Ever feel like you are all by yourself? Everyone in the world has turned against you. Or maybe no one is willing to step up and help you. When everything is going good everybody wants to be on your team. But let things turn and no one wants to be with you. Maybe everyone has turned on you. You have been doing exactly what God has called you to do and now even those who said they would always be there have turned aside. You begin to feel like what is the use? Why continue to be the odd man out? So how do you deal with that? Do you really just give up and do things the way the world wants? What about as we witness and receive negative feedback? We don’t feel like we can do it, do we? You see we all worry about this person or that person being against us. God has said that He is in our corner. That doesn’t mean that bad things don’t still happen. Remember the disciples? All of them lost their lives at some point. Does that mean that God wasn’t for them? You see God’s ways are above our ways. He doesn’t just see what is in front of us. God sees the big picture. He knows what is best for us and how to protect us. The Bible says If God is for us, who can be against us. Don’t worry about man, but trust in the One who created you. It may seem like you against the world, but remember God is on your side. So it is two against the world and your on the winning side.
Tag: God
Who is your dad?
Did you have a great Father’s Day? I enjoyed the day with my wife and six children. Here is a thought for the day after. Did you tell God Happy Father’s Day? I know we think of this day, as one for our earthly dads. There are many men out there who are dads to more than just the children they help to produce. I have had many dads in my lifetime. There have been guys who have come along side of me to help steer me in the right direction. Some to offer advice in matters of life, others to help out in physical needs. There have been those who love me for just who I am. Then there have been those who love my children like they were their own. Isn’t that everything a dad is supposed to do? Well I would submit that God fits all of those qualifications, doesn’t He? You see, God had to pay a price to become our Father. Many people fail to realize that being a Father will cost you something. There will be the times when your children don’t listen and break your heart. I should know, I did this a lot. Then there might be time that it will cost you financially. You see God was willing to bounce back from all of those times for us. He was even willing to give up His biological son, so that we might have the ability to be adopted by Him. I have had the chance to be adopted by the very creator of the universe. Why? Because He paid a price so that He could become my Father. So I would challenge all of you to stop and tell your Heavenly Father you love Him. After all He didn’t have to be your dad but He chose to anyways.
Why Me???????
Ever ask your self the question Why Me? Your life takes some unexpected turns and you don’t understand what is happening or even why. Don’t we all get that self-pity mentality? We never really understand any of it until after it is all said and done. You know as we read the Bible we will finds lots of stories about people who no doubt asked the same questions that we asked. The first one that comes to mind is a young man named Joseph. His dad and mom raised him with a host of other brothers. Joseph’s parents favored him over the other children, there by creating some tension. Well we all know the story of what happened. His brothers sold him into slavery; he was cast into jail because of lies. Then God uses him to save all of his family down the road from starving to death. We can fast forward in time and look at everything that David went through, as he had to duck and dodge for his life from Saul. God worked that situation out also. Well we can move further into the Bible and see everything that happens to the disciples. These guys and gals were serving Jesus with everything they had and yet still had to experience some bad stuff and even death for most. So we ask the question Why Me? Why not? We think in the modern day state of the church that we are better than these men and women of the Bible. If God allowed things to happen in their lives, why won’t He allow it in yours? Yes God does love us. He loves us so much that He allows things to come in and out of lives. So Why? Well Paul writes in Romans that everything that happens is for the good of those who Love God and called according to His purpose. So you see when stuff happens in our lives, we get beat down because we can’t see how it will impact us in the long run. So the next time something shows up and you don’t understand it, instead of saying Why Me? Ask God what are you teaching me through this? It won’t make things better right away, but it will remind us that God loves us and has everything under control. Remember, God doesn’t get caught by surprise, He doesn’t have to switch to plan b, because plan a always works.
Thoughts from Pastor Toney 