[Biblemat] A) "PAIN, PAIN, GO AWAY"

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  A very good Thursday
morning to each and everyone.  May God bless you and yours.
Here is an article from my files:

"PAIN, PAIN, GO AWAY"

     I was driving down I-45 when it happened.  An unfamiliar,
orange-colored light appeared between the oil temperature
gauges.  In horror, I read the dreaded words on the dash --
"Check Engine."  I didn't know what it meant, I just knew it was going to be 
expensive.  The mechanic looked the car over, tested all the systems on his 
computer, but couldn't find anything.  When I got in to drive home, I asked why 
the 
"Check Engine" light was off?  "I disconnected it," he said.  "It's fixed."

     A lot of people are "fixing" their problems the same way.
When we feel the pains of conscience or some other spiritual
discomfort, we would rather eliminate the symptom than find 
the source.  Pain, just like the "Check Engine" light, is an indi-
cator that something is not right.  And sometimes we think 
that as long as we cover it up, disposing of the messenger, we have treated 
the problem.  But in fact, all we end up doing 
is intensifying the pain.

Pay Less Attention To Prayer: -- How do we think that's going to help?  Yet, 
when we are burdened and feel the signal that
something is wrong, we assume that leaving the Lord out of
the loop will somehow make things better.  Someone who is 
really struggling, who has not been attending the services will
tell you, "well, I've go a lot of things I've got to work on in my
life and when I get those settled, I'll come back to the Lord."
They've got it backwards.  You can't get it straightened out
without Him.  And when you turn everything over to Him, He's
the One Who makes the pain manageable because you see
that it actually has a purpose in your life.  I'm afraid that many
of us don't believe in the power of answered prayer because
we're not praying.  He who kneels before God can withstand
any pain.

Don't Worry With Worship: -- That's an easy fix, too.  Because if you're not 
praying, what's the point of worship-
ing?  We often neglect the worship service because we don't
"get anything out of it."  The song leaders never lead any of
our favorite songs.  The prayers are too long and a waste of
time because they don't include anyone of our family.  The
preacher's subject doesn't fit our mood or our schedule for
that matter.  Where is the concern to give to God what is His?
Before we think about what we can get out of it, let's be cert-
ain we have put something into it that has been pleasing in His sight.  When 
that is our concentration and focus, we will
derive certain benefits from worship that will help prepare us
for heaven.  A place where there is no longer any pain (Rev. 
21:4).

Isolate Rather Than Assimilate: -- I once heard about a weath-
erman who was reporting during a heavy snowstorm.  He not-
iced that the trees that were clustered close together were not breaking 
under the weight of the snow.  "They lean on
each other," he said.  You want to know why it's important for
us to stay together?  Consider the trees.  But how can we "bear one another's 
burdens" (Gal. 6:2), when we don't know
what each other's burdens are?  Or when we don't use what
we've learned about our pain to help someone who is experie-
ncing the same sufferings?  We need one another.  Don't
think it makes you brave and strong to try to face your probl-
ems by yourself.  All it does is leave you out in the cold.

     Someone has said, "Pain makes us think.  Thinking makes
us wise.  Wisdom makes us profitable."  Be willing to reach
down and help someone up.  But be just as willing to reach up when you think 
you're beyond all help.  And keep looking
to Jesus Who promised rest to all who are weary and heavy-
laden (Matt. 11:28-30).  There's no better way to spell relief.
-------- Bubba Garner via Gospel Power, Vol. 14, No. 45, Nov.
11, 2007.   </HTML>
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