Posts in category Gospel

Permission To Speak Freely (part 5)

Jun09
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


1 I will climb up to my watchtower
and stand at my guardpost.
There I will wait to see what the Lord says
and how he will answer my complaint.
The Lord’s Second Reply
2 Then the Lord said to me,
“Write my answer plainly on tablets,
so that a runner can carry the correct message to others.
3 This vision is for a future time.
It describes the end, and it will be fulfilled.
If it seems slow in coming, wait patiently,
for it will surely take place.
It will not be delayed. (Habakkuk 2)

Too often we just whine to God about what’s going on that we think is unfair and then we go on about our lives. Many of us, we never stop to listen to what God might want to communicate to you.

Here are SOME beautiful things about God.
God REVEALS Himself to us. He’s not trying to hide from us. God wants you to KNOW Him FULLY.

1) He has REVEALED Himself
In His Son, Jesus
In Nature
In people
In His Word (teaching)
Through the Holy Spirit

The GOOD NEWS is that you CAN Know God.

2) God is a relational God.
He DESIRES a PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP with You.
He has made it possible
He pursues you
But He won’t force himself on you
He has been waiting patiently for you to:
*Come to terms with the ugly sin that is inside you
*Admit it
*Ask God to FORGIVE you and set you FREE
*Trust that what Jesus did on your behalf was more than enough
*Surrender your life to God
*Ask Him to live inside you and make you NEW

3) God Speaks

If you will stop to listen,
God will often speak to you.

How will He speak?

All sorts of different ways.
God can speak audibly. I’ve never heard His audible voice, but I know people who have,
and I believe that He can.
God can also speak through His Word (Bible). Every single day, He can speak to you through His Word (Bible).
God can speak to you through circumstances.
If you look around, God can speak to you through other people.

God will often speak to you, and sometimes, He won’t, because He is God.

NOW, Here’s the deal.
If you will take the time to listen to God, when He speaks, you may not like what He says. This was the case for Habakkuk. It was also the case for Paul. He had what was known as a thorn in his side, or in his flesh, and he prayed over and over again. “God, I know You can do something about it. Please do. Take it away. Remove it.”

Three times, he begged, “God, I’m pleading with You. Take it away. I’m pleading with You. Take it away. I’m pleading with You. Take it away,” and God said basically, “I could, but I’ve decided not to. My answer to you is no. Why? Because I am going to do something even better than take it away, and you may not understand, but I am going to teach you that My grace is all that you need. You see, I could do that, but I’m not going to, because I’m going to do something different inside of you.” (1 Corinthians 12:1-8)

What do you do, when you hit this crisis of belief? (The Dip)
“Where are You, Good? I don’t understand.”

you stop and you listen.
“God, what are You saying? Good, where are You?”

Posted in Bible, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 4)

Jun08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


Is God fair?
That’s something Habakkuk had to wrestle with.
He’s my new favorite Old Testament Prophet.

Habakkuk brought some very difficult questions to God
and essentially accused God of not being fair.

And I would have to agree 100% with Habakkuk. God is not fair.
Here’s the kicker –
The fact that God is not fair is one of THE MOST BEAUTIFUL things about God.
What you talkin’ about Willis? (obscure Different Strokes reference)

Here’s the deal.
God is absolutely, and completely, JUST.
But He’s not FAIR.
This is why the story of God is called the Gospel: The GOOD NEWS.

Let me explain it.
The truth is everyone of us was born with a sin nature.
That simply means that we can not live up to God’s standard of Holiness.
You and I fall short. We disobey God.
We lie.
We steal.
We dishonor the name of God.
We don’t keep the Sabbath day holy.
We dishonor our parents.
We are greedy.
We hold grudges.
We say hurtful things.
We hurt people who hurt us.
We are self-centered.
We cheat on our taxes.
We don’t forgive.
We speed and break the law in both big and small ways.
We commit adultery.
We ignore and even avoid the poor.
We desire.
We gossip.
We judge.
Need I go on?
It’s simply disobedience. And our disobedience is nothing to wink at. It’s serious.

Are you still with me so far?

among other consequences, sin separates us from God.
Our disobedience separates us from having an authentic relationship with people.

Sin creates all sorts of havoc on our lives. Just ask any married couple (especially if they have kids) to tell you how painful and devastating and humiliating it is to have to deal with the consequences of having a spouse who cheated.

Sin destroys.
The consequences of our sin leads to death and separation. The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. (John 10:10)

When you begin to see the consequences of your sin it affects you and others,
You start to feel kind of bad about your sin. You see sin for what it is: destructive. (Galatians 5)
Sure, there may be temporary pleasure or escape. But eventually the consequences of your sin and mine will always catch up to you. (Numbers 32:23)

You ought to feel a holy fear about your sin. It’s a serious offense to rebel and disobey the God of the Universe.

Since God is just, He must punish sin.

If God was completely FAIR, you would have to pay the penalty for your own sins. The only thing worthy would be Hell (and complete separation from God) forever and ever. God will not force you to love and obey Him. He gives you and I the choice to choose Him or reject Him.

That’s it.

But because God is just…
And because He’s NOT FAIR to you…
you don’t have to pay the penalty for your own sins… (John 3:16-17)
If you choose to put your faith in God’s perfect Son (Jesus).

God sent His Son, Jesus
the Lamb of God,
the perfect sinless One,
who was slain for the sins of the world
to shed His blood,
and HE became sin for us.

He was killed in order to completely atone for our sin payment.

I mean, God poured out His wrath upon Jesus (His Only Son)
and Jesus died (in order to take on the penalty for our sin) and He raised again.

Jesus conquered both sin and death.

Jesus completely paid the sin-price for you and me.
He took the punishment that you and I deserved to take.
He paid a debt that He did not owe (mine and yours) because I owed I debt I could not pay.

If you put your trust in Jesus
Scripture says you will be spiritually born anew
and all of your old sin will be forgiven,
and you’ll be changed,
and you will be filled with the Spirit of God,
and all of a sudden, you will be entirely different. Made new. FREE.

You will belong to Him.
You’ll be Heaven bound…
but you will also have His divine purpose on earth…

and I’ll just tell you up front…
It doesn’t mean you’re going to get more money.
Doesn’t mean you’ll be prettier, healthier,
and doesn’t mean you’re going to get a bigger house,
because that’s not what it means to follow Jesus. (Luke 14:26-28)

Trusting God means dying to your self. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

It means your life will count for the glory of God,
and it may get worse before it gets better,
but it doesn’t matter because you’re following Jesus.

For many of you it’s time to step across the line and say,
“Jesus, I believe You are the Son of God,
and I surrender my life to You.
Take me.
Forgive me of my sins.
I give it all to You.
Jesus, I give my life to You.”

One of the most beautiful things about God is that HE IS NOT FAIR.

Posted in Bible, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 3)

Jun08
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


Ever been so mad at someone that (in your mind) you played it out like this. You’re in a crowd of people who know both you and the person who hurt you. You bump into that person and all of a sudden you are Mr or Mrs Public Speaker. You have the supernatural skills, White, confidence and charm and ability tell them off big time – while simultaneously coming across as the good guy/girl. You are able to articulate your pain in such a clear and compelling way that the person who hurt you not only feels your pain, but they break out into repentant tears and they sincerely apologize? Maybe I am the only one who fantasizes like this.

Awkward!

What if you could have a completely open and honest conversation (back and forth) with God? Would you do it? What would you say? ask?

What if God gave you complete freedom to speak openly with Him about anything and everything? Would you take Him up on this sort of invitation? Would you be able to articulate, To God, the questions, frustrations, pain, confusion you’ve had throughout your life?

If you were able to have such a conversation face to face, would it somehow strengthen your faith in God? Why? How?

What would you say and how would you say it? Just you…and God…speaking freely. How would you imagine that conversation taking place? What feelings would you experience? Do you imagine that it would clear things up for you?

Posted in Bible, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 2)

Jun07
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson


My kids tend to be pretty compliant. (Thank you, Jesus).
A few days, Jenny and I got to get away for a couple days to celebrate our 18th wedding anniversary. (Thank you, Jesus).

While we were out of town, celebrating, Jenny’s mom (affectionately known as Grandma) came to stay with our kids. Our kids have both daily and weekly chores that they are responsible for completing. We do not pay them to do the chores. Occasionally, we will celebrate something extra special that they do (they had a great attitude, shared something, went above and beyond, etc.) with something they get to choose from the family Treasure Box.

On one occasion Grandma asked our youngest child to pause the Wii playing and do his chore. 99% of the time (after some “but dad?” complaining) he will obey. In this moment, Jake’s answer shocked Grandma with his response. “NO!” is what he said emphatically. In fact, all our other kids stopped dead in their tracks. The house became like a ghost town. I think a tumble weed blew across the living room separating Grandma from Jake. A western-movie-like face-off was now in action. This was a totally unexpected response from our 6 year old.

I have to say, Grandma handled it beautifully and Jake obeyed and eventually apologized to all of us.

Have you ever been totally blown away by an UNEXPECTED RESPONSE from someone you thought you knew pretty well?

It’s no secret that I am a fan of the prophet and the Old Testament book of Habakkuk. We are in a series, at church, called Permission To Speak Freely that is taking us through the whole (3 CHAPTERS) book.

My last post described the tone of messy questions the prophet Habakkuk was bold enough to ask God. For some of you, it might seem a little awkward or strange honestly crying out to God with such brutal questions. Is it even legal? Yes.

So Habakkuk cries out to God with His questions about how it doesn’t all line up. He looks around him at how corrupt the people of God have gotten. He wants to know why God is not doing anything about it.

God speaks to the Prophet. I find this very comforting. God responds.
But God’s what God says in his response to Habakkuk’s questions is shocking.
5 The Lord replied,
“Look around at the nations;
look and be amazed!
For I am doing something in your own day,
something you wouldn’t believe
even if someone told you about it.
6 I am raising up the Babylonians,
a cruel and violent people.
They will march across the world
and conquer other lands.
7 They are notorious for their cruelty
and do whatever they like.
8 Their horses are swifter than cheetahs
and fiercer than wolves at dusk.
Their charioteers charge from far away.
Like eagles, they swoop down to devour their prey.
9 “On they come, all bent on violence.
Their hordes advance like a desert wind,
sweeping captives ahead of them like sand.
10 They scoff at kings and princes
and scorn all their fortresses.
They simply pile ramps of earth
against their walls and capture them!
11 They sweep past like the wind
and are gone.
But they are deeply guilty,
for their own strength is their god.”

God says to Habakkuk that He is going to punish the Judean people for their disobedience to Him. the method He chooses to punish them is the shocking part. He is going to raise up a far more evil people (the Babylonian people) to come and destroy the Judean’s (when compared to the Babylonians were not so bad).

This obviously did not seem fair to Habakkuk.

And Habakkuk goes “Huh? That doesn’t make sense.”

Habakkuk’s name means ‘to embrace’ or to ‘wrestle’ and that is what Habakkuk decides to do with God when he felt like God was not being fair.

Habakkuk struggled with God’s answer. It didn’t seem to be fair and he understood God to be fair.

Is that your understanding of God? That he is fair? What if I told you that according to the Bible, God is not fair. How would that change your image of God? I will explain in the next post and I think you will agree with me on this one.

Posted in Bible, Radiant Life Fellowship

Permission To Speak Freely (part 1)

Jun06
2011 2 Comments Written by Chris Thompson


Let me just say it now, Habakkuk (a book of the Bible) has become my new favorite. Why? Well over the next several posts, I will attempt to win you over as a Habakkuk fan too.

Maybe you’ve noticed that there are so many questions that are so difficult to answer.
Think about it:
*Why do they say that an alarm clock is going off, when it is really coming on?
*Why do they say they you drive on a parkway, but you park on a driveway?
*I slept through the night, like a baby. (we all know that’s not right)
*If you throw a cat out of a moving car, is it called kitty litter? (I am not a cat fan)
I know those are not the most difficult questions to answer. In fact as I get to know more of you, I realize your life has not turned out like you thought it would. You have some very difficult questions about life. I believe you will definitely be able to identify with the Old Testament prophet: Habakkuk.

Here’s a sample of the driving question Habakkuk: “Why don’t you seem fair God?”

How long, O LORD, must I call for help?
But you do not listen!
“Violence is everywhere!” I cry,
but you do not come to save.
Must I forever see these evil deeds?
Why must I watch all this misery?
Wherever I look,
I see destruction and violence.
I am surrounded by people
who love to argue and fight.
The law has become paralyzed,
and there is no justice in the courts.
The wicked far outnumber the righteous,
so that justice has become perverted. (Habakkuk 1:2-4)

Habakkuk is one of the 12 MINOR prophets (That doesn’t mean he never played in the majors; like he never got the Nike contract or their own sports drink).

We know less about Habakkuk than any of the other minor prophets. We do know that he lived in Judah, during the divided Kingdom. We know he was most likely a Temple Musician. At some point he became a Priest and then a Prophet.

You might wonder “What is a Prophet?”
A Prophet (in the Bible) is someone who would typically speak on behalf of God.
God would say “Habakkuk, here’s what I want you to tell my people.”
And so Habakkuk would say “Thus says the Lord”
And he would speak, to them, whatever God told him.

Habakkuk was unique in that instead of God just telling him what to tell God’s people, Habakkuk went to God on behalf of God’s people. He asks God the tough questions that the people were already thinking.

Now the book was written in about the year 600 BC. It was a time period where Gods people were becoming very corrupt: Violence, People in power abusing their authority, Sexual misconduct, Corruption, People taking advantage of each other, Stealing, Crime, hatred… A lot like what we see around us today, right?

Basically Habakkuk has 3 major problems with God
1) GOD You don’t seem to care. You are letting all these things go on in the world that don’t seem fair, so therefore God, you must not even care.
2) You GOD aren’t doing much…when I know you could.
3) And GOD what you are doing doesn’t seem fair.

In other words, what Habakkuk is saying is — “GOD if I were in your shoes, I would do things totally different.”

Be honest. How many of you have ever thought something like that?
Is that even legal to ask those sort of questions to God?
Do you and I have Permission To Speak Freely To God?

Is God going to punish me for even feeling this way?
Is it even appropriate to say; “God, I don’t understand. You don’t seem to care. You could do something here to help and it seems like you are not. What you are doing seems totally unfair.”

It is ABSOLUTELY not only a good thing to question God, But there are times when questioning God, like this, could become a significant part of your faith journey.

Do me a favor. Would you mind sharing with me some of your very difficult (and messy) questions you have for God? I will go first in the comment section.

Posted in Bible, Radiant Life Fellowship

Movies in the Park (part 1)

May04
2011 1 How Written by Chris Thompson

Why would a church (especially a church as young as ours) host such a huge, FREE, event for the whole community? After all, it costs our church a lot of money, people and time – and the return is close to nothing. For some people it doesn’t make much logical sense.

But for us, it makes perfect sense. Craig Grochel (pastor and author) made a statement in one of his books that has peeked my attention. He says “To reach people no one else is reaching, we must be willing to do things no one else is doing.”

There are scores and scores of people living within 10 miles of our church that are not going to any church … and it doesn’t even bother them. If we are going to reach them with the message of Jesus Christ and demonstrate to them the Gospel lived out, then we have to be willing to do some things that no one else is doing. We have to discover some unique ways to go to them.

It also bothers me that there are scores of people, living within 10 miles of our church, that are asking questions about: Life, Good, the afterlife, social justice, natural disasters… that we are answering… and they are not here at our church on Sundays to get the answers. They have questions we have answers to…and yet they won’t give us a shot until we start doing things that no one else is doing in order to reach those no one else is reaching.

One of the ways we are attempting to reach people no one else is reaching is by offering Movies in the Park to our community.

Below are some of the real reasons why our church is investing in offering Movies in the Park to the families of our community:

>We love Huntersville. My family has lived here since 1996.

>Huntersville is a family town. Families are moving into the area all them time.

>The economy has been rough on families and it is always a blessing to get something valuable for free. Most of the local activities for kids cost the parents an arm and a leg. For every family that can afford all those great activities for their kids, there are 10 other families who will never be in a financial position to participate.

>Our culture and pace tend to isolate families from the blessing of meeting new people and deepening relationships.

>Huntersville needs opportunities for it’s people to gather for some fun and the chance to meet new neighbors.

>My family loves movies. I have four kids between the ages of 7 and 13 and movies are such a big part of us. My kids could watch a good Disney movie over and over for years.

We could spend $10,000 on a church mailer, advertising our church and inviting people to come, that would end up in everyone’s mailbox. But I know what I do with those mailers. They end up in file 13 (trash). Movies in the Park gives us a chance to look people in the eyes, shake their hands, give them a hug, pray for them, throw a Frisbee with them, laugh with them and serve them. While we are interacting with all the people, we can also give every individual a personal, authentic invitation to come check out our church on Sunday because we have earned the right to be heard.

People are skeptical. Our hope is that people ultimately encounter Jesus as the living God. Because people are so skeptical, they live their life guarded and isolated from the influence of Jesus and His church. Our ultimate goal is not to trick people into coming to church or even coming to our church. It sometimes takes an event like this to begin to break down walls and allow for a new image of the church to be demonstrated in our community.

I ADMIT there is great risk for us, as a young church, to invest in such an endeavor. It might fail. It might be a total waste of time and give us no return. But…we we want to try something (and do it well) that no one else is doing in order to reach those (for Jesus) who are not being reached.

This is not the only unique thing we do, either.

>We’ve started, and maintain, a food pantry at Blythe Elementary School that directly benefits special families whose kids attend Blythe.

>We created a spectacular Easter Egg Hunt (with food, face painting, crafts, tattoos and magic) for a local community that for 90% of them, Spanish is their first language.

>We consistently serve at Angels and Sparrows, the local Soup Kitchen for Huntersville.

>We are the only church offering SINGING SANTA to various neighborhoods during the month of December.

There is always room, among us, for one more Risk-Taker like you. We do it because we love the people of Huntersville and they are worth our efforts. This is one of the ways we LOVE GOD, LOVE PEOPLE and PROVE IT.

Posted in Church, Just Fun, Movies in the Park, Radiant Life Fellowship

I Deny the Resurrection

Apr26
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

SO we CELEBRATED the Resurrection of Jesus last Sunday.
It was en epic day for Radiant Life.
I hope everyone noticed that the whole focus was Jesus from beginning to end.

The first video

That’s My King!

Josh & Brittany, Auturo Jr., Stacy & Chris Liles, Ally, Stephen & Marshall
pointed our attention and our voices to Jesus
Arturo and Elsa graciously invited us to the Lord’s Table
to remember the body and blood of Jesus
I did my best to highlight the strength, power and glory
of Jesus
Jesus
Jesus
Jesus
He is ALIVE and He lives in and leads those of us
who are His submitted followers.

So after Jesus was raised from the grave…

…the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking him, “Lord, has the time come for you to free Israel and restore our kingdom?” He replied, “The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” After saying this, he was taken up into a cloud while they were watching, and they could no longer see him. As they strained to see him rising into heaven, two white-robed men suddenly stood among them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why are you standing here staring into heaven? Jesus has been taken from you into heaven, but someday he will return from heaven in the same way you saw him go!” (Acts 1:6-11)

The church was then formed…

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-27)

And after all that, Jesus tells John (and now us) who need to be reminded of His power and glory…

“Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave” — Jesus (Revelation 1:17-18)

Now What?

Check out this clip and determine if you might be someone
who actually DENIES THE RESURRECTION:

All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them 35 and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need. For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. (Acts 4:32-37)

What are your thoughts? I’d love to hear them.

Posted in Bible, Church, Radiant Life Fellowship, VIDEO

Fishers of…

Apr21
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

I wish I was a better fisherman.
I probably couldn’t identify most of the fish I catch. I also don’t know a lot about what kind of bait to use for catching specific kinds of fish. I usually have to ask the store employee who sells the bait.
But when we go to the beach, one of the things I want to teach all my kids (even Sara) is the basics of how to fish.
I want them to know how to get their rig of hooks tied to the end of their fishing wire.
I want them to know how to cast their line out.
Untangle their line.
Bait their hooks (still working on this on).
Get the hook out of the fishes mouth once they have caught the fish (not even close on this one yet).
And the art of patience. Fishing demands patience. In our case, it also demands perseverance and, in many cases, being OK with disappointment. Sometimes we fish for hours and don’t even get one single bite. That’s usually when my kids start taking the little nets and catching those tiny Minos. At least they feel like they have caught something, right. Catching Minos is not that difficult. Noah caught 11 Minos in one scoop today. It’s easy and it gives them a sense that the fishing expedition was not all lost.

(Matthew 4:18-20) One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon, also called Peter, and Andrew—throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, “Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!” And they left their nets at once and followed him.

I’m not trying to be too serious here, but I notice that you can learn a lot about being a disciple of Jesus from the simple act of fishing.
Jesus commanded us to BE Fishers of People.
The Gospel message is what we use to attract people to Jesus.
Being a Fisher for people is challenging.
We learn Patience.
Endurance.
DISAPPOINTMENT.

Sometimes we take a risk and start up a conversation with someone about church, Good, Jesus, the Bible, Eternity, Christianity and it’s like the atmosphere just got weird and awkward. Then we ask ourselves “Now What?”
Sometimes we get what we would consider a curious nibble from someone, but it’s pretty obvious that the person is not hungry for more. That's OK.

There are people around you that ARE hungry for the Gospel of Jesus. They not only want to hear it and believe that it is true, they also want to know someone who actually lives it out. They may just need someone like you to continue to be patient, persistent and OK with disappointment.
Keep fishing.
Keep praying that God would choose to use you to expand His Kingdom by one more person who crosses the line of faith and grabs a fishing pole to catch more disciples of Jesus.

Sometimes we just need to catch some Minos (small wins) to help motivate us to take bigger risks and remind us that it’s worth the effort. Catching Minos (in the spiritual sense) would be like inviting someone, that you already know, to go to church with you.
Make it easy and appealing for them.
Tell them you will meet them in the church parking lot.
Offer to take them out to lunch after church.
Offer to babysit their kids or name your next kid after their last name (which could be kind of awkward).

The point is…as a Disciple of Jesus, who called us to be Fishers of People, try catching some Minos first. It might not be easy, but it’s also not too hard to invite someone to church.

Posted in Church, Radiant Life Fellowship

Invite Me In

Apr13
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

Easter 2011 is coming.
Who are you inviting to your church? This is one of those moments where your risk-taking to invite some people to church could end up being just what they need in order to step across the line of faith in Jesus. Your faithful and authentic invitation could change someone’s life for eternity.
Don’t let this moment pass while you continue to sit on the sidelines. Get in the game and start inviting people to come to church with you on Easter Sunday.

Posted in Church, Radiant Life Fellowship

A Really Good Cry

Apr05
2011 Leave a Comment Written by Chris Thompson

When was the last time you had a really good cry?
Maybe it was a movie?
Maybe it was while watching Secret Millionaire or Extreme Makeover: Home Edition
It could be while grieving the loss of a relationship?
Maybe someone close to you died?
You got your feelings hurt?
Someone disappointed you?
Maybe you have sadness about how things have turned out in your life?

Do you remember the last time you cried?

Confession: It doesn’t take much to get me to tear up.
Sometimes I can’t control the tears once they start flowing.
I feel so vulnerable when I cry.
But, as a guy, I try to hold the tears in because…well…you know…it’s not too cool for a guy to cry, right?

Today I asked a friend a simple question about how she was doing.
immediately, her face changed.
There was a long pause.
It was like she needed a moment to catch her breath…the tears were about to flow.
It wasn’t a good day for her.

Last weekend Jenny and I attended a memorial service for a family who lost their daughter/mom suddenly. The death of a family member or friend hurts.
Sadness just flows in moments like that.

And grief is a heavy burden to bear alone.

So where is God when we cry?
Is our God really near to us OR is He detached from our sorrows?

There’s an obscure passage in Scripture that I think you ought to consider.
(Psalm 56:8) You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book.

 

There was this Middle Eastern custom of collecting tears in a bottle — the real tears that come from real sadness.
Those tears were reminders of moments of great SORROW.
LOSS.
ABANDONMENT.
LONELINESS.
pain.
DISAPPOINTMENT.
FEAR.

Can our God relate to your sorrows?
Absolutely. More than you can imagine.

Our God knows sorrow.
(Isaiah 53:3) He was despised and rejected—
a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief.
We turned our backs on him and looked the other way.
He was despised, and we did not care.

Our God knows YOUR sorrow.
And God says…
Because I know and experience sorrow…
When any of my children experience sorrow
hurt
difficulty
LOSS
sadness…

Whenever you cry over whatever it is that hurt you…

God essentially says
I can’t imagine allowing a single tear to fall from your eyes and just hit the dust of the earth.

NO!

I’m going to collect every tear you cry through your lifetime
and I’m going to put it in a bottle.

And when we are together in heaven someday,
I’m going to show you the bottle.

I’m going to look you in the eye and tell you
No one ever loved you like I loved you.
Here’s proof.
(Psalm 56:8) You keep track of all my sorrows.
You have collected all my tears in your bottle.
You have recorded each one in your book

Posted in Bible
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