| Good Morning Everyone, Our theme for this month: “You are loved” Our Bible verse for today: “God sets the lonely in families.” Psalm 68:6 (NIV) Our thought for today: “You don’t have to be alone.” It’s hard to feel loved when you’re lonely. According to the website psychologytoday.com, loneliness is defined as “The state of distress or discomfort that results when one perceives a gap between one’s desires for social connection and actual experiences of it.” What that definition refers to is the fact that God created humans as relational beings. We have an inborn desire to be in close relationships with others. Even in the Garden of Eden, back when Adam was in a perfect relationship with God, God still said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” (Genesis 2:18). So, God created Eve to be a companion for Adam, and then He gave them children as well. As good as a relationship with God is, Adam still needed to have people in his life too. Another definition of loneliness is “Feeling sad and unhappy about being socially isolated.” Numerous studies show that anywhere from 40-60 percent of Americans feel lonely on a regular basis. They’re sad and unhappy, feeling socially isolated. And it seems to be getting worse. Half of generation Z (born between 1997-2012) report feeling lonely most of the time. God’s answer to loneliness is the church family. One of the reasons God puts people in churches is so He can love them through other people. As we discussed in yesterday’s devotional, God uses faithful people as vessels to communicate and express His love for others – especially those who are hurting and struggling and lonely. This is an important part of church life. I encourage you to pray this morning and ask God to bring to your mind someone in your church who might be feeling alone and lonely. Reach out to that person, maybe by phone but preferably in a more personal and tangible way. Perhaps you could invite them to lunch or have them come over to your home for dinner. Maybe you could go to a movie together. Statistically about half of the people around you are experiencing loneliness at any given time. Hopefully that percentage is lower in the church but still, there are lonely people in churches too, and that shouldn’t be. I encourage you to find a way to express the love of God to a lonely person today. God Bless, Pastor Jim |
| Copyright © 2020 Oak Hill Baptist Church, All rights reserved. |
-
Follow
Following
Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
Oak Hill Baptist Church 