BE PRAYING FOR SUNDAY & THE PEOPLE YOU HAVE INVITED TO HEAR THE GOSPEL.
Beats From Your Pastor’s Heart
2 Corinthians 1:8, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life:”
Being confronted and measured by the divine demands is always for the purpose of escorting us to Christ.
God uses not only the law and the Sermon on the Mount to measure us, but He also uses our environment.
Our environment makes demands upon us that cause us to sense our frailty and weakness.
How we meet our environments, face them, and interact with them is used by God to escort us to Christ.
Environments include your husband, your wife, your children, your money, your job–all persons, matters, and things in your daily life that affect you.
In fact, according to the biblical understanding, environment is simply that which affects us.
A stormy relationship can affect us, money problems can affect us, taking a thought about a past mistake can affect us.
Whatever may affect us–this is environment.
Environment is like the law making a demand upon us that is beyond our capacity to handle.
Just as the law escorts us to Christ, God intends that our environmental trials would also escort us to Christ.
This means that we accept the “all things” of Romans 8:28 as being under God’s sovereignty.
Categorically, all things are working together for good, because under the mighty hand of God they escort us to Christ.
Environment, which is measured out by God, is always pushing us a little bit too far.
We have environments that we cannot cope with in ourselves.
We get discouraged.
We get depressed.
We turn inward upon ourselves and sigh, “How can I go on?” or “I can’t make it.”
Oh, friend, that is right!
That is exactly right!
God intends that our environments would push us beyond our limits.
This experience of being pushed beyond what we are able to do becomes our escort to Christ.
This was Paul’s experience in 2 Corinthians 1:8-10: “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;”
Here Paul allowed his “despair of life” to escort him to the God who raises the dead, knowing that He would deliver him.
Thus, again and again, every kind of demand in our environment is actually a divine escort in disguise to lead us to Christ.
Until Tomorrow
With A Shepherd’s Love,
Pastor Jackson
MONDAY’S PRAYER REQUESTS
Jim Mabe
Marlon Cook
June Cronan
Amy Garner
Amy Garner’s Mom & Dad
Ashely Burn’s Sisters
Brandon’s Dad
Charlene Palmer
Coly/Connor – Allison’s G’sons
Dan Haines
Darlene Thaxton
Darlene Wiggins
David Burnette
David Harrison
Denise Hulsey – Jordan’s G’mother
Donnie Butler’s Dad
Doris Loyd
Dr. and Mrs. Davis
Easton Fielder
Eric Ward
Erik Magnusson
Freddie May’s Mom
George & Linda Alexander
James Burnette
James Garner’s Friend
Jillian Gray
Jodi Bateman
John Austin
John McClain
June Cronan
June Cronan’s Sister
Karen Slane
Kim McClain’s Mother
Lamar Knight
Larry Barker
Lee Cronan
Lillanna Magnusson’s Mom
Linda Alexander
Linda Breedlove’s Sister – Sarah
Linda Hodges’ Sister
Lonzo Christin
Lori Blount’s Mother
Mary Sims
Marynell Ford
Maureen Brown
Michael Stanley
Pastor & Mrs. Driskell
Ricky Gipson – Ashley’s Brother
Ricky Stubbs
Rose Fuller
Roseleigh Osborn
Sandra Graham
Scott Lanier
Soso Nzolo – 17 Yr. Old South African Pastor’s Daughter
Jayne Hammond
Tom Witcher