Purity 418 05/14/2021 Purity 418 Podcast
Good morning.
So there is a lot going
on and anyone of these things would be reason enough to share this photo but
the reason I am sharing this photo is because of the person who sent it to
me. The photographer is a dear friend
who I fellowship with regularly and because of various reasons I haven’t seen
in weeks. But it is Friday and after our
unplanned and unforeseen separation we have made plans to reunite Sunday
morning.
My friend also covets
being featured as the photo of the day! So because I miss them and because the
photo does have its own merits I decided to “throw them a bone”.
But seriously, of the
many things that God has provided us with in this life, we should be thankful
for the people that He has given us as friends and family. As much as I talk
about the Christian path of discipleship and our individual experiences with
God, I would like to officially make it clear that the Christian life is not to
be lived in isolation.
Christ said that people
would know His followers by the love they had for one another. So that necessitates our being in
relationship with other Christians and not only that it indicates that our
relationships with one another go beyond a polite nod, handshake, or elbow bump
at the weekly worship service. We are to
love one another. That means we get personal and that we make ourselves
vulnerable to one another. And although we
may have been hurt or devastated by broken relationships in the past, we decide
to take a chance and reach out and share the love that God has poured into
us.
If our efforts don’t
fulfill our expectations, God taught us to be secure in His love and to forgive
those who fail to receive the love we tried to share. Even if the “love connection” of a close
relationship or friendship isn’t made, we should never regret offering our love
to others and remind ourselves that our intentions were good, and God knows our
hearts.
But man, when those
connections do happen, when we make a new friend or find someone we can relate
to, we are rewarded, and we are reminded that God is love and that we are meant
to be in relationship with others.
So this weekend,
appreciate the people, or four-footed friends, that you have in your life who
allow you to love them. Thank God for
the all the relationships you have known and what they have taught you. Remember
that even though all the loves of your life may not have lasted as long as you
would have wanted, the love you gave wasn’t wasted. The love you gave and the
love you have reflects the love that God has for us and when you express it you
give Him glory.
I don’t know what your
situation is but, but brother or sister, if you have read this far or are listening
to this on the podcast, I love you for it.
My encouragements are empty words unless they are received. So thank
you. Let’s keep this love train rollin’.
And as always, keep
walking and talking with God, and if you feel moved to say it, tell the Lord that
you love Him too.
This morning’s meditation verse is:
Psalm 23:5 (NKJV)
5 You prepare a table before me in
the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over.
Today’s verse paints a picture of the security and provision that we find when we come into harmony with God through faith in Jesus Christ.
“In the presence of my enemies” sort of tells us that God recognizes the state of the world and the hostile environments Christians find themselves in. Christ said that the world hated Him and so we could expect it to hate us who follow Him as well. It wasn’t a matter of if we would be persecuted as much as it is a matter of when we will be persecuted.
But the Lord assures us of our eternal security and let’s us know that He is with us in the midst of the storm. I have suffered loss and trauma at various times in my life and I can assure you that the sufferings I had before coming to Christ were worse that the sufferings I had after I made Christ my Lord and Savior. While the situations and degrees of suffering varied somewhat BC and After Christ, the big difference in the amount of pain and heartache I experienced was that After Christ, I knew I wasn’t alone, and I had someone to talk to and to give my burdens to. The Lord was with me 24/7 and there was nothing I couldn’t share with Him. I also knew that even though I had nothing in my experience to validate my feelings of hope that somehow He was working all the things I was going through for good. I sure couldn’t see it all at the time but now I know that Romans 8:28 is true. God does work all things together for good, and here’s the key, for those who love Him.
If you don’t love the Lord, if you are not in relationship with Him, the world is a cold and lonely place. Trust me I know. I wasn’t saved until 2010 and oh brother the cold winds of tragedy and heart ache left me depressed and hopeless many times before I found the Truth.
After we come into relationship with Him though, we are cared for. That’s what the table and the oil in today’s verse represents, God’s love for us. God does love us. He does care for us. And when we get a revelation of His continual presence in our lives and of all the things He has done and currently does for us, we will be like the psalmist and proclaim that He provides more than enough. We will proclaim that “my cup runs over.
I invite all to mt4christ.org where I always share
insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters
in Christ with their walk.
Today, in continuing recognition of mental health awareness month, we continue
to share from Dr. June Hunt’s “Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless
“.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
III. Causes
Anger ... sadness ... despair ... grief ....
Of all the emotions associated with suicide, hopelessness is the most
predominant—the painful feeling that signals for far too many that it’s time
to give up. To those who have lost hope, the faulty assumptions are: My
future holds no promise. ... My wrongs won’t be forgiven. ... My dreams won’t
come true. ... So goes the fatalistic thinking of the hopeless.
But God has a message to those who feel so miserable: “Put your hope in Me,
the One who is sovereign over all of your future ... the One who can forgive
your mistakes ... the One who has a purpose and a plan for you.” As long as
there is still breath in your body, there is still time for God to dramatically
turn your life around. The Bible says ...
“Anyone who is among the living has hope.” (Ecclesiastes 9:4)
A. Who Is Most Vulnerable to Suicide?
It’s a grim statistic ... that should move every one of us into action when
we hear someone seriously alluding to suicide. According to the World Health
Organization, almost 3,000 people around the world die by suicide daily. And
for every 1 death, between 30,000 to 60,000 more people attempt to take their
own lives.
Actually, suicide is a secondary response, meaning suicide is a behavior
that is a response to a deeper problem. Therefore, we need to be aware of how
to help suicidal people handle their deeper problems. Realize ... one day God
may call on you to step in and stop a person on the verge of suicide. ...
“Now about brotherly love we do not need to write to
you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love each other. ... Yet we
urge you, brothers, to do so more and more.” (1 Thessalonians 4:9–10)
- Suicide
attempts are more likely within the 1st year after an unsuccessful
attempt.
- Suicide
rates are higher in sparsely populated areas.
- Suicide
rates are higher among those who are single, separated, divorced, or
widowed.
- Suicide
rates are highest among white men over 75 years of age.
- Suicide is
the 2nd leading cause of death for people 10 to 24 years of age.
- Suicide
occurs more often among nonreligious people than among those who have a
strong belief in God.
Fewer Suicides Among Christians
Question:
“Why are incidents of suicide so much lower for those who are committed to
Christ?”
Answer: Those who hold to Christian ethics and a biblical worldview,
and who are connected to and involved with traditional Christian churches have
...
- A social
and spiritual faith-based support system
- A more
direct way to cope with high stress
- A greater
sense of purpose in life
- A positive
hope for the future
- A
conviction that suicide is wrong
- A belief
that God is at work in their lives, even in the midst of their trials
One reason for the lower numbers of suicides is that those in the family of
God are told to ...
“Encourage one another and build each other up.” (1 Thessalonians 5:11)
Biblical Counseling Keys - Biblical Counseling Keys – Biblical Counseling Keys:
Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless.
----------------------------more
tomorrow------------------------
God bless
you all!
Join our
Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class via the mt4christ247 podcast!
at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154) and Google podcasts (https://podcasts.google.com/?feed=aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkLnBvZGJlYW4uY29tL210NGNocmlzdDI0Ny9mZWVkLnhtbA%3D%3D
Email me
at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be
encouraged.
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