Being Concerned For Others

BEING CONCERNED FOR OTHERS

By

Bishop Melvin L. Maughmer, Jr.

Especially over the past 6 years I have dealt with the topic of leaving religion and coming into Kingdom, being Kingdom minded and doing the purpose of Kingdom and not being hindered, bound, or mislead by religion, customs, doctrines of men and traditions. Jesus said in Matthew 5:20 “For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven”. Matthew 23:4-6 says, “For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues”.

Time is too short for us to be stuck in religiosity, in traditions, and habits having a form of godliness and denying the power of God thinking that we are on our way to heaven when we sit idly by and watch people suffer, hurt, depressed, confused in need of help die because they are trying to live in a world without hope and without God.

Today I want to talk about Being Concerned for Others!

PRAYER: -

OPENING: - It is impossible to turn on the news and not find story after story of people killing people and not even given a second thought of their actions. Today is January 29, 2023, and already this year there have been more than 40 mass shootings in the United States. Just this past week alone within 48 hours of each other we woke up and turned on the television to breaking news 3 mass shootings in California. Then the local news here in Michigan said a 22-year-old man found shot and dumped on I-96 in Detroit. Then we have a 6-year-old carrying a gun to school and shooting a teacher. A woman coming out of a store on her way home from work stopped to get some milk and is shot and killed in the parking lot by a 19-year-old just because he decided he wanted her vehicle. Then on Friday evening watched in unbelief the senseless beating by the Memphis Murders, the 5 police officers, as they literally beat the life out of Tyre Nichols. There is no regard for human life or very little of it. My wife and I were talking about all this stuff, and she said people care more for their shoes then they do for human life.

In my studying on this week, I read an article that said that suicide in 2022 has been estimated at over 703K people worldwide committed suicide. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 15-24 in the United States. It has been reported that nearly 20% of high school students report serious thoughts of suicide and about 9% have made attempts to take their lives according to National Alliance on Mental Illness. The suicide rate increased more than 8% in men from 2021 to 2022 and is about 5% in women. Then the suicide rate among veterans suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) or MST (Military Sexual Trauma) has doubled.

People of God this is not an issue reserved for the far and away but a real problem that is in our homes, in our schools, in our churches, in society and even among the people we love. Understand that not all suicides are attributed demonic possession or to depression. People who have vulnerable self-esteem self-feelings that require ongoing protection and promotion are also at higher risk for suicide. Then we have people who are developmentally weak in their judgment because they are still too young and their decision-making abilities has not matured enough who are faced with certain things and circumstances that will act out of impulse, peer pressure, social scrutiny, or bullying that will act irrationally then are faced with the consequences of that decision and are not able to handle it.

For some people, relying on other people and reaching out for help is difficult or seems so shameful and gut wrenching awful that they just can't bring themselves to the point to say I Need Help, so they hide and suppress things inside, or they take on more and more thinking it makes them seem strong hiding behind the mask that everything is fine. So often we do this in the church because we have been taught that we shouldn’t have issues and be saved. We come to church and say praise the Lord and when asked how are we doing we say I’m blessed and highly favored in the Lord when that is true but down on the inside I am struggling with somethings, I got some problems I just can’t seem to work out, my family life is turned upside down and I really need some help. I don’t feel like praising, I don’t feel like singing, I need some help.