Purity 412 – 05/07/2021 Purity 412 Podcast
Good morning.
While our friend
happened to capture it on a great day with the atmospheric conditions and light
being optimal, the reason I share it is because of the love they had for it
that was subtly displayed by their words and by the fact that this picture was
taken in the first place. This isn’t
just a picture of a plant. This is a picture of a 3-year-old whose parents
brought it home and watched it grow.
Sometimes our lives can
be uprooted, and we can be forced to find a new home. Circumstances can take us from a life that we
were secure in and can blow us into the winds of change that leave us wondering
if we will ever find a place where we can settle our roots again.
But our flowering
dogwood friend here, shows us that, although it may take some time, we too can
find a place, settle in, grow, and flourish.
No matter what changes
we face, if we stay in the light of God’s presence and nourish ourselves with
the water of His word, we can persevere through anything. We may face storms
and cloudy days but if we keep our eyes towards on the heavens and place our
hearts in the Lord’s hands, He will help us, heal us, and cause us to flourish
once again.
So I don’t know if you
have to keep on walking or if you must stand firm and put your roots down, but
I do know that whatever your circumstances, there is a God who loves you and
wants you to abide in Him to feel His presence and draw from His strength.
This morning’s meditation
verse is:
Psalm 55:22 (NKJV)
22 Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you; He shall
never permit the righteous to be moved.
Today’s verse invites
us to give our burdens to the Lord and assures us that He will sustain us and that
we will not be moved.
Okay, in light
of sharing about the dogwood tree and how I stated that there may be times
where we may need to find a new home, I think we should be clear about a couple
of things. So I will start with the last things first.
While the NKJV says
that God will never permit the righteous to be moved, we shouldn’t take that as
a literal promise in terms of our physical location or our status in life. This verse is not promising us that we will
always be in the same place in terms of an earthly home, position, or
relationship.
The NASB says
the righteous will not be permitted to be shaken. Likewise, it is not necessarily
promising that we will not be shaken in terms of earthly stability or never
suffering trauma. The first part of the
verse recognizes that we will have burdens that we are encouraged to cast on
the Lord, after all.
No this verse
is advising us of the unmoving or unshakable nature of our relationship with
God. When we put out faith in Christ, we
are adopted as God’s children into His royal family. That position, that home, that relationship
with God is what will never be permitted to be moved or shaken. God
takes our burdens, sustains us, and will never let us go.
This is a great
encouragement for our life of faith. But a defeated Christian or one who has
stepped off the path or who is experiencing hard times may look at this verse
and feel that it doesn’t apply to them.
They would take the comfort that is supposed to come from this verse and
reject it because they would look at their life and say that it is less than “righteous”. They sin or they are less than perfect so
that explains why they are burdened and suffering.
While our less
than wise choices can have negative consequences that we have to suffer through
and that should cause us to learn from our mistakes and change the way we live,
our righteousness is not determine by us. Our righteousness is determined by
our relationship with Christ. If we put
our faith in Christ, we are justified which means we are declared righteous by
God. So no matter what you have done,
you are righteous, and you can cast your burdens on the Lord and be sustained
by Him.
Of course, I
would also encourage you to thank God for the righteousness He has given you, look
at your life, and seek to eliminate from it anything that would make you doubt
your righteousness, or your relationship with God. Light doesn’t belong in darkness. God has not
only called us to a new life, but He has also given us the power to live it. We
just have to cast our burdens on the Lord and follow Him to discover the new
life we already have.
I invite all to mt4christ.org where I always share
insights from prominent Christian counselors to assist my brothers and sisters
in Christ with their walk.
Today in recognition of mental health awareness month we continue to
share from Dr. June Hunt’s “Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless “.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes
and encourage all to purchase Dr. Hunt’s books for your own private study and
to support her work. If you need this title you can find it online at several
sites for less than $5.00:
B. What Are Copycat Suicides?
“Copycats” are people who imitate the behaviors of others … and
sometimes this imitation extends to the realm of suicide. The intent of a
copycat is to make the ultimate sacrifice—believing that one’s own self-imposed
death will bring honor to another person’s life.
- Copycat
suicides are intentionally self-inflicted deaths due to the desire to
imitate others who have killed themselves. Copycats most often commit
suicide following the death of people in 3 categories: friends, family,
and the famous (specifically friends/classmates, siblings/parents,
heroes/idols). - Celebrity
suicides spawn multiple suicide attempts because the copycat feels
such a strong sense of identification with the celebrity—even a part of
the celebrity’s fame. After the celebrity’s death, copycat suicides tend
to occur at specific intervals: - —
Within the first 3 days - —
On the 1 week, 1 month, or 1 year anniversaries - —
On the same day of the month (such as the 4th or 11th) - “Cluster
suicides” involve a group of people who so identify with someone’s
suicide that they feel compelled to identify with that person in death.
These suicides take place together in a group or separately at the same
time. - —
They may fantasize hovering over and watching their own funerals. - —
They may idealize their deaths as “honoring” the one whom they are
imitating. - —
They may romanticize how much their own suicides would affect others …
imagining the tears of those left behind, their words of guilt and
regret, the sorrow of how much they will be missed.
Tragically, copycats fail to realize that the far greater way to honor
someone is through life, not death … by living in a way that honors the
memory of the one who has died, not by dying in a way that brings only a brief
moment of fame. Be aware of those who are immature and impressionable … those
who don’t have a secure sense of their own identity … those who lack judgment
by fantasizing about and romanticizing suicide. In general, the Bible addresses
this basic tragedy. …
“Fools die for lack of judgment.” (Proverbs 10:21)
A Dangerous Game
Question:
“Is Russian roulette based on a desire to commit suicide?”
Answer: Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Russian roulette
is a life-threatening game in which players spin the cylinder of a revolver
loaded with just one bullet before placing the muzzle to their heads and
pulling the trigger. Typically, this deadly game is presented as a dare to
challenge the bravery of others (who are usually “loaded” with alcohol!).
However, a despondent, suicidal person could go through the motions of Russian
roulette in a foolish attempt to “tempt fate” … or “test God.” …
“Some became fools through their rebellious ways and
suffered affliction because of their iniquities. They … drew near the gates
of death.” (Psalm
107:17–18)
Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless.
—————————-more
tomorrow————————-
God bless
you all!
Join our
Victory over the Darkness Discipleship Class via the mt4christ247 podcast!
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian
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