Consider Him

Responsive Reading Psalms 68:3 thru 11, NIV.

Challenge for growth:

1. How can we be more honest with one another?

2. Who should we consider when we are faced with a difficulty in our lives?

3. Why does God allow Hardship in our lives?

We are blessed today, amen? God has given us so much to make our lives more comfortable and more pleasurable. At least this is what we are suppose to say when we come to church and give thanks to God. And we should acknowledge to God and to each other the great blessings of the Lord.

On the other hand, we should remember that the Lord expects us to be truthful. And we when we consider the great things that God has given us, there is at the very least a small portion of us that can just easily list all of the disappointments we face each day.

We need to get real with our faith. Let’s be honest with ourselves and learn to share with one another’s blessings and our burdens. The churchy side of us wants to confess the good things, but the everyday side of us wants the disappointments in our lives to change; to get fixed or go away.

Life can be a roller coaster of emotions. We are up one day and down the next. Things go good for a while, and then they go right back to what they were. Well, what can we do about this?

Text: Hebrews 12:2 & 3

Prayer:

Do not consider others; your special friend,

“Wearied”

I Thessalonians 3:3; Acts 9:16

“Lose Heart”

Read Hebrews 12:7 thru 11

James 1:2

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,

What can we do about our hardship and trials we go through?

1. We can consider Jesus and His hardships He suffered.

2. We can allow the Lord to discipline us with the hardship.

3. We can retain/remember the Lord’s perspective of the purpose/destiny He wants for our lives.

Some people go through a hardship in their life and they harshly accuse God of being uncaring. Or that God was harsh with them without a reason. They will say things such as,

“Where was God when I had that serious auto accident?”

“ “ I was diagnosed with cancer?”

“ “ I falsely accused of doing a wrong?”

“ “ I was forced to file for bankruptcy?”

“ “ the love of my life left me for someone else?”

At some point in time we have to learn that as God’s children we need Him to discipline us. Just because you grew up, left home and your on your own doesn’t mean that you are no longer God’s child.

For those of you that have children that have grown up and on their own, you know what I am saying. You know you don’t have the parental say-so (if you will) that you once did. You know you cannot just go to your son or daughter and discipline them like you did when they were in grade school.

Likewise, many adults do not look on their Heavenly Father as Someone Who has the right to discipline them. You don’t understand. God does have that right to discipline you. And the more you ignore or refuse to believe that, the farther you are from the Truth. And the farther you are from being what He intended you to be.