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God's Words For US
by Cecelia Lester
Christians are people who believe in Jesus Christ; and yet, they also can be people in great need. Our first and foremost need is a vital relationship with the Lord. People of Jesus are not from any walk of life; they come from all parts of society. I met a gentleman at our church who had been homeless. He was diagnosed with Cancer and lived in a nursing facility. He was faithful to be in church on Sunday and on Wednesday nights. As the congregation ministered to him, the people learned from him.
We need to learn to learn that all we can do is nothing in the eyes of God—Paul describes all he knew as filthy rags. If God wants us to do a task, He will equip us with what skills we need to accomplish that work.
We don’t really know what needs somebody has if we walk past them. We might not know even if we talk to them. We may have to ‘get down in the dirt’ with them and really get our hands dirty.
As we go through this life, things happen because we are in life. People get upset and even angry at one another. Usually, these issues can be worked out between parties but sometimes they can’t. This is where God plays a huge role. God can accept the apology, the seeking of forgiveness, the statement of our sorrow and allow us to go on with our lives.
When God shows us our true need, it’s because He wants us to be willing to ask His forgiveness for our shortcomings. We need to be obedient to Him about this because God wants to bless us, His children and our sin may keep Him from doing it.
My Sunday school teacher tells the story of his oldest grandson. The boy went to the grocery store with his mother. He’d see something he liked and said, “Mom, I want that.” This happened several times each time they went to the store. She finally told him, “Son, we don’t always get what we want. We have to get what we need.” The boy, being rather intelligent, started saying, “Mom, I NEED that.”
As children of God, we have to decide whether an item is a want or a need. We went into two stores yesterday afternoon looking for something specific for our home. I have to make that decision about the item we focused on in our pricing trip.
A friend told me some rather unsettling news about one of her brothers this afternoon. He has a recurrence of a growth in his vocal chords. He and his wife’s needs are very specific right now. Nothing is more basic to us than our health.
I have heard two times of late where people were renting a house that went into foreclosure because the owners were not making the mortgage payments. Those tenants’ needs are basic to their welfare. No one wants to be homeless.
Sometimes, all I can do is pray a simple prayer for ‘the needs of God’s people.’ When I do this, I can't mention names because there are so many. I can't mention the needs because I feel so overwhelmed by the number and type of needs that I know about.
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Cecelia Lester has been serious about her writing for over two decades..
She composes Christian essays and posts them to her blog quietspirit-followingmyking.blogspot.com/
She has served in a faith-based organization, Grace In Action by writing two newsletters and searching for possible grants.
In July 2017, she published her first book, 'Times of Trouble Bring Rays of Joy.'
She and her husband of 54 years live in central Indiana. They have one grown son.
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