"WHATEVER IT TAKES": BENT…………………...BUT NOT BROKEN

AT TIMES THIS LIFE – EVEN THE LIFE OF A CHRIST FOLLOWER BRINGS PERIODS OF STRUGGLE – PERIODS OF ISSUES – PERIODS OF QUESTIONS – PERIODS OF CONFUSION – PERIODS OF HOPELESSNESS – PERIODS OF DROUGHT ….THIS WALK OF LIFE AT TIMES CAN CAUSE EVEN THE STRONGEST, EVEN THE MOST FAITHFUL PERSON TO BEND – TO BECOME WITHERED AND WORN

- - BUT TODAY I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US THAT WE MAY BE GO THROUGH IT – WE MAY HAVE TO FIGHT – WE MAY HAVE TO PRESS – WE MAY BECOME BENT – BE WE ARE NOT BROKEN!

ABRAHAM WAS COMMANDED BY GOD TO TAKE HIS ONLY SON – HIS PROMISE THAT GOD HAD GIVEN HIM AND TAKE HIM TO THE MOUNTAIN AND SACRIFICE HIM IN AN ACT OF OBEDIENCE. I DON’T CARE HOW MUCH YOU LOVE GOD AND WANT TO DO WHAT IS RIGHT – WHEN – THIS WOULD CAUSE ME TO BEND A LITTLE – CAUSE ME TO QUESTION A LITTLE – CAUSE ME TO WONDER A LITTLE – BUT THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF THIS WAS TO SEE HOW STRONG – HOW FIRM – HOW COMMITTED ABRAHAM --- WAS TO THE CAUSE. YOU SEE GOD NEVER INTENDED ISSAC TO DIE – HE WANTED TO BE SURE HE COULD BLESS ABRAHAM --- AND MAKE HIM THE FATHER OF MANY NATIONS.

YOU SEE WE THINK A LOT OF TIMES THAT OUR TRIALS, OUR TESTS, OUR HARDSHIPS – ARE

GODS WAY

OF GETTING US – GOD IS A LOVING GOD – THE THINGS WE GO THROUGH ARE OUR WAY OF LEANING AND LEARNING MORE AND MORE THAN WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT HIM!

IMAGINE HOW YOU WOULD REACT TO CERTAIN THINGS – CERTAIN PEOPLE – CERTAIN FAMILY --- IF HE WASN’T HELPING YOU!!

Hebrews 2:18 (New Living Translation)

¹⁸ Since he himself has gone through suffering and testing, he is able to help us when we are being tested.

– OK – HELP! YOU SEE WE WILL BE BENT – WE WILL BE STRETCHED – WE WILL BE PULLED AND PRESSED – BUT - - - THIS SHOULD NOT BE A SURPRISE TO US!

1 Peter 4:12-20 (New Living Translation)

¹² Dear friends, don’t be surprised at the fiery trials you are going through, as if something strange were happening to you. ¹³ Instead, be very glad—for these trials make you partners with Christ in his suffering, so that you will have the wonderful joy of seeing his glory when it is revealed to all the world.

¹⁴ So be happy when you are insulted for being a Christian,^[a] for then the glorious Spirit of God^[b] rests upon you.^[c] ¹⁵ If you suffer, however, it must not be for murder, stealing, making trouble, or prying into other people’s affairs. ¹⁶ But it is no shame to suffer for being a Christian. Praise God for the privilege of being called by his name! ¹⁷ For the time has come for judgment, and it must begin with God’s household. And if judgment begins with us, what terrible fate awaits those who have never obeyed God’s Good News? ¹⁸ And also, “If the righteous are barely saved,
what will happen to godless sinners?”^[d]

¹⁹ So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.

WOW – SO IT HAS TO BEGIN WITH ME FIRST – I HAVE TO BE WILLING TO BE BENT – TO LEARN – TO GROW SO THAT OTHERS CAN SEE HIM CLEARLY IN ME! THAT MEANS I HAVE TO REACT RIGHT – RESPOND RIGHT- AND RETALIATE RIGHT! WHY OH WHY!

James 1:2-4 (New Living Translation)

Faith and Endurance

² Dear brothers and sisters,^[a] when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. ³ For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. ⁴ So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.

We are growing through our trials – sometimes they make us not want to grow anymore – but we are becoming what He wants us to be – NOT WHAT WE OR EVERYONE AROUND US WANTS US TO BE – you see some people want to be the same – BIRDS OF A FEATHER – FLOCK TOGETHER.

He never made us to be like everyone else – or to be like every other Christian or Church – HE MADE US IN HIS IMAGE – to be like HIM.

He is developing CHARACTER IN US – A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE MORE CONCERNED WITH REPUTATION THAN CHARACTER – THERE IS A DIFFERENCE:

CHARACTER - the inherent complex of attributes that determines a persons moral and ethical actions and reactions

REPUTATION - Reputation is the opinion (more technically, a social evaluation) of the group of entities toward a person, a group of people, or an organization on a certain criterion. It is an important factor in many fields, such as education, business, online communities or social status.

Romans 5:4 (New Living Translation)

⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation.

Being bent and not broken we realize that REPUTATION IS BASED ON OPINIONS – AND THOSE CHANGE WITH THE SEASONS – OR IF I HURT YOU – YOU HURT ME – BUT CHARACTER IS BUILT ON ATTRIBUTES – AND AS CHRISTIANS OUR ATTRIBUTES ARE HIS ATTRIBUTES --- OR SHOULD BE!

UNDERSTAND THAT IN THE TIMES WE FEEL BENT AND WEAK – AND USELESS, AND DON’T WANT TO KEEP GOING –THOSE ARE THE TIMES THAT WE ARE REALLY POSITIONED TO GROW AND GO TO A NEW PLACE IN OUR WALK WITH CHRIST

Corinthians 12:9-10 (New Living Translation)

⁹ Each time he said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. ¹⁰ That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses, and in the insults, hardships, persecutions, and troubles that I suffer for Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

YOU MAY BE BENT – BUT KNOW YOU ARE NOT BROKEN – YOU MAY FEEL LIKE THE LIMBS – THE BRANCHES ARE ABOUT TO BREAK – BUT STAY FOCUSED – STAY ROOTED – STAY STRONG!

WHEN YOU ARE ROOTED AND GROUNDED --- YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE – WHAT YOU LIVE FOR – WHAT YOU STAND FOR AND YOUR FRUIT SPEAKS FOR ITSELF!

Jeremiah 17:8-10(New Living Translation)
⁸ They are like trees planted along a riverbank,
      with roots that reach deep into the water.
   Such trees are not bothered by the heat
      or worried by long months of drought.
   Their leaves stay green,
      and they never stop producing fruit.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

BENT…………………...BUT NOT BROKEN