Do we make time to slow down and listen?
Here is the sermon one of our Pastors preached yesterday. I love the way Pastor Mark talks about prayer. I love the way he reminded us that God is our Father. He didn't just create the world in 6 days and then go up to Heaven, where He waits for His children to join Him. He is active, He is real, He is God. And He loves talking with His kids. He loves to walk with us and talk with us and know that we love and trust Him. Life can be falling apart on all sides, the world can be ending, but as long as we belong to Jesus, hope is there. Joy is in even the deepest trials. Being able to cry out to God and being able to run to Him, to ask anything, to confess anything, to praise Him for everything... its a gift I hope wish never took for granted. But I know I do, often.
I encourage you to take some time to listen to this sermon. I know its a video clip, but you don't have to sit and watch. I often listen while I cook, or do some of my less noisy house cleaning. Such a blessing to have these sermons at our finger tips. I think this sermon will be a special blessing for those of you who often feel completely let down by your earthly Dad. When you feel like there's no way God could love you enough because your own Dad didn't display Christ like love to you. I forget that so many are hurting in this area. But its a real hurt and I pray that for those of you who deal with that, that this sermon would bless you especially.
I encourage you to take some time to listen to this sermon. I know its a video clip, but you don't have to sit and watch. I often listen while I cook, or do some of my less noisy house cleaning. Such a blessing to have these sermons at our finger tips. I think this sermon will be a special blessing for those of you who often feel completely let down by your earthly Dad. When you feel like there's no way God could love you enough because your own Dad didn't display Christ like love to you. I forget that so many are hurting in this area. But its a real hurt and I pray that for those of you who deal with that, that this sermon would bless you especially.
Comments
Very much like you said, Carrie... as a parent would understand that sometimes their child needs to fall off the bike one time, just to realize Dad and Mom know what they're saying when they said "don't do that."
Sometimes it is simply for our own maturity, learning to have faith in God, etc... but I confess I hate that question. I always want to reply with "why do good things ever happen?" why do we expect good when we aren't good? God is good and each day that He gives us life, is a new gift in and of itself.
But, we're being taught daily, by the world, that we are good and don't need a "higher power" {God} to make us good. Thank you, Oprah ;-)
I haven't faced great trial in my life. The 'trials' I've gone through seem so minimal to so many I hear of. And yet I like to think that were I faced with a deep trial, my hope will rest in Christ alone. When everything else around fails me, Christ is there right beside me. I don't need anything or anyone as long as I have him... for Eternity. I consider the blessing of my family and friends an extra bonus :)
God can and does take a bad/sad situation and reflects His glory through it. I think of the couples I know who have lost babies, not older than 1 day old and how I've seen God glorified and the Gospel spread, through the short lived life of that tiny baby.
No life IN Christ is lived in vain... no matter how short.