Heap Of Trouble

Given December 22, 2007
Jesus said in John 16:33, "In this world, you will have trouble", and we can all agree this is true. We all have trouble of different kinds and magnitudes. I heard something the other day that made me think of troubles in a different way.

What if....a decree went out in your community to create a Heap of Troubles. This would be a voluntary thing and anyone who wanted to participate could bring their troubles to a pre-determined location and pile them up. This would go on for one week and, at the end of the week, all the troubles heaped up there would be divided into equal parts according to the number of people who had participated. These equal-sized troubles would then be re-distributed to all those involved. What do you think? Would you participate?

I can see a man with an armful of "troubles" coming up to the heap. As he begins to toss his problems onto the pile, another guy backs his pickup truck loaded with his troubles up to the pile. The first guy thinks, "Well, maybe my troubles aren't so bad after all." Do you get the point?

Many times, we think we have troubles and problems until we see someone else's. Then ours don't seem so bad. But, you know, God DOES have a program like this. He DOES want us to bring our troubles to Him and leave them there. But the good news is that they won't get re-distributed back to us. God will take care of them all! "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7". Now, notice that, "due time" part. Most of the time, we'll still have to deal with the results of our bad decisions but God will be right there with us to take us through. "Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for Thou art with me. Psalms 23:4".

Do you have any troubles? Toss them onto God's heap then let Him direct your paths, Proverbs 3:5-6.

Life Timeline

Given May 1, 2007
I am responsible for the prayer chains at church and lead the morning prayer on Sundays. Every week we have numerous prayer requests for people who are sick and some of them are elderly and near death. "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27". This is talking about our mortal bodies; our bodies will die but who we really are, our spirits, will live forever.

In my devotional on this beautiful morning, I read a statement that was a revelation to me. It said about people who are near physical death, "Give them courage and hope as they face the roughest part of their physical journey on their way to the best part of their spititual journey." If we see our life as a timeline beginning at birth and never ending, death is way to the left and the good part stretches out to infinity! If they're saved, they need to look forward and not back.

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words. 1 Thesselonians 4:16-18".