Why Did Jesus Suffer?

Why did Jesus Suffer?

I. The things that He suffered

1.) For thirty three years He suffered Temptation, the daily struggles against sin we endure--

Hebrew 4:15

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin."

Hebrews 2:18

"For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted,  he is able to succor them that are tempted."

**Jesus was like us because he experienced a full range of temptations as a human being throughout his life. We can be comforted to know that he faced temptation-he can sympathize with us, but give us the way out. Showing that just as he has overcame the world, we can too. **

John 16:33

"These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."

2.) He experienced rejection by His own hometown--

Luke 4:16

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read."

Luke 4:28-30

"And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath, and rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him into the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way."

3.) There was blasphemous accusations when He was doing good--

Luke 11:14-15

"And he casting out a devil, and it was dumb. And it came to pass, when the devil was gone out, the dumb spake; and the people wondered. but some of them said, He casteth out devils through Beelzebub the chief of the devils."

4.) There was defection by many disciples--

John 6:60-61,66

"Many therefore of his disciples, when they had heard this, said, This is an hard saying; who can hear it? when Jesus knew himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?"

"From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him."

5.) He endured ridicule by members of his own family--

John 7:3-5

"His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judaea, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest. For there is no man that doeth any thing in secret, and he himself seeketh to be known openly. If thou do these things, shew thyself to the world. For neither did his brethren believe in him."

**Jesus' brothers had a difficult time believing in him. Some of these brothers would eventually become leaders in the church, but for several years they were embarrassed by him. After Jesus died and rose again, they finally believed. **

6.) There was annoucements of betrayel , abandonment, denial--

Matthew 26:21

"Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me."

Matthew 26:31

"Then said Jesus unto them, All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad."

Matthew 26:34

"Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."

7.) The indignity of such things was maginified by knowing who He was, yet He humbly made himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant.

Philippians 2:7

"But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:"

8.) There was the great agony as He prayed---

Luke 22:44

"And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

9.) The betrayal with a kiss by Judas

Mark 14:43-46

"And immediately, while he yet spake, cometh Judas, one of the twelve, and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. And he that betrayed him had given them a token, saying, whosoever I shall kiss, that same is he; take him, and lead him away safely. And as soon as he was come, he goeth straightway to him, and saith, Master, master; and kissed him. And they had their hands on him, and took him."

10.) Then he was forsaken by his disciples

Mark 14:50

"And they all forsook him, and fled."

11.) The physical abuse intensified

Matthew 26:67-68

"Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him; and to cover his face, and to buffet him, and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands."

12.) They crucified Him, as He cried out for God to forgive them

Luke 23:33-34

"And When they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left. Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots."

13.) For 6 hours He hung on the cross

Mark 15:33

"And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour."

14.) As Prophesied, Jesus was stricken, smitten, afflicted, wounded, bruised, chastised, endured stripes, oppressed, led to the slaughter, cut off from the land of the living.

Isaiah 53:4-8

"Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Choice is yours

The Movie “The Matrix” has a lot of complex points, but I am using this in the notion of God’s light in our dark world. The man in this movie (Morpheus) gives a man named Neal an option. That the life he is living is a lie, and he can be shown the truth, if he excepts the option between two pills. The blue pill, is to never see this man again and go back to his mundane life which is compacted in a lie (deceit), or he can take the red pill and his eyes be opened to the truth of the mysteries that are under his nose this whole time.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no turning back. You take the blue pill – the story ends, you wake up in your bed and believe whatever you want to believe. You take the red pill – you stay in Wonderland, and I show you how deep the rabbit hole goes. Remember, all I'm offering is the truth – nothing more. (From the Movie “The Matrix)

I take this analogy of mine and make light that this sounds so much of how we live our lives, in deceit of sin (the satan is the controller of your lives, when you are in bondage of your chains of sin. But God like this man described in this movie, gives you an option, to choice one or the other. Either to continue in your life in deceit of sin, or to be revealed the truth, and be shown the light of what has been hidden before you. Blue pill- Death or Red pill- Life.  The choice is yours…..

2 Corinthians 4:1-4

“Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

**The good news is open and revealed to everyone, except to those who refuse to believe. Satan is “the god of this world”. His work is to deceive, and he has blinded those who don’t believe in Christ. The allure of money, power, and pleasure blinds people to the light of Christ’s gospel. Those who refuse Christ, preferring their own pursuits, have unknowingly made Satan their god. **

2 Corinthians 4:5-7

“For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”

**The supremely valuable message of salvation in Jesus Christ has been entrusted by God to frail and falliable human beings. Paul’s focus, however, was not on the perishable container but on it’s priceless contents—God’s power dwelling in us. Though we are weak, God uses us to spread his Good news and gives us power to do his work. Knowing that and power is his, not ours, should keep us from pride and motivate us to keep daily contact with God, our power source. Our responsibility is to let people see God through us. And as Children of God, as we have shown the truth, and have a renewed mind, we see things differently through His eyes, and ways, a new man, forsaking the old man—sin/death. And now it is our Job to show others the truth/life that was given to us, that it can be easily given to them as well. **

Romans 6:17-18

“But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.”

**Just like the ‘matrix’, when the man was given the option of the red pill, that his eyes would basically be opened there was no turning back, once you are revealed the truth of what was hidden, you now know and are shown what to do to live through it. (The word-Truth, reveals, and is given for our knowledge and understanding on how to live a new life with Christ, and it shows us how we can conquer our enemy/adversary the devil.) and once you are shown the truth, why turn back? To be a slave, why go back to captivity, don’t you want to be free? You are set free from bondage, and now a servant of righteousness, taking a new role as a soldier in the army of the Lord, ready for battle, and in this battle we are not alone to fight, when we have a savior on our side. **

Romans 12:1-2

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

**God has good, pleasing, and perfect plans for his children. He wants us to be new people with renewed minds, living to honor and obey him. Since he wants only what is best for us, and since he wants only to make our new life possible, we should joyfully volunteer as living sacrifices for his service. **

John 16:12-15

“I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you.”

** Christ’s death on the cross made a personal relationship with God available to us. When we confess our sin, God declares us righteous and delivers us from judgment for our sins. The truth into which the Holy Spirit guides us is the truth about Christ. He also helps us through patient practice to discern right from wrong. **

2 Corinthians 4:8-10

“We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body.”

**Paul reminds us that though we may think we are at the end of our rope, we are never at the end of hope. Our perishable body is subject to sin and suffering, but God never abandons us. Because Christ has won victory over death, we have eternal life. All our risks, humiliations, and trials are opportunities for Christ to demonstrate his power and presence through us. *

2 Corinthians 4:16-18

“For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”

** It is easy to lose heart and quit. We all have faced problems in our relationships or work that have caused us to think about giving up. Rather than quitting when persecution wore him down, Paul concentrated on the inner strength that came from the Holy Spirit. Your very weakness allows the resurrection power of Christ to strengthen you moment by moment. **

--Problems and human limitations have several benefits:

1. They remind us of Christ’s suffering for us

2. They keep us from pride

3. They cause us to look beyond this brief life

4. They prove our faith to others

5. They give God the opportunity to demonstrate his power.

SEE YOUR TROUBLES AS OPPORTUNITIES!!!!

His ways are not our Ways

 

 

Isaiah 55:8

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord."

 

God's knowledge and wisdom are far greater than man's. We are foolish to try to fit God into our mold-- to make his plans and purposes conform to yours. Instead, we must strive to fit into His plans.

 

 

**Habakkuk (one of God's prophets) was saddened by the corruption he saw all around him in Judah. In response, he poured out his heart to God. Today, injustice is still rampant, but don't let your concern cause you to doubt God or rebel against him. Instead, consider the message God gave Habakkuk and recognize God's long-range plans and purposes. Realize that God is doing right, even if you do not understand why he works as he does. **

 

Habakkuk 1:2-3

"O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Why dost thou shew me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance? For spoiling and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife and contention."

 

**When God spoke to Habakkuk, He told the prophet what he was up to: He was preparing the Babylonians to discipline Judah for its sin. But why do you think God waited so long to have this conversation with Habakkuk? Perhaps the answer is found at the end of verse 5. **

 

Habakkuk 1:5

"Behold, ye among the heathen, and regard, wonder marvelously: for I will work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told you."

 

 

Also note that in (Matthew 13:37-43), it speaks of the separation of evil from good. (Parable of the weeds). At the end of the world, angels will separate evil from good. There are true and false believers in church today, but we should be cautious in our judgments, because only Christ is qualified to make the final separation. There are things we may not understand, things we wish would change, and turn out another way, but in the end God is in control. Just like judgment, it is in His hands, not ours.

 

Matthew 13:37-43

"He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of the world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. who hath hears to hear, let him hear."

 

 

**Going back to Habakkuk....Sometimes God doesn't answer us right away for the same reason He didn't answer Habakkuk right away. He knows that message will be hard for us to believe, because it wont match our expectation. We aren't going to want to believe what he says, and we will use what we know about His character to convince ourselves that He can't really mean it. **

 

--God's words enlarged Habakkuk's perspective and strengthened his faith. Now he no longer pointed an accusatory finger at God or questions Him. By the time God had finished speaking, Habakkuk could face the future certain that God would not only continue to speak to Him but also continually act on his behalf. God was wise and good and just, and Habakkuk could trust Him completely. Habakkuk's final prayer is full of confidence, faith, and joy --

 

Habakkuk 3:17-18

"Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat; the flocks shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be not herd in the stalls: Yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation."

 

**Crop failure and the death of flocks would devastate Judah. But Habakkuk affirmed that even in times of starvation, he would still rejoice in the Lord. Habakkuk's feelings were not controlled by the events around Him but by faith in God's ability to give him strength. When nothing makes sense, and when troubles seem more than you can bear, remember that God gives strength. Take your eyes off your difficulties and look to God. **

 

Proverbs 3:5-6

"Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil."

 

 



Woman of Holiness

 

Proverbs 4:26-27

"Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil."

 

**It is important to God that we live a life that is consecrated to Him. He wants us to be holy, set apart, spiritually pure and dedicated to His purpose of bringing Him glory, honor and pleasure. A woman of holiness is a woman who obeys God. **

 

2 Corinthians 7:1

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."

 

**We need to be holy in our thoughts. **

 

2 Corinthians 10:5

"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ."

 

**We need to be holy in our behavior. **

 

Titus 2:3

"The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;"

 

** We need to be holy in our conversation. **

 

1 Peter 1:15

"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation."

 

**In the last chapter we talked about being holy in the way we dress. **

 

1 Timothy 2:8-10

"I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting. In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works."

 

** This does not mean that we go around all sad and mopey, looking dumpy and unkempt. We can be clean, neat, and look good. I like to dress nice and be in style, but there are certain styles I refrain from because they are not becoming to Godliness and holiness. **

 

1 Peter 1:16

"Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy."

 

**God is commanding us to be holy. He would not ask something of us that we are unable to give. It is a goal we consistently and diligently work toward.  We have to live in this world, but we don't have to become as the world. The world lures us. We want to be liked and approved by the world, but the world is going to pass away. **

 

--We are drawn into and influenced by worldly desires, but we must be so careful not to fall for the temptations that take us from the will of God.--

 

Ephesians 4:24

"And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

 

**When we strive to be like God we are striving for holiness. we keep our focus on holy things. **

 

1 John 2:15-17

"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

 

Hebrews 12:4

"Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord."

 

** We need to be holy in all things we read, look at, and watch. Every area of our lives should be focused on pleasing God. Ask yourself, "Would God approve? **

 

 



Beauty in our Maker's eyes

 

**We all want to be beautiful. There is nothing wrong with wanting beauty, unless we are obsessive in making that our main goal. See in Hollywood, image is everything, but do you notice that the price of beauty in their eyes physically is damaging their very soul. Pressure to look good on T.V. and striving to make a career is temporary, because in Hollywood, your famous one day, then forgotten the next when someone better in their eyes come along. (‘The next great thing’-As you would call it.) See God created us in His image, so in His eyes we are precious gifts, beautiful. See in the bible, those who live a life with the Lord, and fears Him, putting him their first priority, shows the true beauty in His eyes. Where others seek physical beauty, God looks for inner beauty (a clean vessal- that will therefore glow on the outside, seeing God’s light in them.) **

Proverbs 31:30

“Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.”

1 Peter 3:3-4

“Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price.”

**We should not be so obsessed by fashion, but neither should we be so unconcerned that we do not bother to care for ourselves. Hygiene, neatness, and grooming are important, but even more important are a person’s attitude and spirit. True beauty begins inside. A beautiful woman or handsome man loses their glow when they are mean-spirited, snooty, whiny, critical, negative, grouchy, unkind, and the list can go on. Beauty is more than what we look at. Beauty is reflected from the inside. Looks are deceiving at times; because as you see, there are beautiful people out there, but are ugly on the inside, and the very ones people see as unattractive are beautiful on the inside. Remember, God had told Samuel when He was searching for Israel’s next king, to not look on stature and appearance. But the person God was looking for (David), he had seen his heart. **

1 Samuel 16:7

“But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.”

**Saul (Israel’s current king at that time), was tall and handsome; he was an impressive looking man. Samuel may have been trying to find someone who looked like Saul to be Israel’s next king, but God warned him against judging by appearance alone. When people judge by outward appearance, they may overlook individuals who lack the particular qualities society currently admires. But appearance doesn’t reveal what people are really like or their true value. Fortunately, God judges by faith and character, not appearance. And because only God can see on the inside, only he can accurately judge people. Most people spend hours each week maintaining their outward appearance; they should do even more to develop their inner character. While everyone can see your face, only you and God know what your heart really looks like. **

--When we are full of God, His beauty will shine through us. There is a song that says, ‘Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.’ We need to make that our prayer and goal.—

Romans 10:15

“And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!”

Isaiah 52:7

“How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

*As we surrender to God to help us develop an inner beauty, and we work on it every day, we will become women of beauty. *

Acts 4:13

“Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with Jesus.”

*The beauty of Jesus will be shining through us. We will be beautiful In God’s sight, and people will want to be around us. *

1 Chronicles 16:29

“Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come before him: worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”

what a Friend we have in Jesus

At times we think we are making it in this world alone. And that the Lord doesn't hear our prayers in our cries of need and desperation. God tells repeatedly to His faithful children that He never has left them nor forsaken them. We must look to Him for comfort and strength.  Those that are in the bible, and those we hear today telling their stories of faith in trial, are living examples of how God has worked in their lives, and proved His love for them many times. All that he does is out of pure love, and He waits for us to call and seek Him, to help us in our time of need.

 

Here are examples:

A.) David's cry for help--His prayer for security and assurance. Wherever we are, we can trust that God will be there to answer our cries for help.)--

Psalm 61:1-3

"Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead my to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from the enemy."

Psalm 103:1-7

"Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits. Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with loving kindness and tender mercies; who satisfieth my mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgment for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel."

 

B.)Job Kept His integrity

Job 2:10

"But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish woman speaketh. What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips."

 





**Many people think that believing in God protects them from trouble, so when calamity comes, they question God's goodness and justice. But the message of Job is that you should not give up on God just because bad things happen. Faith in God does not guarantee personal prosperity, and lack of faith does not guarantee troubles in this life. If this were son, people would believe in God simply to get rich. God is capable of rescuing us from suffering, but he may also allow suffering to come for reasons we cannot understand. It is Satan's strategy to get us to doubt God at exactly this moment. Job shows here a perspective broader than his own personal comfort. If we always know why we suffer, our faith will have no room to grow. **

 

 C.)Hosea- A man whom God told to marry a woman would be an adulteress. This would illustrate and give us an understanding of God's love for his sinful people, and how He is always involved in our lives. He is never too far from us, even when it seems like He is.

Hosea 3:1

"Then said the Lord unto me, Go yet, love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress, according to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel, who took to other gods, and love flagons of wine."

*God is asking Hosea to do something almost unthinkable-to buy back his adulteress, unrepentant wife and continue to love her! when those who knew about Gomer's adultery heard Hosea say that God loved Idolatrous Israel as much as he loved Gomer, they must have been amazed. The people had heard God's words many times, but they felt the impact of those words when they saw them acted out in Hosea's troubled home life. *

 

((Here is someone that wasn't in the bible- but had an experience of hopelessness/desperation, and how it turned to faith and trusting and loving God no matter what. This is how the song (what a friend we have in Jesus) came about.))

D.) Joseph M. Scriven (1819-1896) was 25 years old, in love and to be married. The day before his wedding his fiancé died in a tragic drowning accident. Heartbroken, Joseph sailed from his homeland (Dublin, Ireland)(What a friend We have in Jesus)

 to start a new life in Canada. While in Canada working as a teacher, he fell in love again and became engaged to Eliza Roche, a relative of one of his students. Once again, Joseph's hopes and dreams were shattered when Eliza became ill and died before the wedding could take place. Although one can only imagine the turmoil within this young man, history tells us that his faith in God sustained him. Soon after Eliza's death Joseph joined the Plymouth Brethren and began preaching for a Baptist Church. He never married, but spent the remainder of his life giving all his time, money, and even the clothes off his back to help the less fortunate and to spread the love and compassion of Jesus wherever he went. Around the same time that Eliza died, Joseph received word from Ireland that his mother was ill. He could not go to be with her, so he wrote a letter of comfort and enclosed one of his poems entitled

John 15:13

“Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

What a Friend We Have in Jesus

What a Friend we have in Jesus, all our sins and griefs to bear!
What a privilege to carry everything to God in prayer!
O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear,
All because we do not carry everything to God in prayer.

Have we trials and temptations? Is there trouble anywhere?
We should never be discouraged; take it to the Lord in prayer.
Can we find a friend so faithful who will all our sorrows share?
Jesus knows our every weakness; take it to the Lord in prayer.

Are we weak and heavy laden, cumbered with a load of care?
Precious Savior, still our refuge, take it to the Lord in prayer.
Do your friends despise, forsake you? Take it to the Lord in prayer!
In His arms He'll take and shield you; you will find a solace there.

Blessed Savior, Thou hast promised Thou wilt all our burdens bear
May we ever, Lord, be bringing all to Thee in earnest prayer.
Soon in glory bright unclouded there will be no need for prayer
Rapture, praise and endless worship will be our sweet portion there.

 



Self-Worth

 
There are moments in everyone’s life that we feel as if we don’t matter. And question why you were born. Admit it, we have all felt that. Well, in the Bible God reveals your worth, and proves how much He loves us, and how valuable our lives are to Him. He had sacrificed His only begotten son to die on the cross for us, for our well being of OUR soul. What Father would give His only son in exchange to save ours? God! Jesus knew His birth and Ministry were in His father’s will, and had respected that. He had also loved us, and knew the pains He was to suffer for us. Where we feel those moments of despair, loneliness, and desperation of our well being, just remember who is there waiting, and wants you to know that you are worth more than you think!

 

 

 

Do you know you’re no mistake?

God knew you before your birth!

In your mother’s womb He wove together
all your parts and gave you worth.

 

Do you know God knows your days?
Each one He fashioned; each decreed
and written in His book
before they came to be.

 

Do you know God loves you
with an everlasting love?
Do you know He draws you
with loving kindness from above?

 

Do you know God will not leave you
to sail stormy seas alone?
Do you know God’s plans succeed
wherever you might roam?

 

Do you know He carries you …
bears with… delivers too?
From womb to grey hairs, He is God:
His word to you is true!

Do you know – really know -
this God who loves you so?

Psalms 139:7-10

“Whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.”

Psalms 139:13

“For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother’s womb.”

**God’s character goes into the creation of every person. When you feel worthless or even begin to hate yourself, remember that God’s spirit is ready and willing to work within you. God thinks of you constantly. We should have as much respect for ourselves as our Maker has for us. **

Psalms 139:15-16

“My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

Romans 8:28

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”