By Chris WittsMonday 12 Jun 2023Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
God never intended for you to go through life on your own power, as a lone ranger without anybody else helping you. You were made inadequate so you would need other people. And I was created inadequate so I would need other people. We were created for community. We’re formed for a family.
You need me, and I need you. We need each other. I think most of us have never experienced true intimacy. Why? Because we tend to keep people at a distance. We don’t let them get too close. We think, “If they get too close, they’ll see my fears. They’ll see what I’m afraid of. They’ll see my weaknesses. If they get too close they will see the real me, and what if they don’t like me?” Well, that’s a risk you have to take. You must let people get close to you.
One of the most famous friendships in history was between David and Jonathan in the Old Testament. We read about it in 1 Samuel 20: “Jonathon thought as much of David as he did of himself, so he asked David to promise once more that he would be a loyal friend. Jonathon said ‘Take care of yourself. And remember, we have each asked the Lord to watch and make sure that we and our descendants keep our promise forever” (v17,42). And later when David was being hunted by King Saul… “Jonathan went to find David and encouraged him to stay strong in his faith in God”. (1 Samuel 23:16) And then in 2 Samuel 9, we discover that even after the death of Jonathan, David fulfilled his oath of friendship with Jonathan’s children.
Do you know what Jesus said about friendship… John 15:12-13 “I command you to love each other in the same way that I love you. And here is how to measure it—the greatest love is shown when people lay down their lives for their friends”.
Rely on the Lord
You receive help from others but you rely on the Lord. You can’t rebuild your life after a major loss without God. At least, not the way you’re intended to rebuild it. Because there are five qualities you need to rebuild your life. …
A. God Will Provide His peace…
Isaiah 26:3 (NCV) “You, Lord, give true peace to those who depend on You.” This means you get peace from depending on God.
B. Hope. Psalm 62:5 (NIV) Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from Him.
A few years ago, Oprah Winfrey pre-taped an interview with Rick Warren. Rick Warren, of course, is the author of The Purpose Driven Life. Oprah apparently asked Rick if he knew why his book has been the bestselling book in the world for the last three years. And he said it’s because it’s a book about hope. And he said “Everybody needs hope! Human beings can go weeks without food. You can go days without water. You can go a couple of minutes without air. But you can’t go one second without hope. If you don’t have any hope you’re not living. You’re just existing. You need hope to cope.”
C. Courage.
Hebrews 6:18 (NLT) Therefore, we who have fled to him for refuge can take new courage, for we can hold on to his promise with confidence. This verse means you’ve got to have courage to rebuild your life. You get it from God.
D. Wisdom.
James 1:5 (CEV) If any of you need wisdom, you should ask God, and it will be given to you.
If you’re going to rebuild your life you’re going to need some wisdom. And God can give you that wisdom.
E. Strength.
Exodus 15:2 (NLT) The LORD is my strength and my song; He has become my victory.
The Lord offers you power and strength. He’ll give you the strength to rebuild your life.
When typhoons hit the south pacific islands, the islanders used to tie themselves – and still do in some places – lash themselves to giant trees so that when the winds came through the palm trees they would be able to stand and not blown off the island. And when the winds come through your life, you’d better be tied to something that’s unmovable. You need to be attached to God. You lean on Jesus for peace and you look to Jesus for hope and you learn from Jesus for courage. And you listen to Jesus for wisdom. And you live in Jesus for strength.
Where do you need strength in your life right now? What are you going through? What problem are you facing that you’ve been trying to face on your own? Perhaps some of you still haven’t recovered from a loss that happened a week or a month or a year ago or a decade ago. And you’re still holding on to that hurt. You need to let it go and rely on God. You need to start rebuilding.
Refuse to be discouraged
Joshua 1:9 (NLT) “I command you–be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”
God’s purpose is greater than the problems you’re going through. So do not be discouraged by them. Jesus said in Luke 21:19 “By standing firm you will gain life” Sometimes you can’t even move but you just stand firm. That means you refuse to be discouraged. The word “refuse” means it’s a choice. It’s your choice. You don’t have to be discouraged. If you’re discouraged right now it’s because you’re choosing to be discouraged. As one person said…“If you look at the world you’ll be distressed. If you look within you’ll be depressed. If you look at Christ you’ll be at rest.”
What do you do when you’ve done all you can and it seems like it’s never enough? What do you say when your friends turn away and you’re all alone? What do you give when you’ve given your all and it seems like you can’t make it through? You just stand firm. When there’s nothing left to do you just stand and watch the Lord see you through. Psalm 40:1-2 (NLT) I waited patiently for the LORD to help me, and he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and the mire. He set my feet on solid ground and steadied me as I walked along.
Reach out to others
When we help other people, God helps us. When you start helping others, He heals you. It’s when you start to help other people, before your life’s all figured out. When you do that, God starts healing you. You start helping other people and that’s part of the healing process of recovering from a loss yourself. Galatians 6:2, 7 (NLT) Share each other’s troubles and problems, and in this way obey the law of Christ…You will always reap what you sow!
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