Happy Monday!
In spite of all that’s going on today, it’s going to be ok! Sometimes, that’s hard to keep straight in our heads. We live in a world where everything we grew up with, all that we value, seems to be going up in smoke right before our eyes. But as Christians, we know how the story ends. It’s going to be ok!
I’m sharing a sermon by an old friend, Pastor Jason Roberts, whom I have shared before. His topic hits the nail on the head.
If you’ve read the Bible through, you understand there is really nothing new under the sun. Different millennium, different leadership but the same sins! But you know what? It’s still going to be ok!
When YOUR world is turned upside down or you see those you love lost and suffering, remember, this is only temporary, this isn’t our home. We will check out and find something SO much better. It’s going to be ok.
Thank you, Brother Jason for allowing me to share your perspective and wisdom.
Pray Unceasingly!!
Lois
It’s Going to be Ok!
Pastor Jason Roberts
Faith Chapel Free Will Baptist Church
It’s going to be ok. That was my message last Sunday. I don’t recall a message that has resonated more than this one did. So many have been through so much, and some are going through some tough stuff right now. We all need to hear and know that “it’s going to be ok.”
I never really thought about the extent God went to include this message in His Word until I was preparing this sermon. From the “In” of Genesis 1:1 to the “Amen” of Revelation 22:21, the root and core of so many of the stories, events, parables, and teachings was the message to His children that “it’s going to be ok.”
Consider the 23rd Psalm. Whether we are facing turmoil, sorrow, the enemy, or even death, each scenario is met with a comforting promise that “it’s going to be ok.” Lying in green grass by still waters with all our needs supplied, our blessings overflowing, and our Father watching over us is a pretty good daydream. This is just one of many morsels from the Bible that bring the same encouragement. It may be best encompassed in Romans 8:28; “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God…”. It’s going to be ok.
THE CHURCH has been in a steady decline for decades. When Gallup started keeping stats in 1937, those in the U.S. that claimed membership with a religious organization stood at about 73%. They now report that number to be less than 50%. Yet, God tells us that it is going to be ok. Jesus said, “Upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The vision given to John at Patmos is a vision that we should embrace today… Jesus standing in the midst of the churches (lampstands) with the leaders (stars) in His right hand and the Word (sword) going forth! As long as we allow Him in, Jesus will be in our midst and the church will be ok.
I see TRAGEDY and my heart breaks, but God has a way of turning even tragedy into triumph. Don’t ask me the reason things happen the way they do, for I am seeing through the same dark glass that Paul spoke of, and I don’t understand why things happen as they sometimes do. But, God has a reason and purpose for all things and our job is to just trust. In the late 1800’s, Horatio Spafford lost his four daughters when a ship sank in the Atlantic. In all, 226 people died, but his wife was among the survivors. As Horatio was standing on the deck of a ship crossing the very waters that took his daughter’s lives, to go and be with his wife, he penned the words to a song that we still sing in our churches today…. “It Is Well With My Soul.” In his time of unimaginable grief, God gave him the assurance that it was going to be ok.
I see those dealing with DEPRESSION and my heart breaks. Those that haven’t experienced it can’t understand it. To be in a crowd and feel all alone. To not be able to see beyond feelings of hopelessness to a better day and better state of mind. Please know that many have been where you are and have overcome. They would tell you that a better day is coming. God’s Word tells you that a better day will come: “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.” It’s going to be ok.
The state of our WORLD breaks my heart, but just remember, this world is not our home. Shortly after my wife and I were married (back in 1987 A.D.), we went to Branson, MO, USA. We were pretty young and green when it came to doing the whole life-on-your-own thing. We didn’t make reservations, but drove the strip until we found a hotel with a sign that read, “Vacancy”. We checked in, parked our car, unloaded our luggage, and entered our room. It was awful. I won’t go into the details, but we knew immediately that we were not staying there. We loaded our luggage, returned to the front desk, got our money back, and found a much better place to stay….
That’s where we are. We are in a hotel with bed bugs, dirty bathrooms, foul smells, air conditioning that doesn’t condition, and a console television that only works on channel 8. We are getting out of this place! We are going to a much better place! This isn’t our home! We are strangers here!
Whatever you are facing right now, please know that it’s going to be ok. It really is going to be ok.