Handling Great Loss
Jerry Watts
Job 1:1-22
This past Tuesday, I went to my little breakfast spot, ordered me a 'Senior Breakfast', sat down with my IPad, and before starting to read my Bible I opened Facebook to check out the posts. One of our teenagers posted what she called a 'rant', but really was expressing a deep frustration because of a deep hurt. (May I pause to offer some spiritual leadership about posting on Facebook? Many will not listen because, we all ''KNOW'' what is appropriate and what's not. Be careful about posts because they have the ability ruin your witness. When you write, the Lord is literally watching over your shoulder.) Back to our teenager. Through the deep hurt of untimely deaths, she was calling on people to be compassionate, thoughtful, respectful, and even show mercy. What a call to all of us today! I hate to say it but great loss is a part of who we are. We don't like it, we don't want it, we try to avoid it, and even cheat it - but it is there with us.
Candidly, I was preparing another message (The CAPE of a Christ-Follower), but with the tragedies of last weekend, I sensed that God wanted us to hear from His word about ''How to Handle Great Loss.'' I begin by saying that 'Living the Christ-Life' in no way shields us from Great Losses. We live in a fallen world and losses are a part of our fallen nature. What living a life with and for Christ will do - is give us a handle to make it through the difficult days and the losses we face. We have just read about a man named Job - who suffered tremendous loss. He hurt, cried, and grieved, but made it through his loss to where his life was blessed beyond belief. From Job, I offer 2 thoughts;
The Losses that hurts - Anyone who has suffered a loss of any kind recognize that, by its very nature, a loss hurts - and hurts deeply. I think over the past few years at the losses we have had in our small town and how it has affected us. This week, one family lost two teens, Unspeakable.
...
Jerry Watts
Job 1:1-22
This past Tuesday, I went to my little breakfast spot, ordered me a 'Senior Breakfast', sat down with my IPad, and before starting to read my Bible I opened Facebook to check out the posts. One of our teenagers posted what she called a 'rant', but really was expressing a deep frustration because of a deep hurt. (May I pause to offer some spiritual leadership about posting on Facebook? Many will not listen because, we all ''KNOW'' what is appropriate and what's not. Be careful about posts because they have the ability ruin your witness. When you write, the Lord is literally watching over your shoulder.) Back to our teenager. Through the deep hurt of untimely deaths, she was calling on people to be compassionate, thoughtful, respectful, and even show mercy. What a call to all of us today! I hate to say it but great loss is a part of who we are. We don't like it, we don't want it, we try to avoid it, and even cheat it - but it is there with us.
Candidly, I was preparing another message (The CAPE of a Christ-Follower), but with the tragedies of last weekend, I sensed that God wanted us to hear from His word about ''How to Handle Great Loss.'' I begin by saying that 'Living the Christ-Life' in no way shields us from Great Losses. We live in a fallen world and losses are a part of our fallen nature. What living a life with and for Christ will do - is give us a handle to make it through the difficult days and the losses we face. We have just read about a man named Job - who suffered tremendous loss. He hurt, cried, and grieved, but made it through his loss to where his life was blessed beyond belief. From Job, I offer 2 thoughts;
The Losses that hurts - Anyone who has suffered a loss of any kind recognize that, by its very nature, a loss hurts - and hurts deeply. I think over the past few years at the losses we have had in our small town and how it has affected us. This week, one family lost two teens, Unspeakable.
...
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