God-send for Wednesday

Hungry for God
by John Fischer

Our ministry is to serve the needs of believers; our mission is to serve the needs of those who are not presently Christians. The latter can present a problem. You can't really serve someone if you don't know them, but being in relationship with those who aren't Christians can be dangerous. Old habits and old ways of life can come back to haunt us when we are around people who don't share our desire to follow Christ.

For this reason, it may be necessary to keep only Christian friends for a season, but the goal for us all is to be stronger than this. God didn't save us and leave us on earth to band together and live nice, safe little Christian lives until he returns or we die, whichever comes first. We are here to share the good news of God's forgiveness with those who don't know about it yet, and we can't do that without getting close to people who need it. We need to be close enough to people to know them, love them, identify with their need, and serve them without judging them or losing our own hold on Christ.

How will we do this? A couple suggestions to think about today: First, don't ever forget we are all sinners in need of salvation. This will help keep us from a self-righteous and judgmental attitude. We never have a perfect day. We encounter our own need to be saved all the time, because we all sin and fall short of God's glory. We lead people to Christ, not by reaching down to them from a place of invulnerable perfection, but as one thirsty person bringing another to water.

Second, remember that sin entraps everyone. Your friends who aren't Christians may very well have a soft heart to God and the truth but it's covered up by a host of things the enemy uses to blind us like fear, failure, addictions, and all sorts of false coping mechanisms. Success, power, and wealth can blind you as well. We need to ask God for the ability to look past all these distractions to the heart, because at the heart everyone is hungry for God. We were created that way.

Lord, teach us to see people as you see them. May we not give in to the things that once entrapped us. Make us keen to the lie and hungering for the truth today, and help us to find it even in those who don't know you. Remind us that we are all children when it comes to you, even the toughest among us. Show us how to love everyone and stay true to you.

(courtesy of p.cheng)

Icebox

Last year was a bad year. My heart had been picked up and broken and then picked up, but only to be broken even more. So, I started off this year with a resolution. I decided not to care what people think. I chose not to care when I need not care.

Instead, I find myself even more bitter than i was before.

I don't know why I'm so bad with people.

Part of me wants them to be in my life. To be able to have that joy of companionship with friends. Another part of me knows that I'm going to be disappointed. there's no point, grace. Why give your heart, when you know it's only going to be taken away.

Where do i stand? Will I or won't I?

People aren't perfect, I keep telling myself. Everyone makes mistakes. That's what everybody says. Nobody is perfect. I'm not perfect. Why should i expect others to be when i can't be it myself?

Don't think that saying sorry will make everything right again.

I'm not perfect. I don't want people to think that i am. I know that they don't, but my imperfection is also what's keeping me from loving and trusting people again.

I don't believe in saying sorry if I don't mean it. I don't say things unless I mean it. Words carry so much weight to me. Maybe that's why listening is my strength but more importantly my weakness. What people say means a lot to me.

In conclusion, I'm lost. I want to make everything right again. But I don't know how.

hypersensitive.

Yeah. I hate this feeling.

As a child, my parents always complained that i was overly stubborn and super sensitive. It's only when i'm not with them that i learned that about myself.

I hate people. Correction. I hate people who cancel on me. I hate people who make promises they don't keep. I hate people who put up a front. I hate people who choose to neglect others to fend for themselves.

If i hate them so much, why do i let them hurt me? Why do i choose to bring them into my life only to disappoint me.

The truth is, i don't really hate people. I don't. really, i hate myself for loving people too much. I hate myself for letting expectations and hope in people take the best of me. i hate myself most of all for choosing to give my heart when it is only taken away in spite.

So, i must retreat yet again to lick my wounds and let them heal.

please go away.