Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as we share abundantly in Christs sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. (2 Corinthians 1:3-7 ESV) The Father of mercies and God of all comfort comforts us in our affliction! An affliction is anything that causes pain or suffering according to my Webster app. Now that could mean so many things and doesnt our Lord come through on His promise to comfort us and provide mercy in so many different situations. Notice, though, that He doesnt provide for us so that we can just be comforted and keep it to ourselves. This passage comes from the lesson material provided for most classes at FBC Pontotoc yesterday. One thing the writer if the youth material brought out is that Christians dont need to live in a bubble. Once comforted we must comfort others! I was nervous about teaching the lesson yesterday because the title used for these verses was, Ministry in Face of Mental Illness. The statistics provided are staggering and we all need to be aware of how critical our role in reaching out to others truly is! One recent study showed that more teenagers are dying by suicide at a greater rate than by traffic accidents. The U. S. Army Chief of Chaplains told me we have been losing more soldiers to suicide than to combat.... Suicide has risen dramatically for young women, ages 18 to 30. For youth between the ages of 10 and 24 suicide is the third leading cause of death. Another study shows that 49.5% of U. S. adolescents meet the criteria for mental health disorders. My class was abnormally quiet yesterday! I was so thankful for one precious student that shared about a family member with mental illness and a friend who had reached out because of clinical depression. Our young people face so many challenges on the road to success. They are pressured to succeed at a much earlier age than we ever thought! They need our prayers but they are not the only ones. Reach out to those you know that may be hurting, lonely, or going through a very difficult time. Theres so much information at our fingertips to help you decide if someone is in trouble and give you pointers on how to help at home. As we said in class yesterday, its nothing to be ashamed about but the symptoms are so easy to hide. Christian counselors are available to help or just start with your pastor. If you or a loved is suffering from mental illness reach out. The Father of all mercies will provide! God, I love You so much! Thank You for comforting us and for using us to comfort others. Its an honor to be used by the King of kings! Open our eyes and our hearts. Make us tender to those who need special attention this holiday season. Help us not get so wrapped up in gift buying and giving that we leave out the most important reason for the reason! Thank You, Jesus, for giving us reason to celebrate Christmas. Thank You most of all for giving us reason to celebrate Easter! That is the true gift. We give You all honor and all glory and all praise! You are so very worthy!!!!
Posted on: Mon, 01 Dec 2014 12:46:49 +0000
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