How Do You Spell Relief

My Utmost For His Highest

When you see a person who is close to grasping the claims of Jesus Christ, you know that your influence has been used in the right direction. And when you begin to see that person in the middle of a difficult and painful struggle, don’t try to prevent it, but pray that his difficulty will grow even ten times stronger, until no power on earth or in hell could hold him away from Jesus Christ. Over and over again, we try to be amateur providences in someone’s life. We are indeed amateurs, coming in and actually preventing God’s will and saying, “This person should not have to experience this difficulty.” CHAMBERS

Do you think of yourself as a compassionate person?  Do you think you would have difficulty watching someone struggle with a situation in their life, ask you for help and then you stand back and withhold that help like Chambers suggests?  When I read his words, something within me said .. Not Right … I mean doesn’t Jesus chastise the ‘goats’ in Matthew 25 for not ‘doing those things to the least of these’?  Doesn’t John 15:13 say you should lay your life down for others?  Isn’t the parable of the Good Samaritan about crossing the road and helping someone that others have passed by, just because they need help in Luke 10?  Well how much more would we want to help someone we know and care about? 

Someone once said that people don’t accept that Jesus is all they need until Jesus is all they have.  Chambers is talking about someone being in a circumstance, that does not lead to death, that the Lord has allowed in order to bring that person to the end of themselves.  If we jump in wearing our blue tights and red cape, because we don’t want to see them struggle, we may be disrupting the very thing that will help them the most.  And how do we know that?  Spiritual discernment.  And how do we get that?  Ok you know where this is leading don’t you? In Acts chapter 3 Peter and John met a lame man who was begging outside of the temple.  Peter said “Look at me. I don’t have any money but what I have I will give to you, in the name of Jesus Christ, stand up and walk.” (Elgin paraphrase)  And the man did … Peter was the spark the caused the man to place his trust in Jesus. 

So the point here, is don’t look at things just as face value, but look deeper.  See into the heart of the situation.  Don’t be in a hurry to ‘fix it’ but look to see what God is doing in their lives .. pray that His will be done … and be ready to give a reason for the Hope that is within you.  “ … sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear…” (1 Peter 3:15)   How do we spell relief?  J-E-S-U-S …

Bondye Beni Ou (God Bless You)