We Are Not Alone ~ Psalm 34:1-7

I will extol the Lord at all times;
    his praise will always be on my lips.

 

 I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
 Glorify the Lord with me;
let us exalt his name together.

Psalm 34:1-3

 

We are in this together.

 

Life is not meant to be lived in a silo. We are intended to be in relationship with others. God created us for relationship: first with Him and second with each other.

 

God's love for us is so great that it extends beyond simply giving us what we need to survive (food, water, shelter). He has given us connection, support, love and fellowship.

 

In our relationships we have the ability to help each other celebrate successes, conquer fears and survive tragedy. 

 

We have the tremendous gift of being able to empathize with the ones God has put into our lives. God allows us to bridge the gap - to help our friends and family members experience His love through us. And He allows us the wonderful blessing of experiencing His love through our family and friends.

 

 We are not alone.

 

Yes, we each always have God with us.

But, we also have the joy of having others in our lives.

 

We are in this together.

 

Scripture

Psalm 34:1-7

 

Quote

A friend is one of the nicest things you can have, and one of the best things you can be.

 ~Douglas Pagels

 

Question

 

What friend or family member are you most thankful God has placed in your life?

 

Don't forget :

Super Ball Collection for the Russian Orphanage

 

GUMY is a joint session this Sunday 5PM ALL Ages

 

Being Thankful & Loving in the Midst of Chaos

 

yet I will rejoice in the Lord,
    I will be joyful in God my Savior.

Habukkuk 3:18

 

God loves you.

God loves me.

 

These are universal truths.

 

In this world we will have trouble.

Life isn't perfect.

 

These are also universal truths.

 

How can we reconcile a God who clearly loves us - breathes life into each of us - and a world as broken and chaotic as the one in which we live?

 

I can't.

Maybe you can, but I can't.

 

This is a crazy world filled with hatred, gossip, lies, innuendo, wars, and all manner of unspeakable things.

 

And yet, this is also a world filled with compassion, joy, love, beauty, enduring faith, hope, laughter, and some measures of peace.

 

So how do we reconcile the good of this world with the bad?

 

We don't.

 

God called us to love each other (John 13:34). He didn't call us to fix the world or to judge its failures. He called us to love.

 

We are called to love in the midst of hatred and pain.

We are called to love in the midst of joy and celebration.

We are called to love in all circumstances.

And by keeping that love paramount we will be able to praise and thank God in all aspects of our lives: the good, the bad and the ugly.

 

I can't reconcile all of the crazy ups and downs of this world - and that's okay. I am not supposed to figure it all out. Neither are you.

 

We are called to love all and to praise and thank God continually.

While we work toward that mode of continual thanksgiving we will find that "making sense of it all" is less important, because loving all will become central - key to having peace in the middle of a war ravaged world.

 

Most of what happens in the world doesn't make sense.

But we are called not to make the world fit into our understanding, but rather to allow God to transform us to His.

The first step in the transformation process is choosing to love first, praising God through our love.

 

Scripture

Habukkuk 3:16-19

 

Quote

I will thank God for the day and the moment I have.

Jim Valvano

 

Question

 

How can you thank God in the midst of your trials today?

 

Being a Tree Firmly Rooted - Jude 17-24

 

 

"...keep yourselves in God’s love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt"

Jude 21-22

 

Do you ever doubt?

 

Do you ever have anyone in your life who makes you question what you believe or why you believe it?

 

As Christians, we are challenged daily with outside influences. We face the task of trying to filter out the ungodly and the evil from the godly and the good. And the task sounds simple when it is labeled - "good versus evil" but life is rarely that straight forward.

 

In this world - whether you live in the United States, Europe, Brazil, Vietnam, Liberia, Australia, Canada or even a remote island without electricity - temptations and compromises abound. And often, it can be difficult to discern what is the Jesus choice and what is the earthly choice.

 

Through out your life - and maybe even today - your faith will be challenged. Beliefs you hold tightly as truth will be shaken by the influences of those you trust and love. This will happen. It has happened to me and it will happen to you. And it will continue to happen through out your life. This challenge is part of being in this world. Our decision to hold on to what we know is true and right is part of our willingness to not be of this world.

 

Think of a tree.

When a tree is newly planted, the arborist supports the tree with rods and string to ensure that it begins to grow straight and develop a root system. Soon the tree has the support removed and it is allowed to begin growing on its own. But if a thunderstorm with wind passes through - that little tree will likely be toppled because the roots he has started are not deep enough to withstand the storm and he no longer has his outside support system to keep him upright.

Now imagine a tree that is 20 years old.

If the same storm passed by, the tree might bend  and loose a few leaves, but because his root system is deep there is no danger of him being uprooted by the storm.

 

We are the same as the trees. We need a deeply rooted faith to withstand the challenges of this life.  And we, like that new little tree, often need a support system to help us grow and to keep us from toppling in the storm.

 

As others challenge your beliefs - and you hold onto your faith and your relationship with Jesus - your goal (and my goal) is to try and share the love of God with the challenger. We are called to love everyone - even those who are trying to undermine the belief structure which is the very foundation of our lives. This is true mercy. And the way only you and I will be able to successfully hold fast to our faith while sharing that faith with the opposition is to be firmly rooted in our relationships with God.

 

With God's grace put love first in all of your relationships.

 Love helps those roots grow deep.

And love will help you weather any storm.

 

Scripture

Jude 17-24

 

Quote

 

A little faith will bring your soul to heaven, but a lot of faith will bring heaven to your soul.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

 

Question

 

How can you help your roots to grow deeper in your faith?

No More Tears - Revelation 21

‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

Revelation 21:4

The slogan for Johnson & Johnson baby shampoo is quite simply "No More Tears".

In those three little words they make the pledge that their shampoo is safe for little ones' eyes and that mom and dad shouldn't fear using their product.

That's A LOT of pressure for one bottle of shampoo.

But we have a promise - a promise from Jesus and confirmed in John's Revelation - that one day there will be no more tears.

I find it hard to imagine what that day will be like... 

A day when wars will cease to exist and petty disagreements will dissipate like fog with the rising of the sun.

A day when sickness will be eradicated and hunger will no longer be an issue.

A day when freedom will be for all and all will respect that freedom.

A day when everyone will put Jesus first.

A day when everyone will love Jesus.

A day when everyone will truly love everyone else - because they love Jesus.

Can you see it? Is your imagination grand enough to envision what that day will be like?

I know in my heart that this day of promise will come and I can see the hope at the core of that promise.

But my life experiences limit my ability to imagine fully what that day will be.

I think most of our experiences limit our ability to imagine a world with no more tears.

But - just because we can't imagine the day doesn't lessen the promise - or the hope we have in the surety of the coming of our no more tears future. And what a future it will be.

Johnson & Johnson gave us a slogan.

Jesus gave us a promise.

I am so thankful that I can stand firm in the promises of Jesus - even when my imagination is limited.

No More Tears...Sounds good to me.

Scripture

Revelation 21 

Quote 

“There is a sacredness in tears. They are not the mark of weakness, but of power. They speak more eloquently than ten thousand tongues. They are messengers of overwhelming grief...and unspeakable love.”

Washington Irving

Question

If you can imagine what it will be like when Jesus creates his kingdom with "no more tears", please describe it in the comments section below.