RESILIENCE: LOVE NEVER FAILS!
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
This candle is absolutely worthless with a way to ignite it?
WHEN YOUR EARTHQUAKE SEEMS TO DESTROY YOUR PLANS…
Proverbs 6:6 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her ways, and be wise: 7 Which having no guide, overseer, or ruler, 8 Provideth her meat in the summer, and gathereth her food in the harvest.
In 1974 I graduated from LMU with my Bachelor’s Degree in Humanities. My wife ask me what did I want for a present. I asked for a cross with a chain. I have worn it faithfully unless I was very sick. I also asked for an ANT FARM. She ordered me an nice Uncle Milton’s Ant Farm. We then mailed an order for the ants to come. We waited and finally a small tube of ants came. (No queens) We put them in the refrigerator to cool down and get inactive and pour in the sand and the ants. They just stood around seemingly real nervous. We watch them. We went to bed and the next morning the ants were diligently building tunnels and moving sand. For several weeks we watch they build a room for food storage, a room to bury their dead. The ants had all kinds oof tunnels moving one grain of sand at a time.
One night we came in from church and Linda was shaking the ant farm and caved all the tunnels in…I asked her what she was doing. She said: I WANT TO SEE WHAT THEY WOULD DO? Later she said she was going to bed. I said no we don’t. We are going to watch and see what they are going to do. After the ant farm earthquake all the ants ran to the top of the plastic and just stood there in a daze. After a space of time one little ant started nervously shaking. All the rest of the ants just stood still. I guess fearing aftershocks. This one ant started shaking more and more. He finally started moving. He moved over and climbed back into the sand. He looked around. He was all by himself… He picked up a grain of sand and carried it a distance and laid it down. He then went back, looked around. He was all alone. He picked up another grain of sand and carried it and placed it with the other grain… About the 10th load the working ant started shaking more and more. He was all alone. After the 10th load another ant fell in behind the working ant. Then another ant. Before long all the ants were working together… The next morning there were several tunnels under construction.
I went the next day to the library and studied ants. There are IGNITER ANTS. They seem to get real excited and start working . After they start working they start shaking. This shaking gives off a sweet fragrance. This ant is called an IGNITER. The sweet fragrance is picked up by the other ants. The one ant starts the whole work for the ant farm. Soon all the others chime in and the unity of the whole work comes about because of ONE ANT GETTING EXCITED AND STARTS THE WORK ALONE.
IT IS NO SECRET WHAT GOD CAN DO. IF HE HAD A FEW LOVE IGNITERS, FAITHFUL TO THEIR POST OF DUTY.
What could GOD ACCOMPLISH IF WE HAD SOME IGNITERS IN THE CAMP? Do not be disheartened when your world crashing in, the end seems crushing. There is no night, for in his light… you can always feel at home… We may long for added strength… It is no secret what God can do… with arms wide open, God pardons you. there is no night, you will never walk alone. THERE IS NO POWER CAN CONQUER YOU WHILE GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE… DON’T RUN AWAY AND HIDE… GOD CAN.
IN A WORLD WHERE YOU CAN DO ANYTHING: BE KIND! WHERE DOES WORRY, FEAR, LOSE OF HOPE COME?
Psalm 56:3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.
Psalm 56:3 (MSG) When I get really afraid I come to you in trust.
Psalm 56:3 (NLT2) But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you.
DO WE HAVE LESSONS TO LEARN? EACH DAY IS A GIFT… YOUR CHOICE: TODAY IS A GOOD DAY TO HAVE A GOOD DAY! THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
Luke 6:41 And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye? 42 Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother's eye.
A PERSON CONVINCE THEIR WILL, IS OF THE SAME OPINION STILL.
1 ACCEPT PEOPLE AS THEY ARE. 2 DON’T TRY TO FORCE OTHERS TO YOUR MIND SET. 3. LET PEOPLE GO. THEY WILL DO WHAT THEY WANT TO DO. 4. ACCEPT YOU NEED TO CHANGE YOURSELF.
YOU HAVE A CHOICE HOW YOU WILL HANDLE THE PROBLEMS YOU FACE. SOMEBODY STOPPED UP MY WELL OF LIVING WATER. THE FAMILY AND FRIENDS NEED THIS WELL. NEW YEAR? NEW MONTH? NEW WEEK? NEW DAY? WE MUST ACCEPT WE NEED RESILIENCE.
*RESILIENCE: to spring back, adapt to setbacks, to overcome stress, to face adversity, to bounce back, the capacity to withstand or recover quickly from difficulties; toughness.
A tree has to overcome storms and winds. How do you deal with your disappointments? Try again with a new strategy. Setbacks may be set up for the BEST IS YET OT COME. What are we learning… Resilience involves thinking pattern, attitudes, actions, words, optimistic thoughts. WE SHALL OVERCOME. Trauma, crisis, disagreements and stress are part of anyone’s daily life. HOW WILL I DEAL WITH THIS?
Genesis 26:15 For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.
Genesis 26: 18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.
Resilience: THE LORD HAS MADE ROOM FOR US… WE SHALL BE FRUITFUL!
Genesis 26:22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land
WHAT IS RESILIENCE? Do we have the ability to recover from setbacks and keep digging the wells. Part of a good life is learning how to overcome the ups and downs of daily life. Will we prepare our hearts to face disappointments and crushing… This obstacle could be a challenge. We must refuse to let problems and disappointments knock us down. How do we get up and face our difficulties. We must keep digging the wells and stay optimistic in FAITH.
* WE FALL! WE BREAK! WE FAIL! --- WE WILL RISE! WE WILL HEAL! WE SHALL OVERCOME.
WE MUST SEEK RESILIENCE! GET UP. TRY AGAIN. WHILE WE SEEK FOR PERFECTION…
WE SHALL NEVER FIND THE PERFECT FAMILY, THE PERFECT PERSON, THE PERFECT PASTOR OR THE PERFECT CHURCH… KNOW THIS FOR A FACT WE HAVE A PERFECT GOD, A PERFECT SAVIOR, JESUS; AND A PERFECT HOLY GHOST.
FOUR DAYS LATE? Lazarus? WE SERVE AN ON TIME GOD.
Sunday our Sunday School teacher, Larry quoted JOHN SEVERE, A STORY OF RESILIENCE EVERY PERSON SHOULD LEARN.
*WRITE THIS IN YOUR HEART. IF WE DON’T RISK BEING HURT, WE CANNOT GIVE UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. UNCONDITIONAL LOVE GIVES OTHERS THE RIGHT (PERMISSION) TO HURT US.
Me: A oearl develops over time because of an imperfection, a hurt lodging in the shell. The oyster starts secretion that coats the imperfection. One layer, then another until a valuable treasure is formed. THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE. Will we declare: THE BEST IS YET TO COME.
RESILIENCE: GOOD DOES NOT THROW THE CLAY AWAY. GOD IS THE POTTER, WE ARE THE CLAY… WHAT DO WE DO WHEN THE CLAY IS MARRED. Empty and broken --- he started over again… We will face challenges and trials … press for the truth
Jeremiah 18:4 And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.
5 Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
6 O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of Israel.
CONCLUSION: WE REALIZE FEAR CAN HAVE TWO MEANINGS: FORGET EVERYTHING AND RUN! WE CAN DEFINE FEAR AS: FACE EVERYTHING AND RISE! I guess the choice belongs in our words and attitudes. We have ask us to make a declaration that the BEST IS YET TO COME. Will we declare God’s word is truth? I will stand on the promises of a mighty God. I refuse to be bound by fear. Defeat is one word I refuse to speak.Faith is powerful. Faith and resilience does not have to ask God to stop the storms. FAITH SAYS GOD I WILL TRUST YOU TO HELP ME OVERCOME THE STORMS OF LIFE. My friend, we need to dream more! Listen more. Love more. Hope more. We need to argue less. Worry and fear less. Doubt less. Complain less. IT IS TIME TO BE RESILIENT.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com (YouTube: Wade Hughes)
