"Feeling As You Can't Go On?"

 

Scripture Reading: Lamentations 3: 1-26
Scripture Text: "Is not this thy fear, thy confidence, thy hope, and the uprightness of thy ways?" Job 4:6 (KJV)

Good Morning and Welcome to This Sunday Edition of In The Garden.

Do you wake up in the morning and say "Good Morning Lord"? Or are you one who wakes up and says, "Good Lord, it's morning!"

Either way God Loves you and has made a way for you to "Cope" with Life's sideswipes that somehow lead many of us to not just falter, but give up entirely.

The Good News is that He Leads us beside the Still Waters, and He Restores our Soul. He Blesses us because we are "in Him".

Let's Sing along this morning with this Old Hymn "Beside The Still Waters" and then Osella Will read to us today's Scripture Portion.

Beside The Still Waters
Hymn Sing

Beside the still waters in pastures of green
A pasture is leading where all is serene
By day or by night-time He will always be seen
Beside the still waters of  peace

For he's the Good Shepherd who died for His Sheep
His own he has promised to keep
He Lovingly watches and guards while they sleep
Beside the still waters of  peace

Beside the still waters The Sheep find their rest
The Shepherd stands by so that none can molest
The flock by his presence is happy and blest
Beside the still waters of  peace

The Sheep hear his voice and they go not astray
For Jesus will guide all the way
In paths that are righteous he leads day by day
Beside the still waters of  peace

Scripture Reading: Lamentations 3: 1-26
Osella Clabaugh

Message: "Feeling As You Can't Go on"

If I may paraphrase that text just a bit, Eliphaz, one of Job's "well-meaning" acquaintances was saying, "In the midst of such calamity and hardship, shouldn't you still be trusting in 'God alone'? Shouldn't you have the faith in your heart that God, at such a time as this, is your confidence? Shouldn't you believe that God will care for those who are good?"

It's not what Eliphaz is saying that is as troublesome as what he is "not" saying (his real meaning). He tells Job here... "Job, your trouble is that you have sinned, and you just need to admit it and receive your punishment."

Do you know anyone like that? Judgmental to a fault? Will tell you that you are a low-life and give you an itemized list of why they think so?

Well they, just like our friend Eliphaz here, went too far! While you and I "should be" consumed for our wrongdoing, God's mercy and pardon are everlasting. No, that doesn't mean you can do whatever you want and God forgives - either way. God Himself requires holiness from all of His children, and holiness will not abide a life of sin.

In this journey we are traveling called "life", I am sure that you are not surprised to know that not every event that occurs in your life is "God-driven". Our life circumstances - unlike Job's, are often the result of lifestyle, and very often "just happen". Those who are in the "life-skills" field call these events "lessons". They don't attribute them to a spiritual gender such as God or the Devil - but state that they are just the product of environment, education, and economic location.

On the other hand - it doesn't mean that God doesn't care and watch out for those who are not in Him. Jesus said,

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" Matthew 6:26-30 (KJV)

They key to understanding Job, and and life itself, is to realize that "stuff happens". Life is the sequence of physical and mental, and emotional experiences that make up the existence of an individual - good or bad. While God is the Creator "of" life, it is His desire that we "choose" Him. Now having said that, I want you to stop and think on that for a minute. How many of you made a commitment to Jesus at least 1 year ago? How about 5 years ago? 10 years ago? 20 years ago? 30 years ago? What about today? How many made a commitment to God just today? How many said . . .

"Oh GOD My Father, Thank you for this morning breath that I breathe and thank you for this beautiful day of opportunity that I have to live, I CHOOSE to live it for thee Oh Lord, and give you the Glory for it."?

How many of you made that declaration today? Yesterday? one Week ago? one month ago? one year ago? When was the last time you made that declaration?

And yet, we wonder why calamity befalls us and when that "stuff" that happens that we wee talking about a bit earlier doesn't just get us down, but UTTERLY DESTROYS US!

Here is the promises of a God standing ready and waiting - and here is His declaration, in fact, He not only put it in writing, He and signed it in blood and made it LIVE! Listen to this...

"It is of the LORD'S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." Lam 3:22,23 (KJV)

That means that God has chosen you today! When you woke up this morning He looked down upon you and He said, "That's my Child!" Then He stood ready to clear the slate that would condemn you and convict you and sentence you to death - yet you never called on Him. Here's what Jeremiah says about the Lord . . .

"The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD." Lam 3:24-26 (KJV)

You see my friend, as Creator, He could mandate that His creation would serve Him and live for Him. I think Rush Limbaugh first coined the phrase, "mind-numbed robots" and that is what that kind of Christian would be. But He gave us the power to choose Him, free to accept Him, or free to walk away. It is in those "lessons" of life where we see what we are made of and almost always, we find that we come up short of "being enough" realizing how much we need "Him".

Maybe you woke up this morning saying, "Sorry God! I just don't feel like playing today! I'm tired, and I'm weary and I just don't feel like playing today."

Well friend, first of all, you've been deceived. The fact that you woke up at all today is not by chance but it was a miracle! Every day that you live is a day that God has confirmed for you to live, and you owe Him thanks. It may be that you don't want to hear that right now and you may be in such a state that you feel you can not handle anymore at all. Well will you hear me out for just a minute or two because God has something to say to you through this old preacher from Missouri, will you just give me a moment of your time?

Here's what God wants me to say to you.

I love You. I LOVE YOU! My precious child, I love you. There is nothing you can say or anything you can do that would make me stop loving you. Please hear me again, I Love You! Now, what you're going through is not to hurt you or cause you to lose heart. What I have designed for you at this very moment in time is cleansing you, and growing you, and making you stronger. You are troubled now because you are seeing the immediate picture; but remember, I see the eternal picture and I want you to know, I have not condemned you, nor do I want you to fail. I am not punishing you nor am I holding any sin against you - I don't work that way. I Love You. I need you.

Do you love me?

Friend, Have you come to the end of your rope today? You don't have to carry the load all alone. God Loves you, and He gave Himself as the Supreme sacrifice through His Son Jesus, so that no matter what you are facing today - you will not have to go it alone. Cast all of your care upon Him today! He Loves You. He Loves You!

Let's pray,

Father, I trust you Lord, and I ask that you will lead me each and every day in the paths of righteousness for your Name's sake. Let me learn how to choose you everyday - just as you have chosen me. In Jesus' Name I pray, Amen.

 

 

출처 : http://inthegarden.us/devo2010/itg082210.htm