Post by sudan on Jan 8, 2007 3:54:28 GMT -5
Bits of Hope from 10/01/2006(10am)Rev. Dr. Lance D. Watson ~I Samuel 30:7-15
It is a wonderful thing just to survive. Wild animals live to survive because if they do not they will become extinct. Even when a person is stripped of everything, there is something in them that still declares, “I want to survive.” It is good to strive but when you have been through, it is a miracle just to survive. You have been sick, abused, disgusted, and broke but you made it through. You are a survivor. It is a miracle because you shouldn’t have made it but you did. Many people miss the importance of David’s story. The story in the text teaches us how God works in the midst of our pain. Everybody can’t be David. Someone has to be the Egyptianman that was left to die by his masterand the Amalekites. The manwas helped and brought to David. You may know the deep and abiding pain of being abandoned. You may have been treated like gold by someone and then dropped like you were insignificant. When you have not initiated the change it can be very painful. There are others who know how it feels to go from wanted to unwanted and from needed to unneeded. The man in the text was left behind to die because he became sick. You may have been rejected because of something beyond your control. You have been faithful, helpful, and dutiful, but yet you were kicked to the curb. While the man was left to die, he didn’t die. Being left to die doesn’t mean you have to die. The man was kept alive by God. God still saw him as necessary though his master did not feel he was significant and valuable. Don’tevertie the value of your life to your experiences and the opinions of others. You are cherished and loved by God. You are still valuable to God. He saw fit to keep you alive.In the text, the man left for dead was protected from death by God. Did God keep you alive when you were in a weakened condition? God kept you because you are important. There is rhyme and reason to your life. If you everdoubt your importance, look over your shoulder and see the things God has already brought you through. You have to have high self-esteem to say, “I am exceptional.” If yourhaters had their way, you would have been finished. But God kept you alive so you must be somebody special. You are important to God. God will bring the right people at the right time in the right way across your path. Sometimes there is so much dysfunctionaround you that others might not want to be around you. We want to know who a person is and what he/she can do for us before we help them. We should help them first. You can’t lose your mind over the one who left you because you are going to need your mind for the one that is coming. You can’t lose your mind overthe job youlost because you are going to need your mind forthe new business opportunity coming your way. God will bring the right people at the right time in the right way across your path because they are instruments of renewal, revival, and restoration in your life. They don’t TELL MY ENEMIES I’M BACK
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TTRRAANNSSFFOORRMMIINNGG YYOOUURR WW OORRLL DDThe Ray of Hope Christian Church Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, Senior Pastorwant anything from you. They just want to see you be everything God has called you to be. They don’t have an agenda; they just want to see you smile again.Forget everybody who passed you by. Forget every person who did not help you. When the right people show up in your life, you ought to thank those who mistreated you in the past. It was only after the man left for dead was revived and restored that he felt like talking. He testified. He provided important information to David about David’s enemies, the Amalekites. God allowed this to happen in the Egyptian’s life because it was necessary for David. Your life experiences are necessary for someone else’s life. Your recovery is necessary for someone else’s recovery.One fatal mistake the enemy always makesis leaving you for dead instead of killing you. He thought you would never recover. That’s why he didn’t take you out. He expected the bankruptcy, rape, divorces, arrest, or abuse to take you out. The enemy should have killed you when he had a chance because now it is too late. On a larger scale, the Egyptian being left for dead had a purpose. He was left in a particular place because God was up to something. The man couldn’t die because he had information that David needed. You are the missing element in somebody’s equation. Your life is necessary in somebody’s recovery. You won’t die until everybody who needs what you have has what you have to give. You won’t die until you meet everybody you are meant to meet. Some of the people who are with you are only going with you part of the way. You can stay with the people who are too tired and trifling or you can go with the people who can see where you are trying to go. You make the choice. Let other people underestimate your worth but you don’t ever underestimate your own worth. David gave the man the opportunity to lead him to the enemy. The man was glad he had the opportunity to go back to the people who left him behind and say, “I’m Back.” He helpedDavid’srecovery. Thank everybody who dropped you and rejected you because now you are apart of a new story. Recover and get backwhat the enemy tookfrom you.Peace.
Pastor Lance Watson ~ Saint Paul's Baptist Church ~ Richmond,Virginia
It is a wonderful thing just to survive. Wild animals live to survive because if they do not they will become extinct. Even when a person is stripped of everything, there is something in them that still declares, “I want to survive.” It is good to strive but when you have been through, it is a miracle just to survive. You have been sick, abused, disgusted, and broke but you made it through. You are a survivor. It is a miracle because you shouldn’t have made it but you did. Many people miss the importance of David’s story. The story in the text teaches us how God works in the midst of our pain. Everybody can’t be David. Someone has to be the Egyptianman that was left to die by his masterand the Amalekites. The manwas helped and brought to David. You may know the deep and abiding pain of being abandoned. You may have been treated like gold by someone and then dropped like you were insignificant. When you have not initiated the change it can be very painful. There are others who know how it feels to go from wanted to unwanted and from needed to unneeded. The man in the text was left behind to die because he became sick. You may have been rejected because of something beyond your control. You have been faithful, helpful, and dutiful, but yet you were kicked to the curb. While the man was left to die, he didn’t die. Being left to die doesn’t mean you have to die. The man was kept alive by God. God still saw him as necessary though his master did not feel he was significant and valuable. Don’tevertie the value of your life to your experiences and the opinions of others. You are cherished and loved by God. You are still valuable to God. He saw fit to keep you alive.In the text, the man left for dead was protected from death by God. Did God keep you alive when you were in a weakened condition? God kept you because you are important. There is rhyme and reason to your life. If you everdoubt your importance, look over your shoulder and see the things God has already brought you through. You have to have high self-esteem to say, “I am exceptional.” If yourhaters had their way, you would have been finished. But God kept you alive so you must be somebody special. You are important to God. God will bring the right people at the right time in the right way across your path. Sometimes there is so much dysfunctionaround you that others might not want to be around you. We want to know who a person is and what he/she can do for us before we help them. We should help them first. You can’t lose your mind over the one who left you because you are going to need your mind for the one that is coming. You can’t lose your mind overthe job youlost because you are going to need your mind forthe new business opportunity coming your way. God will bring the right people at the right time in the right way across your path because they are instruments of renewal, revival, and restoration in your life. They don’t TELL MY ENEMIES I’M BACK
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Page 2
TTRRAANNSSFFOORRMMIINNGG YYOOUURR WW OORRLL DDThe Ray of Hope Christian Church Rev. Dr. Cynthia L. Hale, Senior Pastorwant anything from you. They just want to see you be everything God has called you to be. They don’t have an agenda; they just want to see you smile again.Forget everybody who passed you by. Forget every person who did not help you. When the right people show up in your life, you ought to thank those who mistreated you in the past. It was only after the man left for dead was revived and restored that he felt like talking. He testified. He provided important information to David about David’s enemies, the Amalekites. God allowed this to happen in the Egyptian’s life because it was necessary for David. Your life experiences are necessary for someone else’s life. Your recovery is necessary for someone else’s recovery.One fatal mistake the enemy always makesis leaving you for dead instead of killing you. He thought you would never recover. That’s why he didn’t take you out. He expected the bankruptcy, rape, divorces, arrest, or abuse to take you out. The enemy should have killed you when he had a chance because now it is too late. On a larger scale, the Egyptian being left for dead had a purpose. He was left in a particular place because God was up to something. The man couldn’t die because he had information that David needed. You are the missing element in somebody’s equation. Your life is necessary in somebody’s recovery. You won’t die until everybody who needs what you have has what you have to give. You won’t die until you meet everybody you are meant to meet. Some of the people who are with you are only going with you part of the way. You can stay with the people who are too tired and trifling or you can go with the people who can see where you are trying to go. You make the choice. Let other people underestimate your worth but you don’t ever underestimate your own worth. David gave the man the opportunity to lead him to the enemy. The man was glad he had the opportunity to go back to the people who left him behind and say, “I’m Back.” He helpedDavid’srecovery. Thank everybody who dropped you and rejected you because now you are apart of a new story. Recover and get backwhat the enemy tookfrom you.Peace.
Pastor Lance Watson ~ Saint Paul's Baptist Church ~ Richmond,Virginia