What would you say?
What can you say to someone who says her mother tried to kill her when she was 11 years old, then joined a gang because she felt they loved her more than her mother did!
What can you say to an inmate who never knew her dad, saw all her mother's live-in boy friends beat her mother, sell drugs, and then go to jail? Oh, did I mention that every one of these men molested the person who is now an inmate. Do you think she has chosen a heterosexual live style?
Or what about the man who had to start stealing when he was 5 years old because his mother was running the streets and not bringing home any food for he and his sister. He says, “our mother chose the streets, drugs and men over us!”
Then there is the one whose dad put a knife in his back pack when he went to kindergarten. When he asked his dad why, his dad said, "My enemies send their children to this same school and you will need to use this to protect yourself!"
We see the truth of Exodus 20:5 “. . . for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me,” But we claim Exodus 20:6 for those who have professed Jesus as Savior: “but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.”
posted by The Lighthouse @ 2:15 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
It sure does seem our sufferings are so varied doesn't it. May God have mercy. Wow I will pray for you.
My sister is a fairly recent believer (6 years or so). My sister asked me about struggles of when I was younger that made her feel like so many had abandoned me. I told her, it was truly used by God to draw me to Christ. I do truly believe that and oh how sovereignly God used these things in our lives to work all things together for our good and His glory.
To have Christ and be found in him is truly better than possessing the whole world. I believe that more and more each day. God promises are truly better than gaining the whole world. To be with Christ and having gained Him is such peace.
How I had such joy in the fact that having Christ is better than having gained even the whole world.
May we believe this. It's interesting in our suffering when we have found Christ we do truly believe these words
Philippians 3:7-11
"But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead"
when I mean "pray for you", I mean "pray for you Carl and Kathy and those who you minister to".
Blessings,
Shawn
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