A Thank You

My thank you to all the pastors called for the purpose of preaching and teaching the Word of God. Through the faithful work of a Godly man standing behind a pulpit, I heard Jesus knocking one day. When the pastor gave the alter call, I answered Jesus' knock, going forward to accept His offer of eternal salvation.

"For faith comes by hearing, and hearing  by the word of God"

Romans 10:17.

"That good thing which was committed to you,

keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in you"

2 Timothy 1:14.

Thank you for serving Jesus

 

 Thank you

for your care in service

Thank you

for your diligence in service

Thank you

for serving when it’s fun

Thank you

for serving when it’s difficult

 

Thank you

for your love of Jesus in all things.

"Be diligent to present yourself approved to God,

a worker who does not need to be ashamed,

rightly dividing the word of truth"

2 Timothy 2:15.

 

Walking Uprightly; Christians Both Exalted and Humble.

Walking Exalted or taking the High Road:

 

Christians have been exalted by God in that He gives us righteousness in the Son, Jesus. We do not exalt ourselves yet we are aware of a different, and better standard which to strive for in life. It is God's gift of grace, and not anything we have done.

 

(Psalm 1) The walk before God for a Christian is being very careful what company we keep, the way we live, and how we conduct ourselves in all situations.

(Romans 12: 1, 2) To be holy is to be set apart for good works; to be different from the world we live in.

(John 17: 16) When we focus on God and His ways, we can feel higher than the earth because we are not of this earth.

(Romans 8: 37, 38, 39) Christians have a higher perspective of life because we have Christ.

(Psalm 18: 39) God leads us into battles then fights them for us. He has the victory and exalts Himself with His own glory while blessing us by letting us watch Him work. We stand victorious on the battlefield because our General is Jesus.

(Luke 10: 20) We do not gather praise to ourselves because God has gifted us. We give praise to God because He has saved us. Rejoice!

Walking Humbly or taking the Low Road:

Christians have no righteousness of our own, so we are humble before our God. We are

not to think ourselves more holy than others for we have all received the same blessing of righteousness in the Son, Jesus. It is God's gift of grace, and not anything we have done.

(Psalm 23: 1, 2, 3) A Christian understands the meaning of being a sheep in the care of a Shepherd. Sheep are incapable of taking care of themselves. (A sheep is also non-threatening)

(Psalm 84: 10, 11, 12) We know that even the lowest job we do for God will be the greatest blessing.

(John 13:12-17) Jesus-God!-washed the feet of men, including Judas’. How much of similar love can we manifest if we wash the feet of our fellow Christians or even the unsaved? What can we do for the other fellow that they would be astonished at because we were that humble?

(Romans 12: 9-16) Allowing others to do something for us also is a form of humility. We sometimes brush the offer off because the need they perceived embarrasses us. Sometimes self-reliance can hurt us and it can hurt those who want to help us.

(Matthew 6: 6) A Christian should recognize the need for private communication with God. Public prayers are fine, but we are not to be like the hypocrites who misuse the privilege of prayer for their own praise. Private communication between believers and God is a very great honor. Let us use it often giving thanks that He has given us this manner of talking to Him. 

Christians have a special place in the world. We are walking in God's sight every moment no matter if we are elated by our new status, exalted in Jesus or if we are humbly acknowledging that God has given us this awesome privilege to be in Christ Jesus. 

Either road we take--we are glorifying our awesome God!

6 Things Not To Tell A Depressed Person

 "But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them"  Matthew 9:36a

Compassion is love in action, yet many times love isn’t the first thing shown by the words we speak. Having personally struggled with suicidal depression since childhood, I have learned that while people mean well, most fail the best ability to help. What they say is less than helpful even when they truly desired to help me. Friends and family reached higher levels of frustration. It wasn’t because they didn’t want to but they didn't know how to restore my health. Unfortunately, many things were said that sent me deeper into myself.

The depressed person may know all about their condition but hasn’t the physical or mental tools to change the problem. They know there’s a problem but can’t explain anything about it to anyone. When the ill person tries to explain it, it can come out all jumbled up with emotions and sound crazy, mad, and pitiful. Then there are the silences that are so loud in the mind. There is the isolation and social withdrawals and the lonely anger with less and less outlets: the worse the depression, the worse the self-hatred, which can increase the depression.

I faced this for years, imaging my silence was screaming for help yet not one word escaped me. Then I would have terrible rages of anger and frustration at the inability to express all the things pressuring me, real or imagined. No one understood how I would get so incredible angry and hurt myself and I hadn’t learned how to organize and itemize the thoughts of suicide, fear, and shyness.

Listed are 6 statements that are less than appreciative to a depressed person and a few hints of why they won’t, or can’t work from the inside.

•  “Snap out of it!” If it were possible to suddenly become happier, then depression would not exist. A sudden snapping into normalcy is about the most impossible action for anyone in any abnormal situation. You wouldn’t say “Snap out of it” to someone choking on a piece of food or someone drowning. You would come alongside the distressed person and do something to change the situation. So after carefully examining the situation, what can you do in the situation of the depressed person?

• “It’s all in your head.” Well ‘Duh!’ Obviously, you’re pointing at a house fire and telling the fireman what he’s combating. Our mind is the memory bank of our lives. Depression affects the entire body, and yes, it is in the mind. We store bad memories right alongside the good memories. If you delete something on your computer, you’ve only told the machine to store it in a deep file somewhere inaccessible to you but They never went away. It is still possible to retrieve them. For some, deleting the bad memories isn’t as easy as it is to others. Sometimes the bad memories override the good ones, feeding fears, and anger. Something that may help in some situations is try increasing the feeling of security . That was a major factor in restoring my health.

• “You need counseling.” You’ve mastered another obvious statement. Here's a hint, if you know the person you to which you just said that to, then you are probably the best counselor for them. You’re most likely closer to knowing what the root of the depression is. I’ve discovered through years of receiving professional counseling, that having the listening ear of a close friend is tremendously foundational to my better health. A listening friend as a sounding board can do as much as a professional and it’s less expensive. (That’s not to say professional counseling doesn’t work and if it is going to help, definitely seek it.)

• “You need to get out more.” Yes, isolation is bad but a depressed person is in a disconnected state of mind. Placing them among a lot of bustle and hustle can enhance the feeling of separation. I called that my glass box. I could see and hear people around me but I had locked myself inside my own see-through prison. Connection was broken, I couldn’t reach out, and those outside couldn’t reach me. Perversely, isolation gives the mind abnormal space to chew on abnormal problems and come up with abnormal solutions. A few friends, and a few acts of kindness in the space where the ill person is are a big help to those isolating themselves. And don’t expect an overnight change just because you did something once, it could take time and you may need a lot of patience.

7th grade picture & I was a depressed teenager

• “You need medication.” This is a cold statement, especially from family or friends. Yes, they very well might need some kind of medication, and while medications are available for helping, medication means drugs. The depressed person may fear what drugs mean or might do, and should only given by doctors after testing and examination. And the taking of medicines has to be monitored by someone, especially at the very beginning. For depressed people, taking medication can be difficult to keep track of on their own. If the person begins taking medications, don’t leave them to it, as if everything is going to be better; make sure it’s a daily pattern added in their lives.

• “What’s wrong with you?” Another very cold statement. A physical illness, overwhelming circumstances, stress, a great loss, or any number of things could cause it, so how could they tell you what it is while in a depressive state of mind? If they even attempt explaining it you may not understand the description. It may sound like nonsense to you. This does not mean you don't care, maybe you're not the best person to come alongside them. Any of your honest intentions to help quite possibly could hinder. Lending a hand from a distance may be all you need to do after you seek others to help your friend or family member. If it isn't within your realm of knowledge, let a compassionate personality be the closer companion. Help from a distance as you can and if there’s something for you to do, step up and perform it.

If you decide to help, please walk carefully. One simple mistake, easily made, is doing everything for the depressed person. Unfortunately, this could keep them in their state of mind. 

Whatever you do, try to do something within your ability. It may be asking them to help you, giving them small responsibilities, or trusting them with something. It could be secretly paying a bill, supplying a meal, or taking care of their child for a few hours. How about asking them if they want to walk in the sunshine, take photographs, or play a game. Laughter does add to health.  

If you want to help or think you can help a hurting person, 

whatever you do, do all with love.

You can accomplish much without having to mention the illness.

When you love someone, you move with compassion to fill the need.

I now can feel my depression and notice when it is affecting me. I have learned to watch myself and seek the friends I need when it begins. Jesus has helped me live life more abundantly, and even though my flesh gets in the way, I have my Lord to sustain me.

Not everyone has Jesus, but everyone needs Him.