Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Getting through tough times”
Our Bible verse for today: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Life is always better with Jesus than without Him.”
As I write this I have just returned from leading a mission team to Haiti. I had been to Haiti before and so I knew what to expect but still the sheer magnitude of the poverty is hard to take in. Over the last forty-four years, first during a career in the U.S. Navy and then from a second career as a Pastor and mission team leader, I have completely circled the globe and I have visited something like thirty-five countries – but I still find the desperate situation in Haiti somewhat startling and a bit overwhelming.
And yet, the Haitian Christians are not a defeated or despairing people. Exactly the opposite is true. Rarely have I been with a group of Christians who display more joy in the Lord, who worship Him with greater passion, or who are more enthusiastic about being involved in His kingdom-building work, than the Christians I met in Haiti.
This past Sunday I preached in a church that met in a huge tent because their permanent church building had been rendered unusable in the earthquake five years ago. It was packed to the point of standing room only and was then spilling out into the street, and then on into an adjacent building across the ally. There were probably a couple of thousand people. They were well dressed, smiling and laughing, singing their hearts out, hugging and dancing, and tears of joy flowed freely.
In the neighborhood surrounding the church (where these people live) there were tin shacks, tent homes, piles of trash everywhere, and the stench of rotting garbage. But inside the church there was joy in the Lord like I’ve seldom experienced anywhere. How can that be?
I’ve frequently used Matthew 11:28-30 to make the point that regardless of your situation in life, whether you live in a shack in remote Africa or in a mansion in Beverly Hills, life is always better with Jesus than without Him. But seldom have I experienced the truth of that lesson as I have in Haiti.
What the Haitian Christians model for us in the midst of their difficult life situations is an excellent example of the truth Jesus taught in this passage. Despite the worst of circumstances, He can and will help us to walk through life with peace and joy and with strength and hope. Your tough times can actually become the instrument God uses to help you experience His presence and power in your life far beyond what you would have experienced otherwise.
The truth is that you can get through your tough times and you can do so with peace and strength. Jesus will help you.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 