. Don’t we all? “For the enemy has persecuted my soul; he has crushed my life to the ground; he has made me dwell in darkness like those who have long been dead. Therefore my spirit is overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is distressed.”

Have you ever had a day like this? For most believers this type of day would be called “normal”. Your plans will probably get interrupted 80-90% of the time and when they do try to follow David’s example here in Psalm 143. His plans got interrupted and the first thing he did was go to God in prayer. His is always a good place to start. Psalm 146:1 says, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” A mature Christian is a praying Christian who knows where his help comes from.

David began his prayer by telling God the situation he was in. Here is a very, very important point. Always be honest with God. Tell Him how you feel. Make known what’s on your heart. What some people call “faith” God calls “lying.” Be real! If you’re hurting, tell Him you’re hurting. If you’re mad at Him, tell Him you’re mad at Him. After all, He knows it anyway.

If the enemy has got you down, then be like David and tell God he’s got you down. When a person goes to the doctor he doesn’t say everything is great in an effort to be “spiritual.” No, he tells the doctor what is wrong so he can get the proper treatment. Success is dealing with a situation as it is and not as it’s supposed to be. A mature Christian is a believer who is always honest with himself, with others, and especially with God. Listen to what David says next.

Verse 5: “I remember the days of old; I meditate on all your works; I muse on the work of Your hands.” Most of Satan’s attacks are in the area of the mind for this is where doubt and fear reside. David counters these attacks by focusing on the faithfulness of God in times past. In other words, he took his mind off his problem.

A fact in life is the more you meditate on something the bigger it gets. Your problems seem to get bigger than God if all you do is talk about and meditate on them. That’s a powerful truth. David chose the right move. He meditated on God. All believers must do the same when their plans get interrupted. God’s faithfulness yesterday will cause them to trust Him today and tomorrow.

Verse 7a says: “Answer me speedily, O Lord; my spirit fails!” Once again David gets honest with God and panic appears to be knocking at his door. No place in scripture are we promised an easy life. On the contrary, Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation…” (John 16:33). Many of the storms of life bring with it a sense of desperation where we don’t think we can go on any further unless God intervenes. But in order for Him to do so there is one thing we must do first and David tells us what it is in the following verse.

Verse 8a: “Cause me to hear Your loving kindness in the morning, for in You do I trust…” Here is the key to getting all your problems solved. Wake up trusting God! When your plans get interrupted and you don’t know what to do… trust God! Learn to wake up each morning and begin the day by putting your trust in the God Who created the heavens and the earth.

Verse 8b continues, “Cause me to know the way in which I should walk, for I lift up my soul to you.” When you don’t know what to do, trust God and He’ll show you what to do. Listen to Him. Push your problems aside and get before the Lord. The importance of trust cannot be overemphasized.

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will direct your paths.” A mature Christian is one who puts their trust in God no matter what the circumstances of life may bring.

Psalm 143 was the heart cry of David at a time when his plans got interrupted. Notice that it began with prayer but ended in trust. The importance of prayer is a vital necessity in the life of any believer. However, there comes a time when you have to stop praying and start trusting. Why pray a second time for something you believed you received when you initially prayed? Make your prayer request known and then start trusting the One whose business it is to bring fulfillment to faith-filled prayers.

The surest way to trust God is to have an extensive past history of answered prayer. The more a believer prays with faith and trusts God, the more they will see the manifestation of answered prayer. This in turn will make it easier for the believer to trust God the next time a trial causes their plans to get interrupted.

Let’s face it; very rarely do new problems rise up on the path we travel on. 1 Peter 4:12 says, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you as though some strange thing happened to you.” Most problems are situations that have been faced on more than one occasion in times past. If the problem was conquered then by trusting God, then it can be overcome again with the same trust.

If you’ve done it once, you can do it again. There will come a time when getting problems solved will be second nature to you. You’ll learn with experience to simply cast your care on the Lord and then go about your daily living. You won’t even give your problems a second thought. This is what it means to walk by faith. So trust God today. Your life and your plans depend on it. After all, He is the One who causes interrupted plans to get fulfilled.

*** Written by Randall J. Brewer ***

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Giving Is Godlike

Text: John 3:16; Acts 20:35; Luke 6:38; Galatians 6:9

Shortly after World War II, the saddest sight for American soldiers who were picking up the pieces in ravaged Europe, was that of little orphaned children starving in the streets of those war-torn cities.

One soldier driving along in his jeep spotted a little lad with his nose pressed to the window of a pastry shop. Inside the cook was kneading dough for a fresh batch of doughnuts. The hungry boy stared in silence, watching every move. The soldier pulled his jeep to the curb and got out to slip over to the boy's side. Through the steamed-up window he could see the mouth-watering morsels as they were being pulled from the oven, piping hot. The boy salivated and released a slight groan.

The soldier's heart went out to the orphan. "Son . . . would you like some of those?"

The boy was startled. "Oh, yes, would I!"

The American stepped into the shop, bought a dozen, put them in a bag and walked back to where the lad was standing in the foggy cold of the London morning. He smiled, held out the bag, and said simply: "Here you are."

As he turned to walk away, he felt a tug on his coat. The soldier looked back and heard the child ask quietly:

"Mister . . . are you God?"

We are never more like God than when we give.

*** Written by Chuck Swindoll | www.insight.org ***

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Rejoicing In Suffering

Text: Romans 5:3-10; 8:18

Key Verse: “Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV)

It is clear from this that Christians are expected to experience suffering. Those who think that becoming a Christian will remove them from suffering have been seriously misled, for the Scriptures themselves teach that we are to expect suffering.

The Greek word for suffering is translated as tribulation, something that causes distress. It can range from minor annoyances that we go through every day, to major disasters that come sweeping down out of the blue and leave us stricken and smitten. These are the sufferings that we might go through, the tribulations.

According to Romans 5, the Christian response to suffering is to rejoice: Not only so, but we rejoice in our sufferings. Here is where many people balk. They say, I can't buy that! Do you mean to say that God is telling me that when I am hurting and in pain, I am expected to be glad and rejoice in that? That is not human, not natural!

How do you get to the place where you can rejoice in suffering? The apostle's answer is, We rejoice in suffering because we know... We rejoice because we know something. It isn't just because it's such a great feeling to be hurt, it is because we know something about it. It is something our faith enables us to know, a kind of inside information that others do not share.

What do we know? Paul says, Knowing that suffering produces... Suffering does something, accomplishes something. It is productive. We know it works, and that is what makes us rejoice. Watch a woman in labor. If you have any empathy in you, you can't help but feel deeply hurt with her because she is going through such pain. And yet, there usually is joy in the midst of it because she knows that childbirth produces children. There are many women who will gladly go through childbirth because they want a child. Suffering produces something worthwhile.

Then what does suffering produce? The apostle says there are three things that suffering produces: First, suffering produces perseverance. In some versions the word may be patience. The Greek word literally means to abide under, to stay under the pressure. Pressure is something we want to get out from under, but suffering teaches us to stay under, to stick in there and hang with it. The best translation I can think of is the English word steadiness. Suffering produces steadiness.

Second, steadiness produces character. The Greek word for character carries with it the idea of being put to the test and approved. It is the idea of being shown to be reliable. You finally learn that you are not going to be destroyed, that things will work out. People start counting on you. They see strength in you, and you become a more reliable person.

Third, we find that reliability produces something. Reliability produces hope. The hope is that we will share the glory of God, which is God's character. We have the hope that God is producing the image of Christ in us. This hope is a certainty, not just a possibility. We are being changed. We are becoming more like Jesus. We can see that we are more thoughtful, more compassionate, more loving. We are being mellowed. We are becoming like Christ — stronger, wiser, purer, more patient. He is transforming us into the image of his Son.

*** Culled from Ray Stedman Ministries | www.raystedman.org ***

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Welcome To November: Loopholes

Text: Matthew 11:28-30; James 4:7-10; 1 Peter 5:6-7

From The Truth Media family,

Happy New Month!!!

I searched and searched to find loopholes

Within, without the life I own,

Anger, malice, hate and strife

Had turned my heart into a stone

I felt my greed was justified,

I thought to hurt as well was right;

I failed to see the doom insight,

My soul was weak and dark as night

I lost it all – my joy, my peace

I’d gone too far to go back now;

My days were brief and fraught with pain,

I needed help but knew not how

Then came someone who told me how

A savior from above had come to die

To save mankind, to save my kind:

A slave to sin who lives to sigh

At first I thought it strange a man could die

To save a wretch, a git like me;

In disbelief I mocked the thought

That the savior from above could set me free

My misery grew to deep unrest,

Within fury had gained control;

I’d lost my heart to unknown fears

That soon will death surmount my soul

My days were brief and fraught with pain,

I needed help but knew not how

And then the thought arose again

To meet the Lord and humbly bow

He called my name and held my hands,

He showed me all He did for me:

The Cross, His blood, the scar, His hands;

He gave it all to set me free

I gave my life to Him that day

My chains, my pains and woes were gone;

He gave me joy and peace of mind

My days of groan and grief were done

I know the Lord, I know Jesus

He saved and washed my sins away;

He redeemed me, He rescued me

And leads me through His righteous way

He’s meek, he’s kind and gladly saves

When you in faith yield unto the Lord;

Believe in Him; He won’t fail you

For there’s nothing He can’t afford

Now when I search to find loopholes

Within, without the life I once own;

I see mercy, patience, faith and love

And grace that tells I’m not alone

*** Written by Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

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Lord, Leave Me Alone!

Text: Job 6-7

Key Verse: "Let me alone; my days have no meaning" (Job 7:16b)

Job turns to God and complains about the difficulty of his present experience. He has given up. He thinks he will never see any relief and that he will go on like this to the end. And out of that meaningless suffering and hopeless darkness, he cries out in honest despair.

Have you ever felt that way? Lord, leave me alone. I've had enough! Why are You so intent on making life miserable for me? Why don't You just let me go? Job cries out in baffled bewilderment. Now, even at this point in the book of Job, there are some things that we must constantly remember.

One is that we know something about this scene that Job does not know. We see some purpose in this that he has not yet seen that is also true about the sufferings we go through. In every time of trial there are two purposes in view: Satan has his purpose, and God has His.

Satan's purpose here was to use the pain of Job's illness to afflict his body; to use the priggish, well-intentioned comfort of his friends to irritate his soul; and to use the silence of God to assault his spirit and break his faith. But God's purpose is to teach Job some truths that he never knew before, to deepen his theology and help him understand God much better.

God's truth was to answer Satan in the eyes of all the principalities and powers of the whole universe and to prove him wrong in his philosophy of life. God's purpose was also to provide a demonstration for all sufferers in all the ages that would follow that He knows what He is doing.

What an encouragement to those of us who must go through some times of suffering to understand that it is not always because we are sinful. Sometimes suffering is the result of our sin, and we will know it when it is. But if, like Job, you know of nothing you have done that you have not dealt with and still the suffering goes on, look behind the curtain of God's purposes, and you will see that great and eternal events are hanging upon the outcome of the struggle.

*** Written by Ray Stedman | www.raystedman.org ***

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