Comforting Trust

Have you ever met someone who is going through something that you just experienced?

Well, I was re-reading the life journal from yesterday - because I lost my list :( - and a couple of things stood out to me.  Both were reminders, but I think they're needed reminders for me today.

First, 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, "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."

Sometimes I forget that my experiences aren't for me.  I mean, I know I need to learn from the things that I do and experience.  But I'm understanding that that's not the whole purpose behind why I have life experiences.  Of course, the first reason is to glorify the Father.  Another one, though, is clearly described in this verse  - I'm to comfort and encourage the people around me with the same comfort Christ gives me.  We all have common experiences, right?  Everybody faces joy and sorrow in various forms, and the amazing thing about the Lord is that He gives us the gift of comfort.  The thing about gifts, though, is that we're supposed to give them away.  Don't hold on to the comfort you receive.  Share it gladly with the people around you who need it most.

Second, 2 Corinthians 1:9, "Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death.  But that was to make us rely not on ourselves, but on God who raises the dead."

Need I say more?  God's calling me and you to trust Him.  Completely.  Entirely.  Even unto death.  It amazes me how fully Paul trusts God.  Here I sit thinking about how hard it is for me to let go of things and truly trust the Father, and Paul responds with, "It's no big deal!  Even if I die, God raises dead people to life..."  To some that could seem arrogant, and maybe he was, but is he wrong?  Not at all.  Paul is completely correct to be that confident in the Lord.

I suppose the question is, am I?

Food for Thought

It seems like the South has developed a culture in which certain things or behaviors, are taboo, but no one really wants to come out and address them.  But, isn't that what counseling classes teach you to do when resolving conflict?  Confront the issue?  It has gotten to the point where people either pretend it doesn't exist or are just afraid to say anything at all, but they still talk about it.  They still judge people who participate.


I know I do.


"Gee, Jacob, is that what this post is about?  You're just going to rant about something?  Sit on your high horse and judge people for doing what you won't say anything about?"


Actually, no.  Could I?  Sure.  If I wanted to completely alienate everyone around me for being sinful by judging them, yeah, I guess I could.  No, what I really wanted to use this post for was a declaration of sorts.


A decision.


It's been a long time coming.  There have been many mistakes made and I know I've waffled back and forth on the issue over the years, but I think I have it down.  I got a little confirmation this morning in my life journal reading.


"Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble."  1 Corinthians 8:13


The first thing that comes to mind when I read this verse is alcohol.  Yes, I said it, alcohol.  That bitter spirit that can take years to make and seconds to consume.  Now, I want to be very careful when I say this, so let me make things very plain:


I AM NOT CONDEMNING OR ADVOCATING ALCOHOL OR ITS CONSUMPTION!


This post is entirely about me (sorry for the selfishness) and a decision that I have come to.  I just was clearly reminded this morning and felt the need to share.  Here it is.  Take it with a grain of salt if you will.


The huge dilemma, it seems to me, with alcohol is that there are groups for and groups against it.  Some say that you should never have any, others it's okay in moderation, others say 'Drink and be merry!'


I suppose I could sum my thoughts in a few points:


1.  According to the Word, if I partake and cause a brother or sister to stumble then I have sinned against them and Christ.  Bad move.
2.  According to the Word, Christ came to set me free from the law so it's my choice to partake or not.


I don't know about you, but this leaves me a little adrift.  Which do I pick?  How do I make a choice that lets me have my freedom but doesn't hurt my brother in Christ?  Here's a logical thought:  What if I only drink around the people that I know are okay with it and don't drink around the people who aren't?  That way, I can be free to do as I wish and also make sure that I don't cause a brother to stumble...


Oops...


That's all well and good, but what about the situation where a person from each group is present?  If I drink, the one brother stumbles.  If I don't, the other one sees my hypocrisy.  I hurt my witness either way.  Neither of those options is acceptable to me!


I'll close with this:


"I choose not to drink alcohol.  I don't think that it's wrong nor do I judge the people who choose to drink.  But, I am choosing not to."


I would rather go without something I have enjoyed before in order to save my witness on both accounts than hurt my witness with either person.  Is it worth it?


I think so.


What about you?