BETWEEN YOU AND GOD - NOVEMBER 4th - 2014

BETWEEN YOU AND GOD
Have you thanked Him?
Have you praised Him?
Have you made it your priority to agree and cooperate with Him today?
Have you taken that deep breath and listened for what He has for you today?
1 Timothy 2:1 (The Message)
1-3The first thing I want you to do is pray. Pray every way you know how, for everyone you know.

People are often unreasonable and self-centered. Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives. Be kind anyway.
If you are honest, people may cheat you. Be honest anyway.
If you find happiness, people may be jealous. Be happy anyway.
The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow. Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough. Give your best anyway.
For you see, in the end, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway. ― Mother Teresa

I took a struggling friend to the REFUGE yesterday. It was an unexpected but needed trip to downtown Columbus. It wasn’t on my radar or my schedule but boy, he needed it.

Back to back to back nights migrating from McDonalds to a local bar and then to the coffee house with nowhere to sleep gives a man time to think about “things”. That was the case for my friend.

I am thankful for my brothers at the REFUGE who have an open door for the hurting. I am thankful my friend realized the truth of this passage.
Jeremiah 33:3(GW)
Call to me (GOD), and I will answer you.
He awakens today with an answer a new start.

But it was the conversation I had with another dear brother while there that motivated me to share that little quote from Mother Teresa today.

You see my tired friend who entered the ministry yesterday had been there 3 years earlier. So my partners knew him; they knew him well. In fact 3 years earlier he was the “prized project” of one of the mentors at the REFUGE. And when he went “back out”; when he left the ministry to return to “drinking and drugging”, this mentor was devastated and hurt.
So imagine his surprise when his prized prodigal walked in whipped and weary.
For a second, this mentor was “upset”. Just seeing his prodigal re-stirred all of those feelings of betrayal and anger he felt three years ago.

But I have to give this mentor credit. Instead of giving in to his bitterness and hurt, he channeled the attitude of Mother Teresa toward his brother.

He forgave his unreasonable and selfish brother.
He did “good”; “his best” and opened his heart to his fatigued friend.
He remembered that in the end…it WAS between HIM and God. It was never between HIM and our friend anyway.

Be honest. Sometimes when we get hurt or when others “let us down” it hard to forgive, it is hard to see the best; it is hard to remember that we HELP and we LOVE because GOD asked us to do just that.
Mother Teresa is right. So is this mentor.

When we share the love of Christ with another IT IS between us and GOD and we need to leave whatever happens in HIS perfectly capable hands.
Our job is to:
…continue to forgive.
…continue to be honest.
…continue to do “good”.
…continue to give our best.
…believe and obey GOD and leave all of the consequences to Him.
….continue to love!
1 John 4:19
We love because God loved us first.

And continue to remember that in the end ALL THINGS ARE between just you and Him.

Be blessed!
Love you all!
Freedom Church