The Beautiful Letdown
Living God’s Way – part 8
1 Peter 4:12-19
One day – a tough, strong fisherman leaned up against a wall, grabbed a pen, a piece of paper and guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote the words that we as a church 2,000 years later have been studying – for 8 weeks now
FRIENDS – the words, the lesson, the truths that we have looked at so far have been incredible. This first letter from Peter is full of powerful principles for living God’s way.
YOU KNOW – I can almost see Peter sitting there as writing to them and to us. Writing to people he loves, writing to fellow travelers in this journey of faith, writing to men and women who THOUGH headed to heaven still lived a world where at times things got hard AND living God’s way got tough… AND – so the aged fisherman leans forward and writes (guided by the Holy Spirit)
Remember who you are; you are God’s people… REMEMBER - that you are not home yet, that you have an inheritance that can NEVER be destroyed; that God’s power is protecting you… that you are saved… AND…
Choose to be different then the world; choose to be holy, choose to be the light that this lost and dark world so desperately needs… choose to live different lives…
AND – Peter moves his pen and writes;
Think right about who you really are – look into God’s mirror, see yourself through the eyes of your God, Father and Creator; stare into that divine mirror AND let it remind you that you ARE; acceptable, valuable, forgivable and that you are here for a purpose… (Hey – close your eyes and take a moment to look into that mirror right now)
AND – then he writes, my fellow travelers…
Never forget that somebody is watching you – everyday – all the time, THERFORE use it as an opportunity to shine for Christ. AND YOU WILL – shine bright when you; stay away from temptation, show respect for all authority, act right in your marriages and by seek God in your suffering…
AND – then Peter lifts his pen off the paper, leans back and pauses for a moment. He’s thinking about the prayer of Jesus in the garden… The prayer for the church being one, united, together, getting along… He thinks of the times in his life when his actions and attitudes were far from being an answer to that prayer… THEN – peter lean forward and as he writes he feels the holy Spirit guide the pen;
Here’s how to diffuse conflict in your relationships – and my friends, you need to do it God’s way. LISTEN - God knows exactly what attitudes will help your relationships (all of them); BE - humble, understanding and compassionate with each other; manage your mouth better it keeps getting you into trouble, be commitment to the relationship let each other know that even though times are hard your not going anywhere and perhaps most of all forgive each other – remember how much the Lord has and does forgive you…
NOW PETER – could hardly wait to pen these next words…
BUILD Your Hope On Brick - I am deeply troubled that so many of you are choosing to build your hope on sticks and straw… On people, relationships, jobs, money.. Aren’t you growing weary of having that big and very bad wolf come by, huff and puff and blow your hope down… Aren’t you tired of living that way?
FRIENDS – God offers you bricks to build your hope on… Bricks that can withstand the wolf. Powerful promises that no storm or circumstance can EVER blow away (REMEMBER - as my good friend Paul wrote; nothing can separate you from the hope you have in Christ; Death can’t, and life can’t. The angels can’t, and the demons can’t. Our fears for today, our worries about tomorrow, and even the powers of hell can’t)
MY FRIENDS - here are the bricks… YOU - decide if they are worth building your hope on; God is watching over you; No one can really harm you God will reward your suffering; Christ has brought you safely home to God; Christ has total control of everything. Peter lifts his pen for just a moment… AS – he thinks of the very real battle that we are in… He thinks of that powerful enemy, that roaring lion who is looking for someone to devour… This causes him to firmly grip his pen and write..
Arm yourselves with the attitude of Christ, arm yourselves with selflessness!!! YES – I know it’s hard to die to yourself; I’m still working on it myself; BUT – let me tell some things that have helped me to become a little bit more selfless; just say no to sin; don’t be wrongly influenced; pray as if the end is near; love each other deeply; open up your homes, seek to out-serve others and run away (fast) from personal glory…
AND NOW – Peter really lean in – because he knows that he is at the heart of the entire letter. He knows that he is about to talk about one of IF NOT THE most important truths of life… YOU KNOW – I can almost see that tough fisherman; wrinkle his sun-weary brow, grip just a little firmer on his pen, press a little harder onto the paper… as he writes, “My dear friends; sit back, take a deep breathe, prepare your heart and mind because I am now going to tell you about the beautiful letdown…
12Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. 13But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed. 14If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. 15If you suffer, it should not be as a murderer or thief or any other kind of criminal, or even as a meddler. 16However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bear that name. 17For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who do not obey the gospel of God? 18And, "If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" 19So then, those who suffer according to God’s will should commit themselves to their faithful Creator and continue to do good.
The title for this mornings message is; “The Beautiful Letdown” – it is the title cut from one my new favorite groups last CD (Switchfoot).
QUESTION – have you ever noticed that life is full of letdowns?
AND – have you noticed that these letdowns come in various shapes and sizes? There are:
• Physical letdowns
• Relational letdowns
• Financial letdowns
• And emotional letdowns
In our text today – Peter as he continues to talk to believers (who were undergoing some serious; trails, hardships, suffering and letdowns…) Is going to try to get them to see these letdowns from a different perspective. Peter is going to give both them and us a different way of looking at our trails and difficulties. He is going to help us to see our letdowns in a much different light…
FRIENDS – this is a very important message for you & I today… NOW – I know that I say this a lot. AND – I want you to know that every time that I say it, I am convinced that it is true… THIS – is perhaps one of the most important messages I have ever shared with you.
YOU SEE – the spiritual life is a journey and as you come closer and closer to your final destination each steps becomes a little more important…
YES – THIS is a very important message for you & I today…Why? BECAUSE - our life is full of letdowns…
You’ve been letdown in the past… You’ll be let down in the future. AND – some here, are at this very feeling the pain, the hurt & the agony of a letdown… LISTEN – it is God’s intention this morning to help you to see your letdowns in a different light, in a divine light, in a light that will actually make them beautiful…
Prayer…
The first point in your outline THIS morning is;
Don’t Be Surprised
Peter writes in verse 12; Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.
LISTEN – when life let’s you down… When bad things happen.. when hardships, difficulties come your way you should not be surprised. IN FACT - Peter is saying that you should actually expect them…
Let me give you a couple of reasons why – you should not be surprised that this life is full of letdowns?
ONE REASON – is because;
The Bible tells you to expect letdowns…
IN FACT – I don’t think the bible could make it any clearer…This week I did a word search of the New Testament – and I found that the words; hardships, trials, troubles, suffering & difficulties are used over 135 times…
DID YOU KNOW – that Peter uses the word suffer 18 times and the word trials 2 times in 1 Peter. That means almost 1 out of ever 4 verse in 1 Peter is talking about letdowns.
NOW - let me read 2 of the many verses in the bible that should teach you & I, not to be surprised that our lives are sometimes full of letdowns…
They preached (Paul & Barnabas) the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said. Acts 14:21,22
We MUST go through what?
AND – Paul writes;
“For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him.” Philippians 1:29
Paul in that verse actually calls suffering a what?
A 2nd reason why we should not be surprised by suffering is because;
God’s people have always suffered
IN – Hebrews 11 , we find a listing of the great people of faith found in the OT. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David – and may others… AND – everyone one of those people had letdowns in their life..
Moses was rejected by his people – forced to flee into the desert and tend sheep for 40 years. David – was pursued by a crazy king who tried to kill him, he had a son as an infant and another son try to steal take his throne by force…
The Hebrew wraps up this chapter with these words…
“Some were mocked, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in dungeons. 37Some died by stoning, and some were sawed in half; others were killed with the sword. Some went about in skins of sheep and goats, hungry and oppressed and mistreated. 38They were too good for this world. They wandered over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. 39All of these people we have mentioned received God’s approval because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.”
Paul wrote about suffering a lot in 2 Corinthians
“I think you ought to know, dear brothers and sisters, about the trouble we went through in the province of Asia. We were crushed and completely overwhelmed, and we thought we would never live through it.” 2 Cor 1:8 (NLT)
“We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed and broken. We are perplexed, but we don’t give up and quit. 9We are hunted down, but God never abandons us. We get knocked down, but we get up again and keep going. 10Through suffering, these bodies of ours constantly share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. 11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be obvious in our dying bodies.“ 2 Cor 4:8-11 (NLT)
“Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
AND Jesus offered this commendation to the church at Ephesus;
“You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary”
We should NOT be surprised when we have letdowns BECAUSE…
God’s people have always suffered
The church in the NT suffered
AND – don’t forget the one we are to follow Christ – suffered…
“He was hated and rejected;
his life was filled with sorrow
and terrible suffering.
No one wanted to look at him.
We despised him and said,
"He is a nobody!" - Is 53:3 (CEV)
AND – a 3rd reason why we should not be surprised at letdowns is;
Because we live in this world…
AGAIN – Peter says; “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you…”
NOW - the word translated strange means alien or foreign. QUESTION – have you ever done something – that once you did it, even though it kind of surprised you BUT – it shouldn’t have? I’ve done that quite a lot.
AND – one time in particular really sticks out in my mind. It was about 12 years ago. I was in bible college and was a youth sponsor at Poinciana Christian Church. We took about 14 teens camping. Had a blast (scared them – left them – collapsed tent on them). WELL – one night we had this fire going. We threw marshmallows in it and – it was awesome to watch them expand and explode. At one point I tossed a coke can into the fire. It started to glow…(it was cool). BUT THEN - I noticed that the coke can was not really in the best place to really heat up. I thought, “hey I need to move that coke can,’ SO – I reached in with my hand picked it up to move it. NOW – when I did that I acted surprised…BUT I should not have…
AND - if Peter was sitting by that fire with me he probably would have said; “Steve why did you act surprised that you burned your hands, when you grab a glowing hot coke can that is sitting in the middle of a roaring fire as if something strange was happening to you…”
“Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you…”
UNDERSTAND – Peter has told this guys more than once that are not home yet, that they are foreigners and aliens living in a strange land (in a land where the coke can is not where it should be – it’s in the fire). Peter has told them and us – that we live In a world that is kind of messed up – so we should not be surprised when we have troubles and are let down…
Jesus – has just left the upper room after washing the feet of the disciples. He walking to the garden. On the way he is teaching them many things… AND – as they enter the garden Jesus concludes his teaching with these words;
“I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world." John 16:33 (NLT)
CIRCLE - ”Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows..”
SO – why are you & I so surprised? Why (when let down) do we act as though something strange is happening to us? FRIENDS – as long as you & I live on this earth we will have many letdowns…
Why? Because this world is not our home, Because we are living in a foreign land.
YOU SEE - this world has been messed up ever since the fall. UNDERSTAND - we were not meant to live here.
Get it?
LISTEN - you should not be surprised when a letdown comes your way as if something strange has happened…
Because the bible tells us we will suffer
Because God’s people have always suffered
Because we live in this world.
SO – I have a made you day?
Do feel better?
Encouraged?
Glad you came?
I MEAN - are you pumped up and excited by the reality that there will be a great number of trials, hardships and letdowns in your future?
BUT – before you start looking for sharp objects let me tell you the rest of the story. Because of the title of this message suggests, letdowns are beautiful…
CHECKOUT – these passages from the word of God that speak to this truth….
“Dear brothers and sisters, whenever trouble comes your way, let it be an opportunity for joy…” James 1:2 (NLT)
We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us--they help us learn to endure. 4And endurance develops strength of character in us, and character strengthens our confident expectation of salvation. Romans 5:3,4 (NLT)
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. Romans 8:18
Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 2 Cor 4:16,17
“I have great confidence in you; I take great pride in you. I am greatly encouraged; in all our troubles my joy knows no bounds.” 2 Cor 7:4
OKAY – what I want to do now is talk about how a letdown can be beautiful… That’s what the first 3 points in your outline are about…
FIRST – a letdown is beautiful because;
It Reminds You That You Don’t Belong Here…
it was a beautiful letdown, when I crashed and burned
when I found myself alone, unknown and hurt
it was a beautiful letdown, the day I knew
that the riches this world had to offer me, would never do
In a world full of bitter pain, And bitter doubt
I was trying so hard to fit in, Until I found out
I don’t belong here, I don’t belong here
Peter writes…
“Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. 13Instead, be very glad--because these trials will make you partners with Christ in his suffering, and afterward you will have the wonderful joy of sharing his glory when it is displayed to all the world.”
- 1 Pe 4:12,13
QUESTION – when will Christ’s glory be displayed to all the world?
ANSWER - when he returns to this world, unveiled in all His glory to take us home…when he comes to take us home to heaven…
FRIENDS – we do not belong here. THIS world is not our final destination. THIS – is not our home! Get it?
NOW – those people in Hebrews 11 – they got it? they lived it. CHECK this OUT;
“Each one of these people of faith died not yet having in hand what was promised, but still believing. How did they do it? They saw it way off in the distance, waved their greeting, and accepted the fact that they were transients in this world. 14People who live this way make it plain that they are looking for their true home. 15If they were homesick for the old country, they could have gone back any time they wanted. 16But they were after a far better country than that--heaven country. You can see why God is so proud of them, and has a City waiting for them. Hebrews 11:13-16 (msg)
LISTEN – YOU don’t belong here. YOU - are headed some place else. YOU - are headed to a far better country. YOU - are headed to your true home. YOU - are headed to heaven. YOU - are headed to a perfect world.
YOU – are headed to a world w/o; bitter pain and bitter doubt, a world without hurt, sorrow, death, disease, fear, failure, AND YOU – are headed to a world with – the presence of God as an every moment reality… BUT – we are not there yet… Someday but not now…
LISTEN – you will NEVER live in perfection in this life. UNDERSTAND - in this world, there will be NO PERFECT…
• Life
• Relationships
• Jobs
• Health
• Days
• Vacations
• anything
It’s just NOT going to happen, ever. SO – stop tying to make it happen. AND START – to see the beauty of your letdowns… START – allowing your letdowns to remind you that you don’t belong here (“I don’t belong here”).. START – allowing your them to remind you that you really are headed to a better place – to your true home.
LET – me share person example here… I hope you don’t mind. BUT – this journey I am finding myself in right now is unbelievable. AND – I am convinced that it is a journey that we all will take or at least should take.
AGAIN – it has to do with Laurie and my recent trip to California. Right from the outset I put a lot of pressure on myself about this vacation. I wanted it to be perfect. We were investing a lot of time and money and I wanted it to be the best vacation I ever had. Perfect places, perfect food, perfect hotels, I wanted Laurie and I to have a perfect unbelievable time of relating together, I want to have mountaintop experiences with God everyday, when I went to Saddleback and Mosaic (the churches we went to out there) – I wanted to be inspired like I never have been in my life… AND – I knew when we got back, everyone was waiting to here how perfect it was…
WELL – there is no such thing as perfect (In out Burger came real close). It was a great time don’t get me wrong. BUT there were some hard beds, flimsy pillows, bad food, wrong turns, missed exists, missed meals…
The Saturday after we came back (Sept 13th) I was doing my QT before working on my message – let me share with you; some of what I wrote…
Read from journal….
The second thing that makes a letdown beautiful is that;
It Draws You Near To God…
“Count it a blessing when you suffer for being a Christian. This shows that God’s glorious Spirit is with you.” 1 Peter 4:14
CIRCLE; ”God’s glorious Spirit is with you…”
UNDERSTAND – God being with you, YOU drawing near to Him is the sole purpose of this earthly life. AND LISTEN - though I have known this intellectually – for years, I have not in own spiritual journey consistently lived like knowing God was the most important thing…
YOU SEE – for so long I have had the wrong focus as a Christian and as a pastor. Trying to uncover in God’s word; (the principles, the methods, the ways the things) THAT I could do in order to make life better, to make it work right.. Ways – to minimize the pain, the hardships, the sufferings and the letdowns…
AND – after I uncovered what I thought were these principles – I would try to apply them to my walk – and I would stand before you and say; “Do these things and life will go well for you.”
AND - many times my goal in practicing spiritual disciplines has been (when I take off the wrappings –I had so skillfully covered them with - NOT to know God but to live the kind of life that God will bless)..
YOU SEE – I keep trying to make this world my home. I keep rearranging chairs on the deck of the Titanic. I keep redecorating my hotel room. As if this is the only place I will ever be. AND – in so doing I have missed the entire purpose of life, knowing God. Being in His presence for who he is NOT for what he can do for me…
GUYS – let me real honest with you. God is really shaking up my spiritual walk right now and I am pretty pumped up about it.
AND – as He always does God is using all kinds of things the get my attention;
• Failures
• Frustrations
• Disappointments
• His word
• Music (Switchfoot)
• Books (Larry Crabb)
YOU SEE – for God to really move me forward in my spiritual journey He had to first get me to see where I really was… he had to help me find that little red dot on the map of my spiritual life – that says, you are here”
AND FRANKLY – where I am is at a place where I (enjoy, desire & pursue) God’s blessings more than I pursue God. IN FACT – this is pretty much where I have been my entire Christian life.
Larry Crabb in His awesome book, ‘The Pressures Off, There’s A New Way To Live’ calls this the ‘law of linearity..’ YOU KNOW - A leads to B; if you want B all I have to do is find A then do it.
FOR – years I have desired a better life – for things to work out the way I want… And I have been looking for and pursuing with passion the A to get that B. AND – for the last 23 years God has been my A – to get my B of a better life.
In many ways I am like the prodigal in Luke 15 – you remember the story Jesus told of a rich man whose son came up to him one day and told him – that he didn’t want to wait for his inheritance – that he wanted it now… AND – once the Father gave it to him the son left home and went to far away land.
YOU SEE – far too often I have treated God just like that prodigal son. “God I really don’t want to know you – I don’t really care to have a deep relationship with you, I just want you to bless my life and make things work.. and could you please hurry up so I can be on my way…” Though not a pretty picture it’s a pretty accurate one of my life – and perhaps a few lives out there…
As Larry describes it; “”We prefer a vending machine God to a sovereign, personal one. No one cuddles up to a vending machine. We insert the proper change, pull the appropriate lever, reach for our treat, then enjoy it as we walk away..”
FRIENDS – the greatest thing in life – is not the blessings of life BUT that you and I can know God. AND – I am no longer satisfied just knowing that truth – I want to live it… I want that truth to literally consume..
LISTEN - the all-powerful God, the God who carved the entire universe with just a spoken word wants me to know to Him… Wants to really hang out with me.. AND – because of Christ I can draw close, the barriers are gone… I can really know God! Knowing God is what life is all about… Jesus said it like this;
“Eternal life is to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, the one you sent.” John 17:3
LISTEN - letdowns are beautiful because they are opportunities for us to draw closer to God… That is what we really want – that is what we really need. God never wastes a hurt, he never wastes a letdown – he wants them to draw you to Him.
Larry Crabb, in his book “Shattered Dreams,” (another way of saying letdowns)
“Our shattered dreams are never random. They are always a piece in a larger puzzle, a chapter in a larger story. Pain is a tragedy. But it’s never only a tragedy. For the Christian it’s always a necessary mile on the long journey to joy. The suffering caused by shattered dreams must not be thought of as something to relieve if we can or endure if we must. It’s an opportunity to be embraced, a chance to discover our desire for the highest blessing God wants to give us, an encounter with himself.
FRIENDS - do you see what Larry is saying?
Shattered dreams, letdowns, pain and hardships are a beautiful reminder that our greatest desire, that living water, that real life – is not about being blessed and life going well BUT it’s about knowing God – being in his presence – AND that being enough .
FRIENDS – it is not a coincidence that in my life the times I experienced the most growth, the most joy… The times I was most aware of God’s presence has been during times of pain, trials and suffering… YOU SEE - those letdowns served as a wake up call and drove me to God.
YES - we – you and I can know God.
AND INSTEAD – we choose the blessing over the creator. We are like children who are offered a 1,000 bill BUT instead choose a bright shinny dime.
NOW – I don’t know about you BUT I am really tried of choosing that shiny dime… I want to live my life in a new way. I want that 1crisp eternal 1,000 dollar bill. I want to God. AND – I am beginning feel Paul’s cry in Phil 3:10 welling up in my own heart… “I want to know Christ!”
BUT - I am only really beginning this journey of pursuing the higher dream – of pursuing the presence of God as my #1 passion… AND – having that presence be enough.
In his book, ‘The Pressures Off, There’s A New Way To Live,’ - Larry talks about a guy who was so much further a long in this journey toward a better dream;
It was a Sunday, about 2,000 years ago. As John wrote about what happened, he tells us that he was “in the Spirit” – indicating I think, that a sense of expectancy seized him, likely after many desperate days of waiting on God to meet him on the rock he called home. The apostle was an old man, living in the prison of a barren island, exiled there for the crime of preaching Jesus, eating poorly, sleeping uncomfortably, performing hard labor that not even a 20 year old should be forced to do, aware that the band of disciples was gone (most of them martyred), and discouraged by the spiritual condition of several local churches.
If he had followed the hopes of enjoying a better life, he would by now have been sorely disillusioned. But then Christ appeared to him. NOTICE – however, what didn’t happen when he appeared. Christ did not bring John a mattress. He did not spread a table with good food. He did not magically lift John off Patmos and set him on the mainland to hold seminars in Sardis & Laodicea.
What did happen was far better. The Spirit revealed Jesus Christ. I can hear John saying, “My life is miserable, but I ask not for sympathy, not for help, and not for a miracle. Just give me Jesus!” AND – that’s what the Spirit did. It’s a prayer God always, eventually answers.
The Jesus whom John met that day did not appear as the gentle carpenter, the loving teacher, the good friend who had once invited John to lean on his chest after dinner.
LISTEN – to John describe the Jesus he saw that day:
His head and his hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And his eyes were bright like flames of fire. 15His feet were as bright as bronze refined in a furnace, and his voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16He held seven stars in his right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from his mouth. And his face was as bright as the sun in all its brilliance.
Small wonder that when John saw Him, he fell at His feet as dead. NOT EVEN for a moment did it occur to him to say, “Could you get me off this rock? And I really would like a cup of hot coffee. It’s cold in this miserable place.
More is available to us in Jesus Christ than we dare to imagine. There’s more to Jesus Christ than we’ve ever dreamed. WE EXPERIENCE so little of Him when we approach Him only with requests. WE TASTE so little of the mouth stopping, complaint-ending, desire-deepening awe that His presence creates when we think more about our problems and how to solve them than about meeting Him. WE EXPERIENCE so little of the joy that sustains us in suffering and the hope that anchors us amid shattered dreams when we come to Him looking for the pathway out of hardships INTEAD of the pathway into His presence.
Don’t be surprised that your life is full of letdowns…
The bible says there will be
God’s people have always suffered
This word is not your home
AND – when those letdowns come learn to embrace them; learn to see them as beautiful
BECAUSE;
They are a powerful remind that you don’t belong here
AND - they will draw you closer to God…
Testimony – John Shipman…
Letdowns are beautiful
They remind you that you don’t belong here
That can draw you closer to God
AND – last letdowns are beautiful because they;
Cause You To Shine For Him…
Peter writes;
“So if you are suffering according to God’s will, keep on doing what is right, and trust yourself to the God who made you, for he will never fail you…”
FRIENDS..
When in the midst of your letdowns – you trust God & continue to do what is right…
When you let them remind of a better hope and an awesome future…
When they draw you closer to God
You will live a different kind of life; a bright life, a shiny life..
In a world of darkness…
AND – the world will stand in awe NOT at you BUT at your God…
