Truths You Can Count on - Part 2

Again, I go back to the list of sayings that I keep on my wall. I have probably had these up here for nearly 15 years and they have served me well. The only thing is, I cannot remember who said them. It was a chapel service when I was at CBC and I remember one other story he told which got my attention. As a young minister he has gone to a church as a guest evangelist. He was so nervous that when he got up to preach he gripped both sides of the pulpit and wouldn't let go. Well he had locked every joint in his body and before he knew it, he passed out. But because he had such a death grip on the pulpit, he fell backwards and pulled the pulpit on top of himself. Why did this make such an impression on me? The church was my home church in Arkansas. So let's pick up where we left off yesterday.

• Pain is never permanent - It's true! You just think it will never go away. God does care about the different kinds of pain in your life. But if the only reason why we have a relationship with Jesus is to make our life more comfortable, then all you live in is a Christian ghetto. That's the place where we justify our lives and whatever we do in the name of Jesus. Pain, by it's nature is designed tell us something we need to do. So yes, sometimes you find God in the midst of your pain.

• God will never "disconnect" - I mean never, ever. God will not ever disconnect from you. Sure there are times you "feel" like God isn't there, but that never means that He has disconnected from you.

• Frustration is eventually productive - This is one of my favorites. Frustration means that you are trying. That effort is being made. As long as you are trying, you are giving God something to work with. It's simple really. Give God nothing, you get nothing. Give God something, especially something that you cannot figure out or do anything with and He will make it something great for Him.

More tomorrow