Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest. - Proverbs 14:4
When I was a 7 year old we moved to a brand new neighborhood. It was a brand spanking new house! One of my favorite things was to play in streets filled with red clay from the land, plastic pipe and wood and other building materials as bulldozers would be left behind for us to play on. The job site was a beautiful mess from a 7 year old boys point of view. There was always all sorts of trash from workers, and is generally a mess. The houses looked ugly; all of their insides were exposed as they were being being pieced together. It was good for us that this process is necessary to get to the finished product. When completed, the homes were gorgeous. The landscaping looked like they came out of a home-design magazine. Everything would go from "MESS!" to clean and perfect in order for the new homeowner to move in.
I am sure you get the picture. The Christian life is just like this. Often we must go through s messy period of our lives in which all aspects of it are in chaos (Or, at least it feels that way to us). It is in these times that God builds out new aspects of His human tabernacle. He might remove some structural timbers in our lives and replace them with new ones. He might even add on another room. And unless this process takes place, we will never see the end product. The goal the Father aims at is for his kids to exhibit greater Christlikeness. In order to achieve this in us, He requires a period of breaking away what is not "of Him" and replacing it with new appliances and buildings; all that is not of Him replaced with all that is "of Him!"
It can be a painful process. But when the pain and messy start be lifted up! A brand new awesome wing of who you are will be coming forth. Years ago a song was penned that had this lyric line:
Sometimes a shadow dark and cold - Lays like a mist across the road - But be encouraged by the sight - Where there's a shadow, there's is light
Where there is a mess there is, out of the midst of it great beauty, power and strength
It would be impossible to keep oxen in a barn without having to clean up the mess from time to time. It just comes with the territory, but the result of the oxen is an abundant and useful harvest. God may be allowing a mess in order to ensure a fruitful harvest in your life. Learn from Him so that you might experience the fulfillment of His purposes for you in these times.
One other thought, those messes are not just created unilaterally and they are not cleaned up and that order is not just built in this world by one man or one woman. God creates or allows the messes to come through people. He uses people to build order. In the midst of the beauty of building he encourages us to gather to ourselves others in the building process. At Vision Reach we would love to be on your team. We would love to be your coach, your encourager, your exhorter; someone that helps to keep you on task and on purpose.
Join Cindy and I today in the adventure of an eternal lifetime!
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
Showing posts with label depressions. Show all posts
Showing posts with label depressions. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
O' Death You Do Ride On...
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. - Revelation 6:8
A few years ago I read this excerpt from a book by Chuck Swindoll: The path of the pale horse named Death, mentioned in Revelation 6:8, is littered with bitterness, sorrow, fear, and grief. This ashen stallion started his lengthy journey ages ago and races through time with steady beat and dreadful regularity. As long as we exist in the land of the dying, we shall hear the somber knell of his hoofbeats.
I just received the second E-Mail in as many days from friends who have lost loved ones. The loss in each case was not just that death marched on but that, what was preventable for the time being wasn't. In two days two individuals who were deeply loved by their family took their own lives. Sadly, some people hurry their appointment with death. Painful though it may be to hear and accept, thousands of people will take their own lives during the next twelve months. For in our land, suicide is now almost an epidemic.
The acoustic/vocals band The Thorns sing this thought...
Among the living you'll find the dying
Waiting softly to pass on
Why can't a love be like a spirit
As it floats up to the sky - Among the Living, The Thorns
Once every minute someone in the United States attempts suicide.
In this country, there are 24% more deaths by suicide than by murder.
Suicide is the number 9 cause of adult death in the USA. For Americans between fifteen and thirty years of age, it is the number 3 cause of death. It is the number 2 cause among teenagers.
Four out of five people who commit suicide have tried it previously. Those who are unsuccessful usually try again.
Contrary to popular opinion, people who threaten suicide often mean it. Threats should be taken seriously.
Thankfully, suicidal individuals usually communicate their feelings before acting, thus making this irrevocable act preventable if those who are close are wise and sensitive enough to read the signals.
Some of the warning signals or clues you should be aware of are 1) talk about suicide, 2) a sudden change in personality, 3) deep depression, 4) physical symptoms---sleeplessness, loss of appetite, decreased sexual drive, drastic weight loss, repeated exhaustion, 5) actual attempts, and 6) crisis situations---death of a loved one, failure at school, loss of job, marital or home problems, and a lengthy or terminal illness. These are certainly not "sure signs," but if any or several persist, please step in and offer help. Contact your physician or ask advice from your local Suicide Prevention Center's twenty-four-hour crisis line; you may also want to contact one of the spiritual leaders or officers of your church or a member of the pastoral staff. Such situations are often emergencies. To delay could result in tragic consequences.
Those who are strong need to bear the weaknesses of the weak - Romans 15:1. I think, many of us, when we consider our faith, do not think ourselves "strong." But, perhaps "stronger" than someone who is being overcome by a pale horse is all that is needed; just a little stronger. You may be the means that God uses in blocking the path of the pale horse!
Sometimes if we are to hear what is being said, we need to listen to what is not being said.
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
A few years ago I read this excerpt from a book by Chuck Swindoll: The path of the pale horse named Death, mentioned in Revelation 6:8, is littered with bitterness, sorrow, fear, and grief. This ashen stallion started his lengthy journey ages ago and races through time with steady beat and dreadful regularity. As long as we exist in the land of the dying, we shall hear the somber knell of his hoofbeats.
I just received the second E-Mail in as many days from friends who have lost loved ones. The loss in each case was not just that death marched on but that, what was preventable for the time being wasn't. In two days two individuals who were deeply loved by their family took their own lives. Sadly, some people hurry their appointment with death. Painful though it may be to hear and accept, thousands of people will take their own lives during the next twelve months. For in our land, suicide is now almost an epidemic.
The acoustic/vocals band The Thorns sing this thought...
Among the living you'll find the dying
Waiting softly to pass on
Why can't a love be like a spirit
As it floats up to the sky - Among the Living, The Thorns
Once every minute someone in the United States attempts suicide.
In this country, there are 24% more deaths by suicide than by murder.
Suicide is the number 9 cause of adult death in the USA. For Americans between fifteen and thirty years of age, it is the number 3 cause of death. It is the number 2 cause among teenagers.
Four out of five people who commit suicide have tried it previously. Those who are unsuccessful usually try again.
Contrary to popular opinion, people who threaten suicide often mean it. Threats should be taken seriously.
Thankfully, suicidal individuals usually communicate their feelings before acting, thus making this irrevocable act preventable if those who are close are wise and sensitive enough to read the signals.
Some of the warning signals or clues you should be aware of are 1) talk about suicide, 2) a sudden change in personality, 3) deep depression, 4) physical symptoms---sleeplessness, loss of appetite, decreased sexual drive, drastic weight loss, repeated exhaustion, 5) actual attempts, and 6) crisis situations---death of a loved one, failure at school, loss of job, marital or home problems, and a lengthy or terminal illness. These are certainly not "sure signs," but if any or several persist, please step in and offer help. Contact your physician or ask advice from your local Suicide Prevention Center's twenty-four-hour crisis line; you may also want to contact one of the spiritual leaders or officers of your church or a member of the pastoral staff. Such situations are often emergencies. To delay could result in tragic consequences.
Those who are strong need to bear the weaknesses of the weak - Romans 15:1. I think, many of us, when we consider our faith, do not think ourselves "strong." But, perhaps "stronger" than someone who is being overcome by a pale horse is all that is needed; just a little stronger. You may be the means that God uses in blocking the path of the pale horse!
Sometimes if we are to hear what is being said, we need to listen to what is not being said.
I remain...
InHISgrip,
~J~
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