Saturday, January 26, 2019
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Wednesday, January 23, 2019
STUCK IN A RUT-Rev.M.D. Rogers
We come to this text this today to watch a man's journey from
adversity to impotency. HIS ADVERSITY led to his despondency, his
despondency lead him to complacency, and his complacency resulted in
his impotence.
That's his story, adversity, despondency, complacency, and impotence.
In that massive sea of human weakness and personal suffering was a
man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. The King James Version
translates John 5:6 as "He had been now a long time in that case. The
New American Standard says "He had been there a long time".The New
International Version says "When Jesus saw him lying there and
learned that he had been in this condition for a long time". For
thirty eight years he had been sick.
I'm not sure this text says that he had been around that pool for
thirty eight years, but it does say he had been in that condition for
thirty-eight years. Never forget that your physical condition and
your mental attitude live so close to each other that they catch each
other's diseases. This man had been physically infirm (weak,
feeble and sickly) for so long that his mental attitude had also
become negatively impaired.
Write it in bold letters on the flannel board of your mental
awareness that …GOD HAD ONLY ONE SON WITHOUT SIN. HE HAS NO SON
WITHOUT SUFFERING OR SETBACKS. Adversity makes visitation to all of
our homes. Adversity knows your address. Adversity knows your zip
code. Adversity knows your telephone number. Adversity knows your
cell phone number. Adversity knows your beeper number and your e-mail
address. Adversity shows up as setbacks, hardships, disappointments,
obstacles, heartaches, burdens to bear, and crosses to carry.
All of us at one time or another has a reason to complain, to
express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction or resentment. You don't
know how blessed you are, until you compare your setbacks to the
setbacks of others.
despondency lead him to complacency, and his complacency resulted in
his impotence.
That's his story, adversity, despondency, complacency, and impotence.
In that massive sea of human weakness and personal suffering was a
man who had been sick for thirty-eight years. The King James Version
translates John 5:6 as "He had been now a long time in that case. The
New American Standard says "He had been there a long time".The New
International Version says "When Jesus saw him lying there and
learned that he had been in this condition for a long time". For
thirty eight years he had been sick.
I'm not sure this text says that he had been around that pool for
thirty eight years, but it does say he had been in that condition for
thirty-eight years. Never forget that your physical condition and
your mental attitude live so close to each other that they catch each
other's diseases. This man had been physically infirm (weak,
feeble and sickly) for so long that his mental attitude had also
become negatively impaired.
Write it in bold letters on the flannel board of your mental
awareness that …GOD HAD ONLY ONE SON WITHOUT SIN. HE HAS NO SON
WITHOUT SUFFERING OR SETBACKS. Adversity makes visitation to all of
our homes. Adversity knows your address. Adversity knows your zip
code. Adversity knows your telephone number. Adversity knows your
cell phone number. Adversity knows your beeper number and your e-mail
address. Adversity shows up as setbacks, hardships, disappointments,
obstacles, heartaches, burdens to bear, and crosses to carry.
All of us at one time or another has a reason to complain, to
express feelings of pain, dissatisfaction or resentment. You don't
know how blessed you are, until you compare your setbacks to the
setbacks of others.
Complain, get angry, cuss and swear, express feelings of pain,
dissatisfaction or resentment. (2)You can RESIGN. You can accept
things as they are, rather than focusing on what things can become.
To resign means to submit to something, accept something without
complaining, to give up. (3) You can REJOICE. Rejoice that your
situation is not worst than it is. Rejoice that you have discovered a
way that won't work. Rejoice that you don't have to go through what
you are going through by yourself. (4) You can RE-AJUST. You can do
what you have to do to keep going.
It bears being said again. What happens to you is not nearly as
important as how you respond to it. You can whine or you can win. You
can cry or you can try. You can be setback by your setback or you can
use your setback as a set up for a come back. Painful Adversity can
keep you in a rut.
PITIFUL DESPONDENCY
By definition despondency means having lost one's hope or courage. It
means to become discouraged, to feel hopeless and helpless. Listen
again to his man sick for 38 years response in verse seven, "I have
no man (I'm helplessness) , when the water is troubled, to put me
into the pool: But when I am coming, another steppeth down before
me". (It's Hopelessness) . He says "I'm helpless and my situation is
hopeless." HE'S REHEARSING REASONS TO STAY IN A RUT.
When you are hounded by hurts
Pounded by problems
Manhandled by misfortures
Suffocated by suffering …it's easy to become despondent
Sadly, we have allowed adversity and despondency to steal our self
worth and snatch our joy. But to God we are priceless jewels. Malachi
3:17, " And they shall be mine , saith the Lord of host, in that day
when I make up my jewels ...." In Isaiah 62:3 he reminds us, "Thou
shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of the Lord, and a
royal diadem (royal crown) in the hand of thy God."
God wants you to step out of despondency. The scriptures provide
some valuable insight. Observe the STEPS TO STEPPING OUT OF
DESPONDENCY.
1. ACCEPT THE REALITY THAT SETBACKS ARE PART OF EVERYONE'S LIFE-even
yours.
Life isn't fair and bad things to happen to good people. Job 14:1
Jas. 1:2,3
2. TAKE OWNERSHIP OF YOUR ATTITUDE. We control our attitude. It is
not something that is genetically or environmentally determined. Each
of us can decide what our attitude is going to be. We can choose to
have a positive attitude or negative attitude.
4. LET GO OF THINGS THAT DON'T MATTER. Stop wasting energy on being
irritated and annoyed at things that really don't matter. Don't allow
every molehill to become a mountain for you. Remember, that ulcers
are the result of mountain climbing on molehills.
5. FIND PEOPLE WITH WHOM YOU CAN PROCESS THE SITUATION. Seek out
honest and trustworthy supporters who will not sugarcoat their
feedback or divert you with to much sympathy (a little reassurance
and empathy, are, however, always welcome!) Spiritual counseling is
always helpful when you are stuck in a rut. (Prov. 3:13-18; 4:13,14;
4:20-22)
Tuesday, December 25, 2018
Sunday, December 23, 2018
Thursday, December 13, 2018
If Christ Had Not Come by Rev.M.D.Rogers
John 15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin.We live in an age in which only one prejudice is tolerated – anti-Christian bigotry. Michael Novak, the eminent columnist, once said that today you can no longer hold up to public ridicule groups such as minorities or women or homosexuals or ethnic groups (and rightly so!), but the one group you can hold up to public mockery without penalty is Christians. Attacks on the church and Christianity are common in the media, and less conspicuously in our schools, universities and governments. Much of what we take for granted finds its roots in Christ and His teachings. And yet Christianity is ridiculed as an impediment to progress, a bane on humanity, and remains today the one safe target of contempt and prejudice.
But the truth is this: Had Jesus never been born, this world would be far more miserable than it is. Had the church never existed, some of earth’s greatest accomplishments would never have graced the pages of history. In fact, many of man’s noblest and kindest deeds find their motivation in simple love and willing service for the humble Carpenter of Nazareth named Jesus Christ.
Nineteen wide centuries have come and gone and today He is the central figure of the human race and the leader of progress. I am far within the mark when I say that all the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that One Solitary Life.
Consider the impact of Jesus Christ in just four areas:
1.THE VALUE OF HUMAN LIFE
Genesis 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
Prior to the coming of Christ, human life on this planet was expendable and exceedingly cheap, as it still is today in parts of the world where Christianity has not penetrated. And as we in North America abandon our Judaeo-Christian heritage and values, you will see life become increasing cheap once again!
In the ancient world, child sacrifice was a common phenomenon. It was a dangerous thing for a baby to be conceived in classical Rome or Greece; abortion was rampant and abandonment of
infants was commonplace. It was common for handicapped, or unwanted, or female babies to be taken out into the forest or the mountainside and left to be consumed by wild animals or to starve, or for others to pick them up for their own perverted ends.
2.THE WORTH OF WOMEN
John 8:11b And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Before Jesus came, a woman’s life was also very cheap. In ancient cultures, the wife was the property of the husband and women were generally declared not able or competent to be independent. In ancient religions like Hinduism, widows were voluntarily or involuntarily burned on their husbands’ funeral pyres, and many young girls were dedicated from birth to be temple prostitutes.
But then Jesus came! And He elevated women by treating them as equals. How ironic that feminists today do not give any credit to Christianity; in fact, they say it has oppressed women. In reality, the reverse is true. Had Jesus never come, the feminists who curse Him might not have lived more than a few weeks!
3.COMPASSION FOR THE POOR
Proverbs 14:21 He that despiseth his neighbour sinneth: but he that hath mercy on the poor, happy is he.
The world before Christianity was cold and unkind toward the underprivileged. Historical documents who no trace of any organized charitable effort. People who had problems were thought to have brought their circumstances upon themselves.
But then Jesus came! He set the great example of helping the poor and caring for the downtrodden, even when they were strangers. And while poverty has always been part of life on earth, the church has done more to alleviate it than any other institution in history. The early church actually attracted many of their converts because their kindness was such a contrast to Rome’s harshness. The vast majority of today’s charitable organizations had their start within the confines of the church.
4. PERSONAL LIBERTY
Corinthians 3:17 Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
Wherever the Word of the Lord has been preached, tyrants have trembled, despots have been cast from the throne, and people have become free. Liberty is a constant theme in the Word of God! Free speech is a gift from the church, founded by Jesus Christ! You’ll never hear a talk show in a Muslim country discussing whether Mohammed was really a prophet of Allah. You’ll never see a talk show in China discussing whether citizens should be allowed to leave China at will.
The great irony today is that many people use their civil liberties to rail against Christianity!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)