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Seasons of Sorrow: Giving And Receiving Comfort Graciously
When it comes to giving and receiving comfort, the matter can be perfectly summed up in just two words: “It’s complicated.” Grief is an intensely personal struggle. No two circumstances are the same. No two people are the same. This means that what is helpful and comforting to us as we work through the emotions and resist the temptations that come with grief may not be the same for others. This has led to the false notion that no one can understand your grief and you cannot understand anyone else’s, and that leads to further isolation and loneliness rather than comfort.
Complicating the issue further is the fact that, because we are sinners, our attempts to comfort each other are often spoiled by sinful attitudes and desires of both the giver and receiver.
There is Someone who understands your grief perfectly and offers you perfect comfort. God is “the God of all comfort,” and the grace of God is sufficient to overcome the hindrances to giving and receiving comfort. Furthermore, God has commanded those who have received His comfort to comfort others with the comfort that He gave them. By God’s grace, we can learn the skills of giving comfort properly and avoid the mistakes that are commonly made when trying to comfort others. By God’s grace, we can be patient with others when they try to be a comfort but do a poor job of it. Through God, we find common ground in our grief, and we can give and receive comfort graciously.
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- Dec 15, 2024Seasons of Sorrow: Giving And Receiving Comfort Graciously
Seasons of Sorrow: Giving And Receiving Comfort GraciouslyWhen it comes to giving and receiving comfort, the matter can be perfectly summed up in just two words: “It’s complicated.” Grief is an intensely personal struggle. No two circumstances are the same. No two people are the same. This means that what is helpful and comforting to us as we work through the emotions and resist the temptations that come with grief may not be the same for others. This has led to the false notion that no one can understand your grief and you cannot understand anyone else’s, and that leads to further isolation and loneliness rather than comfort.Complicating the issue further is the fact that, because we are sinners, our attempts to comfort each other are often spoiled by sinful attitudes and desires of both the giver and receiver.There is Someone who understands your grief perfectly and offers you perfect comfort. God is “the God of all comfort,” and the grace of God is sufficient to overcome the hindrances to giving and receiving comfort. Furthermore, God has commanded those who have received His comfort to comfort others with the comfort that He gave them. By God’s grace, we can learn the skills of giving comfort properly and avoid the mistakes that are commonly made when trying to comfort others. By God’s grace, we can be patient with others when they try to be a comfort but do a poor job of it. Through God, we find common ground in our grief, and we can give and receive comfort graciously.
- Dec 8, 2024The First to Hear (Luke 2:8-20)
The First to Hear (Luke 2:8-20)
- Dec 8, 2024Seasons of Sorrow: Godly Grief (Job 1:21)
Seasons of Sorrow: Godly Grief (Job 1:21)In 1969, researcher Elizabeth Kübler-Ross published a book entitled “Death and Dying” in which she outlined what is commonly called the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. While her observations were likely very accurate, it is important to know that she was not a Biblical counselor. Secularists are often very good at describing the problems we face, but they are terrible at finding solutions because they do not seek them from God and His word.The Bible is filled with instructions and examples about how we experience grief and both the right and wrong ways to respond to loss. When we compare what Kübler-Ross found in her research to the Bible, we see that her five stages of grief are descriptive of five common temptations we experience when grieving. Furthermore, we learn that there is a better way to respond than to give in to those temptations. (1 Corinthians 10:31)It is possible to grieve in a godly way. (Job 1:21) For every temptation we face in grief, there is a Biblical response. Instead of denial, we must trust in the sovereignty of God. Rather than indulging fleshly anger, we can express godly sorrow. Instead of bargaining, we should live in true surrender. In the place of depression, God gives us hope in the Savior. And instead of hopeless acceptance, we can be fully satisfied because God is enough. We can and should grieve, but we must grieve in a godly way because it is best for us, and it honors the Lord.
- Dec 1, 2024A Carpenter of Character (Matthew 1:18)
A Carpenter of Character (Matthew 1:18)
- Dec 1, 2024Seasons of Sorrow (Isaiah 53:3-4)
Seasons of Sorrow (Isaiah 53:3-4)Christmas time is generally associated with extra happiness, if the popular Christmas songs are any indication.“We wish you a merry Christ,” “Have A Holly Jolly Christmas,” and even “Jingle Bells” all tell us that the Christmas season is supposed to filled with joy.Thinking about and celebrating the birth of our Savior should cause us to rejoice. But all the emphasis put on the happiness of Christmas time can accentuate another reality. For many, the happiness of the season is mixed with intense grief. For those who have experienced significant losses, the sorrow they feel can overwhelm the feelings of merriment. Grief does not vanish when the Christmas décor comes out. For some, “’Tis the season to be jolly.” For many, many others, it is a season mixed with sorrow.This can lead a person to feel severe guilt since they aren’t in “the Christmas spirit.” But it is not a sin to be sad or to grieve. In fact, the first instance of grief mentioned in the Bible is the grief felt by God over the sin of the world. Jesus experienced grief when He walked this earth. The Holy Spirit, too, can be grieved by the actions of God’s children. It is obvious, then, that grief by itself is not wrong. In fact, the right kind of grief, is a good thing.God knows the grief that you feel in your seasons of sorrow and He invites you to come to Him with your grief. He does not promise you an anesthetic that will numb the pain, but something far better. He offers you the grace to walk with Him through the suffering and see that your sorrow, in the end, will turn to eternal joy.
- Nov 24, 2024A Saint in all Seasons Part 4 Young Men (Titus 2:6)
A Saint in all Seasons Part 4 Young Men (Titus 2:6)
- Nov 24, 2024The Necessity of Unity (Philippians 4:2)
The Necessity of Unity (Philippians 4:2)Any time two sinners interact with each other, there is the potential for conflict. Sometimes, that conflict can rise to such a level that it creates a rift. Whereas before, there was friendship and fellowship, there now are hurt feelings and avoidance. Their conflict can even spill over and involve others in the strife.Satan knows the power of strife and division to hinder the work of God both privately and publicly. That is why God warns us about the danger of division. “And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand.” (Mark 3:25)One place where unity is not just preferable but an absolute necessity is in the local church. In John 17, Jesus prayed four times that his followers would “be one.” Imagine how disturbed the Apostle Paul was when he heard that two women in the church at Philippi were at odds with each other. Imagine the church’s surprise when the letter Paul wrote to them was read aloud, and the reader came to Philippians 4:2: “I beseech Euodias, and beseech Syntyche, that they be of the same mind in the Lord.” Whatever the cause of the contention between these two, their rift has been recorded for eternity. Does that seem drastic to you and perhaps even unfair to those two? God the Holy Spirit did not think so. It was more important that they be reconciled and unified in the Lord.Since unity is that important to God, we need to go to extreme lengths to be reconciled with those who have wronged us and those that we have wronged. Whatever drastic steps it might take, it is worth it to be right with God and each other.
- Nov 20, 2024Thy Kingdom Come (2 Samuel 5:1-25)
Thy Kingdom Come (2 Samuel 5:1-25)Wednesday Night Bible study at Philadelphia Baptist Church in Rutledge, GA.
Pastor Steven Chambers
www.PBCRutledge.org - Nov 10, 2024How Jesus Handled Suffering (Psalm 22)
How Jesus Handled Suffering (Psalm 22)
- Nov 10, 2024The Blessed Man (Psalm 1)
The Blessed Man (Psalm 1)Everyone likes the idea of living a life that is blessed, but how can one ensure that their life is a blessed life? The only way is to live your life as God instructs us to in the Bible. For instance, the first Psalm begins with these words, “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly…”To be blessed, you must choose the right influence. You have two basic options when it comes to the primary influencer in your life. Either you can be influenced by the world or be influenced by God’s word.If you choose to delight in God’s word and meditate in it, then your life will be blessed, flourishing and fruitful. The scripture is like a river that provides a constant source of spiritual nourishment so that, even in times of difficulty, you will continue to thrive.If you choose to follow the world’s influence, you will be what the Bible calls “ungodly.” You will be like chaff, which is the dried-up leftovers from wheat harvesting. It crumbles and gets blown away by the wind because it is dead and withered.The ungodly who follow the world perish, but the righteous who follow God’s word are blessed by Him. Which influence will you choose?
- Nov 3, 2024Habits of Joyfulness (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)
Habits of Joyfulness (I Thessalonians 5:16-18)Life is not always happy. There are times when sad things happen, and it is good for us to feel sad and grieve during those times. But it is not good for us to be unhappy all the time or to let the unhappy things take away the joy that God wants us to have in our hearts all the time. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 gives three commands that bring us joy when we consistently obey them.The first habit of joyfulness is to “rejoice evermore.” To rejoice means to express gladness. There is always something that we can be glad of, even in the worst circumstances, because our joy comes from God, Who never changes.The second habit of joyfulness is to “pray without ceasing.” We should constantly pray, talking to God and letting our requests be made known. When we pray, and God answers, that results in joy for us.The third habit of happiness we must practice is giving thanks. We must express our gratitude to God. Whining and complaining rob us of our joy and will lead to a loss of faith. It is the result of focusing on the problems instead of the promises of God. Giving thanks fixes our focus. It causes us to dwell on the things that are good more than the bad things.You can be a joyful Christian, even if your circumstances are sad. But for that to happen, you must follow God’s instructions. As you build the habits of rejoicing, praying, and giving thanks, you will find that God will keep His promise and give you His joy, a joy that no one can take away from you.
- Oct 27, 2024A Saint In All Seasons Part 2 Aged Women (Titus 2:3)
A Saint In All Seasons Part 2 Aged Women (Titus 2:3)The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
- Oct 20, 2024A Saint In All Seasons Part 1 Older Men (Titus 2:1-2)
A Saint In All Seasons Part 1 Older Men (Titus 2:1-2)But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
- Oct 20, 2024Christ-centered Care (Acts 9:32-35)
Christ-centered Care (Acts 9:32-35)Jesus performed numerous miracles when He was on the earth, many of which involved healing the sick. Those miracles proved that Jesus was God the Son and the Savior of the world. They were the stimulus for many conversations that led people to have saving faith in the Gospel.
The apostles of Jesus followed His example with the Holy Spirit working through them to heal many who were sick. The way that the followers of Christ cared for physical needs as they preached the gospel is instructive for us today.
One story is found in Acts 9:32-35. In it, Peter went to a town called Lydda, and there he met a man who was lame. When Peter saw him, he first had compassion for the cripple. He did not overlook this man’s need.
The way Peter met his need was with Christ-centered care. Peter knew that the solution to the man’s problems could only be found in Christ, so he announced, “Jesus Christ maketh thee whole.”
The result of God’s work in the man’s life was the conversion of two cities to Christianity. When people saw a walking example of the power of God, they turned to Christ in faith and were saved.
As we seek to reach the world with the gospel, we must show genuine compassion for the lost by noticing their needs and working to meet them. Our care for them must be Christ-centered so that they may be drawn to the Savior. As we do, God will bless, and others will also see that we, like our Savior, love them “in deed and in truth.” - Oct 13, 2024A Healthy Church Part 2 (Acts 9:31)
A Healthy Church Part 2 (Acts 9:31)Acts 9:31 Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.When we are first introduced to Saul in the New Testament, he is the ringleader of the persecution of the church. But one day, he met Jesus, and that changed everything. He stopped persecuting Christians and started preaching the gospel.After Saul’s conversion, the believers enjoyed a season of less persecution. But while they were resting, they were still very active. Acts 9:31 says, “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied.”This verse describes four characteristics of a spiritually healthy church: Edification, Sanctification, Consolation, and Multiplication. We can also say that these traits will be found in the life of a spiritually healthy Christian since the character of the church is a reflection of the character of its members. The church will only be as healthy as the members who make up the church. Therefore, we must each be growing spiritually and walking with God.
