Thursday, August 27, 2015
I have always been slightly irritated in the past upon hearing someone use the phrase "Its not what you know but who you know", especially when it is done in an arrogant manner. Now, I suspect I may have to grudgingly admit that there may be more truth to the saying and that I may have to give it more credit than I had hoped. Now I'm beginning to believe that if we had known the right people, either at the city, our insurance company, or CPS, we would not have been out of our house for as long as we were after the storm of May 29. That being said, we know that the Lord allowed it to happen for some reason and although we do not know at this point what it is exactly, we believe that, in the end, the experience will result in a personal blessing or benefit. We cling to the promise of Romans 8:28. For the present time, I can honestly say that this ordeal did not embitter us and probably strengthened our faith in God. I have always told you that the storms of life don't last forever and that truth is evident now that this particular storm has ended for us. Therefore, I want to encourage those of you who are still in the middle of one to hold on to your faith in God; your plight will soon come to an end as well. You have to trust in God more than ever because if you don't, difficult experiences in life can discourage or make you bitter and resentful and rob you of the joy and peace God wants you to have. Philippians 4:8-9 tells us that if we keep our mind on good things, the God of peace will be with us. It confirms the truth found in the Old Testament where Isaiah wrote: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee." (Isa. 26:3 KJV) If you just can't get the thought of a bad experience out of your mind, including those who were behind it, ask the Lord to give you the grace to forget it. Although it is an extreme case, just yesterday we heard in the news of the the TV reporters killed on live television by a disgruntled ex-employee of the station, a shocking reminder of what unchecked anger, bitterness, and resentment can lead to.
Fellow believers, the storms of life can only harm us if we permit them to and God's grace is more than sufficient to keep us safe. The truth is that they all eventually end on a good note for us because of who we know, namely Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. And we know Him because we belong to Him. Perhaps it doesn't apply in every case but "who we know" certainly applies here. Child of God, aren't you glad you know Him?
Memory verse for the week: (Hebrews 13:15) "Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess His name."
