Friends in Christ Message for August 31, 2002

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Friends in Christ Weekly Message
August 31, 2002

Never give up. Eagerly follow the Holy Spirit and serve the Lord. Let your hope make you glad. Be patient in time of trouble and never stop praying.
Romans 12:11-12 (CEV*)

Each of us faces circumstances from time to time which tempt us to discouragement. Each of us has times of trouble in our lives. The apostle Paul speaks to such times in these verses.

Never give up. Our faith in the Lord is not just for the easy times of life, but also for the darkest times. We should always be eager to serve the Lord. Jesus went through even worse times than we go through. He never gave up, but was faithful even unto death. That is our model.

Not only are we not to give up, but we are to be glad. Why would we be glad in even the worst of circumstances? Because we have hope. If our faith is deep, we trust that Christ indeed has won the victory and we don't need to worry about the final outcome no matter how bleak things may seem at times.

We need to keep our channels of communication to God open. We are to never stop praying. If circumstances make it impossible to keep doing everything we have been doing, prayer should be the last thing we should put aside. We need to really feel God's presence in our lives. It's a good time to practice the kind of prayer that one can do while busy with another task.

Dear friends, do not be discouraged. Keep your faith strong. Remember that nothing can destroy your reason for hope. Tell it all to God in prayer, and listen for God's still, small voice that is never absent if we are attentive.

Bill Samuel