Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Friends and Associates”
Our Bible verse for today: “Because of the Lord’s faithful love we do not perish, for His mercies are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! I say: ‘The Lord is my portion, therefore I will put my hope in Him.” Lamentations 3:22-24 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “We need friends who will speak words of hope and encouragement to us.”
Over the last two days we have been considering the importance of maintaining three vital levels of relationship in our lives, we’ve called them “Paul, “Barnabas” and “Timothy”. Yesterday we thought about what happens when we disregard the wise counsel we receive from our friends.
Today I want to address the importance of close friends speaking words of encouragement and hope into our lives during those times when we’ve messed-up or are just suffering, because lets be honest, we all mess-up and we all suffer. Therefore we all need key individuals who will be there to speak words of hope and encouragement.
That’s what we find Jeremiah doing in Lamentations 3:22-24. In his case the nation of Judah was finally suffering the punishment the Lord had been warning them of for many years. The Lord had warned them repeatedly that if they didn’t change their ways, there would be a price to pay. Well, they didn’t and there was. God allowed their enemies to conquer them and to take them into captivity. The city was destroyed and the people were miserable.
They were suffering the consequences of their own poor choices and God was allowing it to happen. Actually, God caused it to happen as a form of discipline in an effort to bring them back into a right relationship with Him. Actions have consequences.
However into the middle of all that pain and suffering God had Jeremiah speak words of hope. The suffering would continue only as long as needed to accomplish God’s purposes. And while it was going on, His love for them did not cease, He was still a God of mercy, and He would still be faithful to His promises to them. The people needed to hear that.
The same is true for us. Regardless of what you’re going through and regardless of whether you brought it on yourself or not, God still loves you, He is still faithful, His mercy is still there, and there is still hope.
I’m certainly not Jeremiah and you’re probably not living in the midst of rubble and devastation, but the lesson still applies and I did want you to hear it this morning. Be encouraged. God’s not done. There is hope.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 