Good News in the Morning

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Sunday, 8 October 2017

'LIFE IS HARD, BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL'

Rev. Brent Russett

By Rev. Brent Russett

Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:

http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/

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PODCAST LINK to CFRA broadcast - Sunday, October 8^th, 2017:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/57054/good_news_281_oct08.mp3

____________________________________________

Broadcast Notes:

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Life is Hard, But God is Faithful

Good morning and Welcome to good news in the morning. I am so glad that you have tuned into the program today. My name is Brent Russett. I am the Lead Pastor at Sunnyside Wesleyan Church here in Ottawa. I have been pastoring there for 27 years. One of the things I love to do is show how God’s word that was written a long time ago, connects with our world right now.

I know that some of you who are listening have been followers of Jesus for a long time, and I know that others of you think of yourself as spiritual, but you are not really sure of this Christian thing, and I know others of you just curious how people of faith think. I trust that wherever you are on yours spiritual journey, that you will find this program interesting and informative, and I believe that for those of you desire it, God can use a program like this to take you another step closer to Him.

Today I want to take you to the last part of Romans chapter 8. I want to talk to those of you who are Christians and ask the question, what should you expect from your faith now.

There are some, I would call them distortions of the gospel, which say –“If you have enough faith then you are going to be completely healthy and you are also going to be wealthy.” The crazy thing is, that there are health benefits to living in line with the gospel, and there is a spiritual dynamic to wealth, so that when you live out the gospel it helps your finances. Some people have taken those realities and run with them, and said if you have enough faith you should be healthy and wealthy. – That is distortion of the gospel – but what should be your expectation of living out the gospel right now.

Some people think that if you are living out the gospel well, and if you believe the right things, that you will never have to deal with mental illness. After all we are supposed to take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ – Again, the gospel rightly believed and lived out, can do amazing things for your mental health – but I think it is a gross distortion to think that it is a panacea for chemical imbalances and mental illnesses. But the question is, what should your expectation be for living out the gospel right now.

There are some people who think that if you are living out the gospel that you will always be strong. You can handle anything that comes your way. If you are experiencing any kind of weakness, if life is becoming overwhelming, you must be doing something wrong. Is that true? What should your expectation be for living out the gospel right now.

There are some people who think that faith doesn’t really make a difference in this world. We live like everyone else. The rain falls on the just and on the unjust, and so there is really no difference between Christians and non-Christians we are all just kind of muddling through. In other words, these people have no expectation of the gospel right now, but they are hoping for heaven. Is that what it means to be a Christian – just to get by the best we can and hope for heaven.

I have got to say that it is right and good to hope for the time when Jesus will come back. It is good to have hope for the next life. The world we live in now, sure isn’t heaven. But do we hope for now, and what do we hope for when Jesus comes back.

So what is it that you expect you Christian life to do for you? What do you expect the results of living out the gospel will be in your life.

We let us turn out attention to the Word of God, and see what it tells us in this regard. Lets start at

The Apostle Paul writing to the church in Roman says,

Romans 8:18 (NIV)

¹⁸I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

The first thing I would have you note is that the apostle Paul, one of the greatest apostle of all time experienced suffering. So people who tell you that if you are doing the Christian life right, it will be all sunshine and roses – are probably smoking something that is not yet legalized.

Paul says, in the present I am suffering – but in the future a glory will be revealed that will make the suffering look trivial. So I am looking forward to that day.

But not only me, but all of creation is looking forward to that day.

Romans 8:19–21 (NIV)

¹⁹For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. ²⁰For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope ²¹that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

Paul says it is not only us who are suffering, but we live an world where creation itself is suffering. Earthquakes, floods, droughts, decay.

Romans 8:22 (NIV)

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.

Paul is saying that in the present creation groans, but in the future it will liberated as well and be made new. Paul is suffering creation is groaning. He goes on

Romans 8:23–24 (NIV)

²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, he talks about that in other places – he is talking about Christians

²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit

groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

At present we who are Christians groan inwardly. If you have every woke up in the morning with the pain of arthritis already there, you know what it means to groan inwardly. If you have ever got news of a friend of yours who has been diagnosed with cancer, you know what it means to grown inwardly. If you have ever just received the news of a family member who is going through marital breakup – you know what it means to grown inwardly. If you have ever been walking through this worlds version of hell – you know what it means to groan inwardly.

Life is hard. ²³Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

Life is hard, but in the middle of those challenges we await our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies. When Paul talks about sonship, it is not a gender thing – Paul is making a reference to how it was the sons in Roman times who inherited from their father. Paul is talking about our inheritance as believers – whether men or women.

Romans 8:24–25 (NIV)

²⁴For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

Paul here, is obviously talking to followers of Jesus. People, in whom the Spirit dwells. Life is hard – is a universal thing. It happens to most of humanity. Everyone groans. We as Christian we groan. But we wait as well. We hope as well. We live in hope.

To sum it up at present we suffer. At present creation groans. At present we inwardly grown, and we wait and we hope.

I know what some of you are thinking, you think I am the minister of melancholy, the reverend of wretchedness, the pastor of pessimism.

Well don’t blame me blame Paul. The bible, of course, also teaches us that life can be really good. It is good to celebrate, and to love, and laugh.

But I find passages like this helpful. I think one of the temptations in our culture is to think that when life is hard that we must be doing something wrong, and there must be a quick fix for it. To many Christians are taken by surprise when suffering comes their way.

The reality is that sometimes life is just hard. I know very few people who, after you get to know them, you don’t find that they carry some deep hurts. It may be past trauma or present relationships, or significant worries, or they are walking with someone who is really hurting and that their love for that person causes them to hurt for that person. And if I am describing you, I want you to know that there is nothing wrong with you. Sometimes in life we suffer, creations groans, we groan, we wait, we hope.

But that is not all that is going on. We can expect more from our Christian life than just that.

Romans 8:26–27 (NIV)

²⁶In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

Faithful and True – Matthew Ward. 4:10

There is something else going on. The Holy Spirit helps. You see, in the middle of the mess that life, we are sometimes weak, and we don’t seem to have the strength to go on. Sometimes we are confused or perplexed and we don’t know what we ought to pray for. In the middle of weakness and confusion the Holy Spirit intercedes for you.

You see, as a Christian, the Holy Spirit is in you. He knows what is going on in you life. He knows what is going on in your heart. He knows what is going on in your mind. He also knows what the will of God would be in you particular set of circumstances. He is interceding for you in accordance to the will of God.

In the middle of the mess, in the middle of the hardship, and difficulty – God cares about what is going on in your life. The Holy Spirit is praying for you. The Holy Spirit is standing in your place and speaking to God on your behalf. He is praying that the will of God will be worked out in your life. These are deep prayers, with wordless groans, - God is on your side. In the middle of the pains of life, God is on your side.

Here is the result of those prayers

Romans 8:28 (NIV)

²⁸And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This may be the most misused verse in the Bible. Let me tell you what it doesn’t mean. I doesn’t mean that everything that happens to you is good. It is not. It doesn’t mean that everything will turn out good in this life – everything does not. What it does mean is that God is working or your good in the middle of a bad situation. What it does mean is that even in the middle of a world gone wrong, God has can and does work in the middle of difficult situations for our. It doesn’t mean the situation is good. It means that good can happen even in the middle of a bad situation.

But note the qualifiers on this verse. God is working for the good of those who love God, and are called according to his purpose. When you became a Christian you responded to the call of God. No one comes to the Father except the father draws him. If you are a Christian you have been called according to his purposes. But your love for God grow lukewarm, it can grow cold, you can lose your first love. This promise is made to those who love God.

There is a reason for that. When God says that he is working for you good his definition of good is found in

Romans 8:29 (NIV)

²⁹For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son,

But the definition of God’s good is that you be conformed to the image of his son.

When humanity sinned the image of God was broken in us.

Part of what it means to be made in the image of God is that we reflect his character. As God is love, we are to reflect his love. As God is good, we are to reflect his goodness. As God is merciful we are to reflect his mercy. The only way to do that well was to engage in our prime vocation to be worshippers of God.

But there is more to the image of God than that. Part of what it means is that we were given authority rule over the world under God. Or to put it another way, as we were reflecting the character of God, we were to work in a way to make this world flourish. We had a vocation, first of all to worship God, then to be builders of this world.

Each of you were given a vocation. You were put here, to work together to make this world a better place. You were called to help build this world into a place that flourishes.

Of course, when sin came into the world the image of God was broken. We no longer worshipped God, but we worshipped the things that God created. We no longer reflected God. We were not loving as he is loving. And more than that we gave our authority over to idols and we lost the ability to live out much of our vocation.

Oh you see hints of all these things in people. There is still vestiges of the image of God in us. – But it is not much. And so our world was broken and it groans. We were broken and we groan.

But in the middle of or groaning and our weakness, the Holy Spirit is interceding for us. He is asking God to work in and through us so that God’s will would be accomplished. God hears that prayer and he is working for our good in the middle of the challenges and the mess – he is working for out good so that we might be conformed to the image of His son Jesus, and being conformed to the image of his son, we would have the image of God restored in us -so that we might be who we were created to be.

In other words, if you love God, he is going to take what is happening around you, to restore God’s image in you. He is going to take the things that make life hard, and he is going to help you to be like Jesus.

In the middle of a messy broken world, God is working for you, to restore you into all he has created you to be.

What can you expect of the gospel in your world right now. If you love God, you can expect that he will be working to restore his image in you, and to make you like Jesus.

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So let me remind you of where we have been. Paul says at present we are suffering, but the glory that is coming will make the suffering look trivial. At present creation is groaning. Not only that but we are groaning. And we are waiting for that glory to be revealed, and we are living in hope. In the middle of our weakness – where we don’t even know how to pray for ourselves, the Holy Spirit groans for us, intercedes for us, in accordance to the will of God.

If we love God, God is going to work for good in our lives, and part of that good will be the image of God restored in us. Now we come to verse 31

Romans 8:31–39 (NIV)

³¹What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ³³Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. ³⁴Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. ³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? ³⁶As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long;

we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. ³⁸For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

What can you expect of the gospel in this world. You can expect God to be for you. You can expect God to be with you. You can expect the grace of God to give you what you need.

And when life is hard and the world condemns you, God says no – she is my child, he is my child. It is God who justified – nobody else’s opinion matters.

More than that you can expect God love to be directed towards you. God really loves you. God is on your side.

Does that mean that life is easy. Romans 8:35 (NIV)

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Life is still hard. In this world you will have trouble. There will be hardship, there can be famine, there can be danger, there can be real need – like the need for clothes. In this world you will face hardship.

But Listen to God’s promise for you.

Romans 8:37 (NIV)

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

Through him who loves you, your sufferings will not conquer you, but you can triumph over your sufferings. That does not necessarily mean that the cause of the suffering will go away – it means that your suffering is does not define you.

Through him who loves you, those things in life that make you inwardly groan will not have the last word. The trials of life will be conquered.

Through him who loves you, even you weakness, your needs, your perplexity, your difficulties – will not define you. Because you are more than conquerors through him who loves you.

Romans 8:35–39 (NIV)

³⁵Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?

Verse 37

The love that God has for you, puts everything that is wrong in your life into perspective. The Spirit of God, is interceding for you that God’s will, will be done in your life. If you love God, then God will be working for your good, even in the difficult situations of your life. And through the love of God, that unwavering, unending, unfaltering, steady, consistent, deep love of God – you are more than an conqueror. His love is at work in your situation, so that the situation does not define you, but his love for you defines you.

I don’t know what you are going through today, but if you are in one of those phases of life where it is hard – I want you to know that it is not unusual, nor is it wrong – it is just life -but don’t be afraid for God is with you.

LET’S PRAY.

Lord Jesus, I pray for those who are feeling pain and suffering, for those who are conflicted and confused, for those who have people they care about and they're burdened for them. I'm asking Lord, that you would meet them right where they are.

I pray Lord, that their suffering would not define them, but that you would define them. I'm praying Lord, that you would give them an overwhelming sense of your love and your grace.

I'm asking Lord, that you would allow this truth of your faithfulness to sink in, that they can trust you wherever they would find you, or wherever they would find themselves. What I'm asking is that they would reach out to you and they would find you very close.

Lord, I ask these things in Jesus’ name. Amen.

And Thank you for listening this morning.

This program is on the air by the grace of God and donations of many faithful people.

My name is Brent Russett, and it has been a privilege to bring you Good News in the morning.

By Rev. Brent Russett

Pastor of Sunnyside Wesleyan Church in Ottawa:

http://www.sunnysidechurchottawa.com/

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PODCAST LINK to the CFRA broadcast:

http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/57054/good_news_281_oct08.mp3

Sunday, 29 April 2012

'EMBRACING YOUR PROBLEMS'

Rev. Donald S. Crisp

by Rev. Don Crisp

Pastor of First Baptist Church
Smiths Falls, Ontario

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PODCAST LINK to CFRA Broadcast - Sunday, April 29^th, 2012:
http://proxy.autopod.ca/podcasts/chum/6/6759/good_news_11_apr29.mp3

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Broadcast Notes:

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‘Embracing your problems’

The Bible says in James 1:2-4:

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds,^(A) ³because you know that the testing of your faith^(B) develops perseverance.^(C) ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature^(D) and complete, not lacking anything.

Cross references:

A. James 1:2 : ver 12; S Mt 5:12; Heb 10:34; 12:11

B. James 1:3 : 1Pe 1:7

C. James 1:3 : S Heb 10:36

D. James 1:4 : S 1Co 2:6

The fact is, we needed to be reminded that God is watching us. The Bible informs us that He leads us, He guides us, He provides for us. Read Psalm 91:11. It says, “He commands His angles to guard over us”. In Psalm 121:8 it records these words, “He watches over us. He watches over our coming and our going, both now and for evermore.”

In fact, the Bible says, “His eye is constantly on the sparrow.”

Again, James 1: 2-4,

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Did you notice the spiritual; process, there? Trials are allowed to come our way. Why? To test our faith, so that you and I can develop perseverance. Perseverance, will in turn, help us to gain maturity in our faith.

Now, we don’t count it pure joy because the bottom of our boat has just fallen out. We count it pure joy because we trust God for our journey. We trust His promises that he will be with us during the process. Yes, each one of can say, “I count it pure joy because God’s eye is on the sparrow, and therefore, I know that He is watching over me."

You may be faced with problems related to family, marriage, health problems, vocation, finances, drugs, abuse; well, the list goes on and on. How do you deal with problems that come your way in life? That’s really the question, isn’t it?

A seasoned poet once wrote these words, “It was pain that knocked upon my door and said that she had come to stay. And though I would not welcome her, but asked her to go away, she still entered in, and like my own shadow, she followed after me; and from her stabbing, stinging sword, no moment was I free.” The poet describes a very difficult, painful situation. Many of you listening today, are bruised and immobilized by your trials. The bruises are not always the kind we can see on the outside. We know that. They’re on the inside. Some of us are bruised over the death of loved ones. Others are facing emotional trauma, relational stress, spiritual doubts, marital conflicts, sexual temptations, financial setbacks, occupational disappointments, and so on. Now, here’s the truth; and no matter what some may tell you today, trials are common to all people; and Christians are not exempt.

In today’s text, James shows us how to respond to our trials. So my first point is simply this: You and I are to respond, and not react, to trials. What do I mean by that? Well, first of all, when we react, do we often react emotionally and we regret it later. When we respond, we begin to understand that most of life’s issues are fairly predictable, and we need to respond in a way that will be healthy. Therefore, I recommend that with each issue that comes our way, we stop, we think, and we pray about it.

You see, when we react, you find yourself not only acting emotionally, but often we’re motivated by fear or by anger. We find ourselves acting in a way that is not complimentary to the person, or the issue, or ourselves.

Think of it this way, it’s like a dog with a bone. The dog keeps chewing on it and chewing on it and chewing on it. Isn’t that what we keep doing with our problems: Nursing them, rehearsing them, cursing them? Yes, we are to respond, not to react, to trials. Secondly, you and I are to respond with perseverance. That’s what James was teaching in that text. J.B. Philips’ translation of verses 2 and 3, in James 1, reads this way: “When all kinds of trials and temptations crowd into your lives, my brothers and sisters, don’t resent them as intruders, but welcome them as friends. Realize that they have come to test your faith. Yes, that begins to make sense, doesn’t it? You see, the trials that God allows to come your way are never meant to hurt you, but rather, to help you.

To persevere will take focus. One has to be consistently intentional. One has to decide from the very beginning, never to give up. Walter Payton never gave up. At just 5’10’’, 202 pounds, he was not a particularly large running-back for the NFL, but he set one of sport’s greatest records: the all-time rushing record of 16,726 yards. Wow! During his twelve-year career, Payton carried the ball over nine miles. What is truly impressive, though, is that he was knocked to the ground, on the average of, every 4.4 yards, of those nine miles. He was knocked down by someone bigger than himself. Yes, he kept getting up because, (now, listen to this); he kept getting up because he understood that his purpose was not to stay down, but to get up, and to move forward, and to persevere.

I think that’s what the Bible’s teaching us in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9 when it says, “We are hard pressed on each side but not crushed, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed.”

Here’s the truth: God is not as concerned about my comfort as He is about my character. God is not as concerned about your comfort as He is about your character. “We must learn that failure teaches us.” Proverbs 24:16 says that. "A righteous man, a righteous woman may fall seven times. They will rise again." You see, God wants us to focus on Him; and when we do so, we will keep getting up. We’ll be motivated by a purpose greater than ourselves.

One translation reads this way: “We are knocked down, but we are not knocked out. So get up and move forward and try again!”

O yes, the year was 1831. This gentleman failed in business. He went bankrupt. 1833: he was back on his feet, then failed again. 1835: his fiancé died. 1836: he had a nervous breakdown. 1838: he ran for Speaker of the House in the United States, but was defeated. 1840, Elector: he ran for that office and was defeated. 1843, Congress; well, he ran for that and was defeated. 1848: he ran again for congress and he was defeated, again. 1855: he ran for the Senate, and guess what; again, he was defeated. 1856: he ran for the Vice President of the United States of America. Ah, yes, and he was defeated. 1858: he ran for Senate once again, and once again, he was defeated. And then came the year 1860. He ran for the President of the United States, and he was elected, and one of the greatest presidents to have ever lived. His name: Abraham Lincoln. Yes, we are knocked down, but we are not knocked out.

So get up and move forward and try again.

I think that’s what Winston Churchill meant when he said, “Success is the ability to move from one failure to the next.” I like that: moving from one failure to the next. Actually, I see life as this way; perhaps you’ve heard it: “Every setback is a setup for a comeback”. So, the next time, you think you’ve taken two steps forward, and three or four back, just remember: every setback is a setup for a comeback.

There was a skinny young boy who loved football with all his heart. He was determined to try his best at every practice, and perhaps he’d get to play when he became a senior. All through high school he never missed a practice. He never missed a game, but remained a bench-warmer all four years. His faithful father was always in the stands, always with words of encouragement for him. When the young man went to college he decided to try out for the football team as a walk-in. Everyone was sure he could never make the cut, but he did. The coach admitted that he put him on the roster because this young lad always put his heart and soul into every practice, and was a great model for the team mates.

The news that he had survived the cuts thrilled him so much that he rushed ti the nearest phone and called his father. His father shared his excitement and was sent seasons tickets for all the college games. Well, you know for sure that the father attended all those games. This persistent young athlete never missed practice during the four years of college. But, he never got to play in any game, either. It was at the end of his senior football season, and as he trotted onto the field to practice, the coach called him over to his side and handed the young man a telegram. The young man read the telegram and he became deadly silent. Swallowing hard, he mumbled to the coach, “Coach, my father died this morning. Do you think it would be alright if I missed practice today?” The coach put his arm around him and gently said, “Son, take whatever time you need.” Well. He did. But soon, a few days later, the game came. Saturday arrived and the game was not going well. It was in the third quarter when the team was ten points behind. The silent young man quietly slipped into the locker room and put on his football gear, and he ran onto the sidelines. The coach and the players were all astonished to see this faithful team-mate back so soon. “Coach, please let me play today. I’ve just got to play today!” The coach pretended not to hear him. There’s no way he wanted his worst player on the team, playing in this close playoff game; not going to happen.

Well, the young man persisted and he kept saying, “Coach, I just need to play today.” Finally the coach said, “Alright, you can go in.” And, you know what, before long, the coach, the players and everyone in the stands could not believe their eyes. This little, unknown, who had never played before, was doing everything right. The opposing team could not stop him. He ran, he blocked, he tackled like a star. His team began to win. They were motivated, just by watching him. The score was soon tied, and in the closing seconds of the game, this kid intercepted a pass and he ran all the way for the winning touchdown.

Ah, this could be a movie. The fans broke loose, his team-mates hoisted him on their shoulders: such cheering like you’ve never heard. Finally after the stands had emptied and the team had left the locker room, the coach noticed the this young man was sitting quietly in the locker room all alone.

The coach came over to him and he said, “Son, I can’t believe it, but you were fantastic. Tell me, what got into you? How did you do what you did?”

The young man swallowed hard and forced a smile, “You see, coach, my dad came to all my games, but today would have been the first day that he could actually see me play. I wanted to show him how well I could do.”

You know, folks, we have a Father in Heaven who’s watching how we’re walking and how we’re living. I don’t want to suggest that life is a game, but the fact is, we are to be like an athlete when it comes to running the race of faith, knowing full well, our Father in Heaven is watching everything. Yes, even when we go through trials and temptations; even when we have problems; even when we walk through the valley of pain.

Now, let’s note the spiritual process, again. Trials are allowed to come our way. Why? To test our faith; that’s why. Why? So that you and I can develop perseverance. Why? Because perseverance will help us gain maturity in our journey of faith, and we will be able to understand that we must trust God: the one who is promising us, to lead us and guide us, and to provide for us.

I want us to look at motivation for a second. Our motivation for running the race of faith, even when problems come, our motivation should be to love God, and be determined to love Him, and be determined to bring Him honour and glory.

I think that is what 1 Corinthians 10:31 is really saying, It says, “So whatever you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” You see, folks, the word ‘persevere’ means to take whatever trial or burden that you are going through, and use it as a platform to bring God honour and glory.

As I close, I want each of us to ponder the following words of wisdom; and as I read these words, I want us to really think about them, and apply our own life to them. Listen to these words:

“I asked for help, that I might do greater things.

I was given infirmity, that I might do better things.

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve.

I was made weak, that I might learn to obey.

I asked for riches, that I might be happy.

I was given poverty, that I might be wise.

I asked for power and the praise of men.

I was given weakness, to sense my need of God.

I asked for all things, that I might enjoy life.

I was given life, that I might enjoy all things.

I got nothing that I asked for, but everything that I hoped for.

In spite of myself, my prayers were answered.

I am among all people, most richly blessed.”

Yes, we must learn to embrace our problems; trusting God, the one who will lead and guide us for the journey.

Would you pray with me?

“Our gracious, loving, Heavenly Father, we thank you that you are Lord of the Journey; and Father, even as we pray, right now, we know that life will hand us all kinds of challenges. There will be many valleys that we go through. Father, we want to keep our eyes on you. We want to be able to follow you, not so that we’d be safe or comfortable, but so that we can be all that you want us to be.

Today, Father, I surrender my life to you. Today, Father, I surrender my life to Jesus Christ. Lord Jesus, would you come into my life, right now, and save me? Forgive me of all my sins. Ah, I give you thanks, and, Father, for those of us who already know Jesus as our Saviour, Lord, we would also pray that He would be Lord of the Journey.

Lord Jesus, I surrender myself to you. You are the one who will lead. I am the one who is to follow. And I would just pray that I will be faithful in following you, all the days of my life.

Father, we pray this prayer, in Jesus’ name. Amen