Tag Archives: love

December 14, 2024 · 12:22 pm

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Robert W. Odom PhD

In 1984, Tina Turner released a song titled “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” The song title proposes a great question. I want to look at the subject of love today. By the way, I think love has everything to do with it. That is God’s love.

Love is one of the most misunderstood words in our language today. We use the word love for so many things. I love my wife, good food, Alabama football, driving through the country, and enjoying the scenery. I love many things, but my love for these things is not equal.

As we delve into scripture, we discover that God is love personified. The Bible unequivocally proclaims that God is love. He is the very embodiment of love. The Bible reveals that He loved us before we even knew Him. Even more astounding is that He loved us before the world was created. This revelation is nothing short of mind-blowing. How could He love me, with all my imperfections and shortcomings? And how could He love me before I even existed? I cannot fathom the depth of His love, but I am humbled by it.

In life, we love to have representations of love. For example, rings are exchanged at weddings to show one’s love and commitment to one’s partner. God showed His love by sending His son to represent God’s love here on earth. He showed us how to love our neighbors and those who did not deserve love by society’s standards.

He healed the demonic, the broken, and the blind. All of these had been rejected, isolated, and condemned by the religious leaders and by the community they lived. He forgave the woman caught in adultery, and yet he spoke into the hearts of her accusers so that they did not have any grounds to follow through with their plan of death (John 7:53-8:11).

The greatest of all gifts is that He chose to give His life for us so we could live fully and completely. John wrote in 1 John 3:16 (it is no coincidence that this parallels John 3:16) that we know true love by the gift of God on the cross. Jesus did not talk a big game; He lived out and put into action His love. That is why John challenges us to love not just in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).

I recently had a conversation with a Catholic priest who has become a friend to me. One of the thoughts that surfaced from our discussion was that we often say we are believers in Christ but treat people in awful ways. This is most often exhibited through hate, bitterness, and anger.  We can live in a space of division and pride rather than a place of humility and love. We can divide people according to our preconceived list of sins and who we believe deserves to be in.

But that is not how God sees love. The truth is that we are to love others. Jesus was once asked which of the commandments was the most important. Jesus, as only Jesus could, answered wisely. He stated that the prophets and the law can be summed up in two commandments: love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40).

This scripture is profound in its simplicity. It instructs us to love God with all our hearts and souls. If we can love God wholeheartedly, we can extend that love to our neighbors. But to truly love our neighbors, we must first love ourselves. Often, we attempt to love God and ourselves while carrying the burden of brokenness, hurt, and pain. Only when we seek healing from our pain and properly understand ourselves as God’s creation can we love fully.

The question that was posed in Jesus’ time remains relevant today: Who is my neighbor? The answer is beautifully simple. Every person we encounter is our neighbor. It’s the grumpy neighbor next door, the challenging coworker, the seemingly inattentive grocery store clerk, and even the distracted driver next to us. Love transcends all boundaries and includes everyone.   

So let me ask you?

  • Who is your neighbor? Be specific.
  • When we say God is love and that Jesus represents that love, how do you react to that understanding?
  • Where do you struggle to show love? Who are the people in your life that you find hard to love?
  • What steps can you take to love them and others?
  • Do you love yourself? That is, do you see yourself being loved by God? If not, name specific areas in your life that might be a struggle. Commit that to prayer and ask God to help you.
  • Mediate on 1 John and prayerfully consider the power of love exhibited in this text.

What’s Love Got to Do with It?

Robert W. Odom PhD

In 1984, Tina Turner released a song titled “What’s Love Got to Do with It?” The song title proposes a great question. I want to look at the subject of love today. By the way, I think love has everything to do with it. That is God’s love.

Love is one of the most misunderstood words in our language today. We use the word love for so many things. I love my wife, good food, Alabama football, driving through the country, and enjoying the scenery. I love many things, but my love for these things is not equal.

As we delve into scripture, we discover that God is love personified. The Bible unequivocally proclaims that God is love. He is the very embodiment of love. The Bible reveals that He loved us before we even knew Him. Even more astounding is that He loved us before the world was created. This revelation is nothing short of mind-blowing. How could He love me, with all my imperfections and shortcomings? And how could He love me before I even existed? I cannot fathom the depth of His love, but I am humbled by it.

In life, we love to have representations of love. For example, rings are exchanged at weddings to show one’s love and commitment to one’s partner. God showed His love by sending His son to represent God’s love here on earth. He showed us how to love our neighbors and those who did not deserve love by society’s standards.

He healed the demonic, the broken, and the blind. All of these had been rejected, isolated, and condemned by the religious leaders and by the community they lived. He forgave the woman caught in adultery, and yet he spoke into the hearts of her accusers so that they did not have any grounds to follow through with their plan of death (John 7:53-8:11).

The greatest of all gifts is that He chose to give His life for us so we could live fully and completely. John wrote in 1 John 3:16 (it is no coincidence that this parallels John 3:16) that we know true love by the gift of God on the cross. Jesus did not talk a big game; He lived out and put into action His love. That is why John challenges us to love not just in word or talk but in deed and in truth (1 John 3:18).

I recently had a conversation with a Catholic priest who has become a friend to me. One of the thoughts that surfaced from our discussion was that we often say we are believers in Christ but treat people in awful ways. This is most often exhibited through hate, bitterness, and anger.  We can live in a space of division and pride rather than a place of humility and love. We can divide people according to our preconceived list of sins and who we believe deserves to be in.

But that is not how God sees love. The truth is that we are to love others. Jesus was once asked which of the commandments was the most important. Jesus, as only Jesus could, answered wisely. He stated that the prophets and the law can be summed up in two commandments: love God and love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:36-40).

This scripture is profound in its simplicity. It instructs us to love God with all our hearts and souls. If we can love God wholeheartedly, we can extend that love to our neighbors. But to truly love our neighbors, we must first love ourselves. Often, we attempt to love God and ourselves while carrying the burden of brokenness, hurt, and pain. Only when we seek healing from our pain and properly understand ourselves as God’s creation can we love fully.

The question that was posed in Jesus’ time remains relevant today: Who is my neighbor? The answer is beautifully simple. Every person we encounter is our neighbor. It’s the grumpy neighbor next door, the challenging coworker, the seemingly inattentive grocery store clerk, and even the distracted driver next to us. Love transcends all boundaries and includes everyone.   

So let me ask you?

  • Who is your neighbor? Be specific.
  • When we say God is love and that Jesus represents that love, how do you react to that understanding?
  • Where do you struggle to show love? Who are the people in your life that you find hard to love?
  • What steps can you take to love them and others?
  • Do you love yourself? That is, do you see yourself being loved by God? If not, name specific areas in your life that might be a struggle. Commit that to prayer and ask God to help you.
  • Mediate on 1 John and prayerfully consider the power of love exhibited in this text.

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May 25, 2024 · 3:29 pm

The Trap of Seeking Approval

Robert W. Odom, Ph. D.

April 20, 2024

Over the last several years, I have begun a journey to become more self-aware of God’s purpose for me as an individual. In so doing, I am learning what makes me do what I do and more about who I am. One thing I have learned is that I am a people-pleaser. It is hard to admit that, but it is true.

Now, let me explain why I believe this is true for me. When I was a child, I had a stepdad who was abusive emotionally, physically, and mentally. That impacted me deeply. I did not feel loved. It was the opposite. Rather than love, I felt anger. I believed it was my fault for my dad’s actions. He made no bones about not liking me. Therefore, I began to feel unwanted and unloved. This started my pursuit of getting approval from people because I wanted to be loved and accepted.

When I was twelve, I moved to my dad’s house. While things there were much better, my dad was not emotionally connected, and he was not able to communicate his love for us definitively. Other issues during my teenage years solidified my feeling of not being worthy. This was not good. As a result of this, I developed a false sense of what my worth and value looked like. The need for approval was heightened and grew stronger.

I was in my mid-fifties before I heard my dad say he loved and was proud of me. At least, that was the first time I remember. I overheard him on the phone with his pastor. He was telling his pastor how proud he was of me and what success he saw in me. I was overwhelmed by my dad’s complimentary words. Even though he was talking to his pastor and not to me directly, I believed I had received some of the admiration and approval I needed. Until then, I had been striving to get my dad’s approval. I wanted nothing more than for him to be pleased with me and to think I was successful.

Because I did not receive those words in my early years, I began to seek approval from others. I would work hard. I was obedient and toed the line of what others thought of me. While I did desire to work hard and feel the joy of completing a task, I also worked hard so that whoever my boss or the key person in my life was, I would hear them say they were pleased with me. I was seeking approval. I wanted to please others and get their approval. When I did not get that, I would work harder and harder to get approval.

One of the problems was that I was drawn to people who praised me and gave their approval. Unfortunately, they often did this solely to motivate me to do what they wanted. Ultimately, they were less connected to me than I thought. Over and over, I would be disappointed because I would be let down when I needed to receive the approval I needed. When that did not work, too often, I would leave or disconnect from those I sought approval from. As a result, I made bad decisions based on needing approval rather than truth. Or I would be angry that I did not get the approval I had longed for.

A second issue was that, as a result, I desired so much to please others that I became overly concerned about what people thought of me. The problem is that people continued to disappoint me and would never say the right thing or give me the approval I needed or desired. I was in an endless cycle of disappointment because I would not get the approval and praise I sought. And when someone else was honored or praised, I would get offended and angry at the person getting rewarded.

Another problem was that since I was trying to get the approval and praise of others, I would often give in to what others wanted. This happened so much that I no longer knew what I wanted. I started to lose myself and my desires. I began to need clarification about my needs, goals, and aspirations.

When I realized this was what I was doing and began to work through this issue, I found that I was being healed. I found that I did not have to please people anymore. There was a release for me. It was fulfilling to make decisions based on what I wanted or needed and not simply to please everyone else. I could now decide based on what was right and what was founded in truth rather than trying to please others.

I have added an essential word to my vocabulary: no. How free it is to say no to the things I do not want to do without guilt or fear of not getting approval. Responding this way is refreshing, and it is a realization that the world continues to circle the sun. Things did not fall apart, and people still liked me.

In the Old Testament (1 Samuel 15), we find Saul failed big time because he tried to please others. Instead of doing what God wanted, he took things into his own hands. He blamed the people and tried to please them more than pleasing God. How sad a commentary on one who could have been a great king. This was the commentary of my life until I started my journey of self-awareness.

On a side note, this does not mean that we do not consider others better than ourselves or that we do not put others first. We do these things, but not at the expense of knowing who we are and being more self-aware.

Regarding my journey, I am not fully healed in this area. I continue to struggle from time to time, but I am getting better. I am processing this lesson for myself, realizing that I need to be more aware of my motivation for doing what I do.

If this resonates with you, I challenge you to take stock of your life. Why do you do what you do? Do you find it hard to say no because you are seeking approval? Are you afraid that people will not like you if you say no?

So let me ask you:

  • How are you doing in this area of your life?
  • How often are you doing things to get another’s approval and praise? How is that working for you?
  • How often do you feel used by others? This can happen when we want others’ approval. It is hard to say no because we fear they will not approve of or like us.
  • Think about when you stood your ground and said no to someone without feeling pressured to get their approval. How did that feel?

© Robert W. Odom, 2024

The Trap of Seeking Approval

Robert W. Odom, Ph. D.

April 20, 2024

Over the last several years, I have begun a journey to become more self-aware of God’s purpose for me as an individual. In so doing, I am learning what makes me do what I do and more about who I am. One thing I have learned is that I am a people-pleaser. It is hard to admit that, but it is true.

Now, let me explain why I believe this is true for me. When I was a child, I had a stepdad who was abusive emotionally, physically, and mentally. That impacted me deeply. I did not feel loved. It was the opposite. Rather than love, I felt anger. I believed it was my fault for my dad’s actions. He made no bones about not liking me. Therefore, I began to feel unwanted and unloved. This started my pursuit of getting approval from people because I wanted to be loved and accepted.

When I was twelve, I moved to my dad’s house. While things there were much better, my dad was not emotionally connected, and he was not able to communicate his love for us definitively. Other issues during my teenage years solidified my feeling of not being worthy. This was not good. As a result of this, I developed a false sense of what my worth and value looked like. The need for approval was heightened and grew stronger.

I was in my mid-fifties before I heard my dad say he loved and was proud of me. At least, that was the first time I remember. I overheard him on the phone with his pastor. He was telling his pastor how proud he was of me and what success he saw in me. I was overwhelmed by my dad’s complimentary words. Even though he was talking to his pastor and not to me directly, I believed I had received some of the admiration and approval I needed. Until then, I had been striving to get my dad’s approval. I wanted nothing more than for him to be pleased with me and to think I was successful.

Because I did not receive those words in my early years, I began to seek approval from others. I would work hard. I was obedient and toed the line of what others thought of me. While I did desire to work hard and feel the joy of completing a task, I also worked hard so that whoever my boss or the key person in my life was, I would hear them say they were pleased with me. I was seeking approval. I wanted to please others and get their approval. When I did not get that, I would work harder and harder to get approval.

One of the problems was that I was drawn to people who praised me and gave their approval. Unfortunately, they often did this solely to motivate me to do what they wanted. Ultimately, they were less connected to me than I thought. Over and over, I would be disappointed because I would be let down when I needed to receive the approval I needed. When that did not work, too often, I would leave or disconnect from those I sought approval from. As a result, I made bad decisions based on needing approval rather than truth. Or I would be angry that I did not get the approval I had longed for.

A second issue was that, as a result, I desired so much to please others that I became overly concerned about what people thought of me. The problem is that people continued to disappoint me and would never say the right thing or give me the approval I needed or desired. I was in an endless cycle of disappointment because I would not get the approval and praise I sought. And when someone else was honored or praised, I would get offended and angry at the person getting rewarded.

Another problem was that since I was trying to get the approval and praise of others, I would often give in to what others wanted. This happened so much that I no longer knew what I wanted. I started to lose myself and my desires. I began to need clarification about my needs, goals, and aspirations.

When I realized this was what I was doing and began to work through this issue, I found that I was being healed. I found that I did not have to please people anymore. There was a release for me. It was fulfilling to make decisions based on what I wanted or needed and not simply to please everyone else. I could now decide based on what was right and what was founded in truth rather than trying to please others.

I have added an essential word to my vocabulary: no. How free it is to say no to the things I do not want to do without guilt or fear of not getting approval. Responding this way is refreshing, and it is a realization that the world continues to circle the sun. Things did not fall apart, and people still liked me.

In the Old Testament (1 Samuel 15), we find Saul failed big time because he tried to please others. Instead of doing what God wanted, he took things into his own hands. He blamed the people and tried to please them more than pleasing God. How sad a commentary on one who could have been a great king. This was the commentary of my life until I started my journey of self-awareness.

On a side note, this does not mean that we do not consider others better than ourselves or that we do not put others first. We do these things, but not at the expense of knowing who we are and being more self-aware.

Regarding my journey, I am not fully healed in this area. I continue to struggle from time to time, but I am getting better. I am processing this lesson for myself, realizing that I need to be more aware of my motivation for doing what I do.

If this resonates with you, I challenge you to take stock of your life. Why do you do what you do? Do you find it hard to say no because you are seeking approval? Are you afraid that people will not like you if you say no?

So let me ask you:

  1. How are you doing in this area of your life?
  • How often are you doing things to get another’s approval and praise? How is that working for you?
  • How often do you feel used by others? This can happen when we want others’ approval. It is hard to say no because we fear they will not approve of or like us.
  • Think about when you stood your ground and said no to someone without feeling pressured to get their approval. How did that feel?

© Robert W. Odom, 2024

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December 22, 2023 · 2:43 pm

Ruth: a Story of Hope

Robert W. Odom Ph. D.

I have shared the story of Tamar and Rahab, but today, we will look at the life and story of Ruth. The theme of this story is hope. When all seems lost, the redeemer comes through. While Tamar and Rahab would make good Lifetime or Netflix movies, Ruth would be a beautiful hallmark movie.

Our story begins with Naomi and Elimelech moving to Egypt because of the famine. They had two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. The sons married two women from Moab named Ruth and Orpah. After some time, Elimelech died. Ten years later, Malon and Chilion died. We do not know why they died, but we know life was hard then.

Because of the death of these men, Naomi, Ruth, and Orpah were left alone. They would have to fend for themselves. Therefore, Naomi returned to Bethlehem, where she had family and friends. She gave Ruth and Orpah the option of moving back with their families. She strongly encouraged them to do so. Orpah chose to do so, but Ruth stayed with her.

Ruth’s commitment was epic. So much so that her quote is one of the most used at weddings. In Ruth 1:16-18 Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. 17 Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” 18 And when Naomi saw that she was determined to go with her, she said no more.

What a statement of commitment and connectedness. While this was a blessing, Naomi was still grieving the loss of her husband and her sons. In fact, when she returned to Egypt, she wanted her name changed to Marra. It was a play on words.  Naomi means pleasure, and Marra means sorrow. She was filled with sorrow and grief. It is noteworthy that we never see that she was called this.

When they arrived in Bethlehem, Ruth met Boaz, a farmer who allowed Ruth to reap the grain she and Naomi needed from his fields. Their relationship blossomed, and eventually, they committed themselves to each other.

Ruth discovered that Boaz was a relative of Elimelech; therefore, he had the right to redeem her according to Jewish law. This meant that he could marry her and continue the lineage of Jesus. Under the law of the day, when one was widowed, the next brother in line was to marry his brother’s wife. In this case, however, there was no brother. So, under the law, the next of kin, whoever that was, could marry the widow and carry on the family name.

But there was a problem. There was another redeemer or relative. By law, Boaz had to meet with him to discuss his interest in marrying Ruth. The first redeemer decided to relinquish his right to marry Ruth and, subsequently, the land of Naomi. They used an interesting agreement strategy. They brought in the elders of the city to witness the agreement.  The agreement was ratified by exchanging one single shoe with each other.

This gave Boaz the right to marry Ruth, making him the kinsman redeemer. As a result of their marriage, Ruth gave birth to a son named Obed. Obed was the father of Jesse, who became the father of David. And David as we know was in the promised lineage of the Messiah’s birth.

From this story, there are several lessons. First, blessings come when we bless others. Ruth could have gone her own way, but she blessed Naomi by staying with her. Ruth’s love was evident in all that she did. When we bless others, we focus on them rather than our problems.

The second lesson is that loss is hard, but we can trust God in every situation. While dealing with loss, it is sometimes hard to see an end to things. The way seems dark and hopeless, but as we trust God, He provides a way.  For Ruth and Naomi, the way seemed impossible. But God sent the kinsmen redeemer to make a way for them and bring them into his family.

The third lesson of this story is that it is a picture of what Christ does for us.  We are lost and hopeless, and we need someone to redeem us. Jesus did that on the cross and, in so doing, draws us into His family. We are no longer alone. We are connected. All that is His is ours through His death on the cross.

Therefore, we do not have to face loss and grief by ourselves. He is with us, and we have an incredible family around us. Sometimes the grief is so hard that we do not see hope, but it is there.

So, let me ask you?

  1. What lessons do you learn from the study of Ruth? What truths revealed in this story can you apply in your life?
  2. Have you experienced loss? Where have you seen God provide for you in your loss?
  3. We can know that God will come through, but it still surprises us when He does. Where has God surprised you?
  4. Where have you helped someone else when you were in pain? What benefits did you realize in doing this?
  5. As I often do, I recommend you do a gratitude journal where you list the ways God has blessed you and you have witnessed His grace.

© Robert Odom 2023  

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July 18, 2023 · 11:24 am

Somewhere I Belong

Robert Odom Ph. D.

I do not know why I have been drawn to some songs lately, but I have. These songs have spoken volumes to me. I recently heard an old song by Linkin Park. Yes, Linkin Park. Please don’t judge me. The song was “Somewhere I Belong.” These are the words.

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real

I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long

(Erase all of the pain ‘til its gone)

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real

I wanna find something all along

Somewhere I belong.

As I listened to the song and thought about the words of the song, I could not help but ask a question. How many people feel they need a place to belong? How many are hurting and want to find a place of connection? They want to join a community where they are accepted and heard. They want to belong. They want a safe place to deal with the pain they are experiencing.

I cannot help but believe that many today seek a safe place to belong. A place where they can connect. A place where they can be authentic about their pain.

The fact is that, too often, we do not know what those around us are experiencing. For many people, we do not see the pain they experience but only know the surface emotions they express. They have become good at hiding their pain because of the reactions they receive. We do not know the rejection and sorrow deep within their spirit and soul.

But what would happen if we really cared about those around us? What if we listened intently to their stories? What if we allowed them to share their pain and their struggles? And what if we did so without judgment or condemnation? What if we earned the right to speak into their lives by listening and building trust? What if we did so without patented answers that put everyone into the same category?

So many organizations and people claim to be a safe place for people to speak their hearts. Unfortunately, too often, when people share their stories, some bristle. Some unintentionally judge and criticize the person rather than accepting them where they are. Please note that I am not saying we should not speak into people’s lives, but we must use wisdom. Too often, we want to give solutions when we do not know the problems or the emotions people might be sorting through. It is like treating an infection with aspirin rather than an antibiotic.

People are hurting, and they want a place to connect. To belong is a critical aspect of living as we have been created with the need to belong. To belong is an important part of our life, growth, and development. Belonging is crucial to our satisfaction, mental well-being, and physical health. When we belong, even our longevity is increased. Therefore, belonging is a critical part of living life. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, one of the needs of humankind is to belong. People will seek to belong, and many issues arise when that is not realized.

The difficulty is that some looking to connect only sometimes do so in healthy ways. Too often, they will try too hard and alienate people in the process. For others, they will be so introvertish that they will not communicate much at all. For others, they may become clingy and enter our personal space. This makes some people uncomfortable. But be patient with them.

I will add that this is not only an issue for the down and out but also for those who appear well-to-do. This need to belong is an issue regardless of social status or the amount of wealth one has. This applies to those on the street to those living in a mansion. We all need to belong to something that brings life and hope. 

So how do we help people belong? First, we need to observe those who need connection. We need to listen to their needs and the issues they face. We cannot force connections but provide a safe place for people to connect. We can love people and listen to them.

Be more available to listen than give advice. Too often, we want to interject our opinions before we hear the heart of the person looking to connect. In so doing, we miss opportunities to help people connect.

It is interesting that in the song, they say they want something real. I believe this is critical. People want real environments that are safe, but also, they want authentic relationships. They do not want to feel like they are a project but that people really care.

It is not what we say but our actions that are critical. We speak, but we put our words into action. We love because we want to see people connect and find a safe place where they can work out their problems. We can be the catalysts for that to happen.  

In Scripture, it is not a mistake that we read that you are my disciples when we love one another. Jesus’ command in John 13:34-35 was that we love one another. Jesus also summed up our belief structure in two commands. Love God. Love others. To do so, we love others as Jesus did. He went to the outcast (the woman at the well, the woman accused of adultery, the leper, and so on). For that reason, he was accused of eating with sinners. May we be accused of that as we allow for a safe place for people to find connections and a place to belong.

So let me ask you:

  1. What kind of space do you give those who are hurting? Is it a safe place or one of judgment? Explain this.
  2. Do you allow people to share their hurt and pain? If not, what needs to change?
  3. Are you quick to offer advice without hearing people’s problems? If so, how can you change this and be a better listener?
  4. What do you think it means to love others? How do you identify with this command of Jesus? Do you everyone or just a select group?
  5. If you struggle with these questions, pray, meditate, and journal your feelings. Find someone to talk to about these feelings.

© Robert W. Odom 2013

Somewhere I Belong

Robert Odom Ph. D.

I do not know why I have been drawn to some songs lately, but I have. These songs have spoken volumes to me. I recently heard an old song by Linkin Park. Yes, Linkin Park. Please don’t judge me. The song was “Somewhere I Belong.” These are the words.

I wanna heal, I wanna feel what I thought was never real

I wanna let go of the pain I’ve felt so long

(Erase all of the pain ‘til its gone)

I wanna heal, I wanna feel like I’m close to something real

I wanna find something all along

Somewhere I belong.

As I listened to the song and thought about the words of the song, I could not help but ask a question. How many people feel they need a place to belong? How many are hurting and want to find a place of connection? They want to join a community where they are accepted and heard. They want to belong. They want a safe place to deal with the pain they are experiencing.

I cannot help but believe that many today seek a safe place to belong. A place where they can connect. A place where they can be authentic about their pain.

The fact is that, too often, we do not know what those around us are experiencing. For many people, we do not see the pain they experience but only know the surface emotions they express. They have become good at hiding their pain because of the reactions they receive. We do not know the rejection and sorrow deep within their spirit and soul.

But what would happen if we really cared about those around us? What if we listened intently to their stories? What if we allowed them to share their pain and their struggles? And what if we did so without judgment or condemnation? What if we earned the right to speak into their lives by listening and building trust? What if we did so without patented answers that put everyone into the same category?

So many organizations and people claim to be a safe place for people to speak their hearts. Unfortunately, too often, when people share their stories, some bristle. Some unintentionally judge and criticize the person rather than accepting them where they are. Please note that I am not saying we should not speak into people’s lives, but we must use wisdom. Too often, we want to give solutions when we do not know the problems or the emotions people might be sorting through. It is like treating an infection with aspirin rather than an antibiotic.

People are hurting, and they want a place to connect. To belong is a critical aspect of living as we have been created with the need to belong. To belong is an important part of our life, growth, and development. Belonging is crucial to our satisfaction, mental well-being, and physical health. When we belong, even our longevity is increased. Therefore, belonging is a critical part of living life. In Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, one of the needs of humankind is to belong. People will seek to belong, and many issues arise when that is not realized.

The difficulty is that some looking to connect only sometimes do so in healthy ways. Too often, they will try too hard and alienate people in the process. For others, they will be so introvertish that they will not communicate much at all. For others, they may become clingy and enter our personal space. This makes some people uncomfortable. But be patient with them.

I will add that this is not only an issue for the down and out but also for those who appear well-to-do. This need to belong is an issue regardless of social status or the amount of wealth one has. This applies to those on the street to those living in a mansion. We all need to belong to something that brings life and hope. 

So how do we help people belong? First, we need to observe those who need connection. We need to listen to their needs and the issues they face. We cannot force connections but provide a safe place for people to connect. We can love people and listen to them.

Be more available to listen than give advice. Too often, we want to interject our opinions before we hear the heart of the person looking to connect. In so doing, we miss opportunities to help people connect.

It is interesting that in the song, they say they want something real. I believe this is critical. People want real environments that are safe, but also, they want authentic relationships. They do not want to feel like they are a project but that people really care.

It is not what we say but our actions that are critical. We speak, but we put our words into action. We love because we want to see people connect and find a safe place where they can work out their problems. We can be the catalysts for that to happen.  

In Scripture, it is not a mistake that we read that you are my disciples when we love one another. Jesus’ command in John 13:34-35 was that we love one another. Jesus also summed up our belief structure in two commands. Love God. Love others. To do so, we love others as Jesus did. He went to the outcast (the woman at the well, the woman accused of adultery, the leper, and so on). For that reason, he was accused of eating with sinners. May we be accused of that as we allow for a safe place for people to find connections and a place to belong.

So let me ask you:

  1. What kind of space do you give those who are hurting? Is it a safe place or one of judgment? Explain this.
  2. Do you allow people to share their hurt and pain? If not, what needs to change?
  3. Are you quick to offer advice without hearing people’s problems? If so, how can you change this and be a better listener?
  4. What do you think it means to love others? How do you identify with this command of Jesus? Do you everyone or just a select group?
  5. If you struggle with these questions, pray, meditate, and journal your feelings. Find someone to talk to about these feelings.

© Robert W. Odom 2013

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May 27, 2019 · 7:24 am

WHY?

Peninsula Community Church 

May 26, 2019 

John 3:16-21 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God.”

This weekend has been established as a national holiday to celebrate Memorial Day. It is the day we honor those who have given their lives so we can live free as a nation and as individuals. It is noteworthy that Memorial Day began shortly after the Civil War in 1856. The families and survivors of the Union Army were passionate about honoring those who gave their life during the Civil War. They would visit and place flowers on the graves of those who died. After World War I and all wars after that, those who died were honored. Memorial Day serves as a reminder of the price paid for our freedom. 

For so many, this weekend is associated with the beginning of summer, but the reality is it is less about the start of summer and much more about the lives who were sacrificed for our freedom. It is a time to remember why they died. Today, we are reminded these men died so we could be free. They died so we could worship and speak freely, even if we do not agree with the worship or speech of another person. They paid that price with their lives. On a side note, it is so sad that those freedoms are being encroached upon and being eroded in big ways. 

Last week we noted that to understand discipleship we needed to know the why more than the how of evangelism and discipleship. The how and mechanics of what we do is important, but the why of what we do is even more critical. Without the why, we can become mechanical and programmatic in our approach to discipleship. For a few minutes this morning I would like to consider the why of discipleship and evangelism. In other words, we will look at why we do what we do.

Last we week we were reminded that while salvation is important, growth in Christ in terms of discipleship was the focus of the “Great Commission.” So, why do we disciple others? Why does it matter? Why should we share Jesus with those we encounter and within our sphere of influence? The answer lies in this passage before us today. We are called to be disciples and we are to disciple others because of John 3:16. We do so because God so loved the world. 

This sin filled, depraved, godless world has been and still is loved by God. He loved it so much that He sent His son to die on the cross not for one sin but for all sin. This is the most incredible part of this passage. He did not die for some people, He died for all people. He died for the world, the whole world. He died for all mankind regardless of social standing, financial standing, or even one’s looks. Thank God for that. There is not one person who was not on the mind of Christ when He hung on the cross. We are all covered by the sacrifice He gave. 

Why did He do this? He did so in order that every person who would believe in Him might have eternal life, and not just eternal life but abundant life. You see Jesus did not come to help us just escape hell. He did not die so that we could join a Christian social club. He died so we could live and live freely in a world that seeks to shackle us with fear, anxiety, and deceit. He died so that anyone who would believe in Him and accept Him would be received as His child. Through acceptance of Christ his or her name is written into the Book of Life. 

We must understand that salvation is not automatic. You must choose to accept Christ as your Savior. The sad part is that not all will be saved because they will refuse to choose Him. Instead they will reject Christ and His provision for abundant life. The truth is that not every person will be saved but the opportunity for salvation is available for all people. This includes the worst of all mankind and it includes the best of all mankind. We must all accept Christ on our own and for ourselves. We cannot depend on our friends or our family. We must accept Him personally. 

Because of God’s love there is great misunderstanding of some doctrine that is being propagated by some in the church today. There is so much that is based in human ideology and not God’s theology. I have stated this before. We must be assured that our presuppositions are formed by Scripture and not the other way around. We must not allow our presuppositions to determine our beliefs, but we must allow God’s word to form our beliefs. When we start from the basis of our own beliefs, and we are looking for Scripture to give us answers to support our beliefs, we have failed to allow the Word of God to be the roadmap of our life. In a world that is encouraging us to jettison all absolutes and live by our own moral compass, we as believers need to heed the call of God to live by the word and not our own beliefs. 

With that said, I would suggest to you that there are four motivating factors for our work in discipleship and evangelism. It is these motivating factors that define for us the why of discipleship. First of all, the love of Christ compels us. As we look at this passage let me let you in on a secret. God did not create the world, sling it into existence and then forget about it. He loved the world before its foundation. He loved the world when mankind failed in the Garden and sin came rushing into their minds and hearts. He loves the world just as much today as He did then. It is that love that compels us to share Christ with others. It is that love that constrains us to accomplish His will. Listen to Paul’s words. For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died (2 Corinthians 5:14 NIV). In the ESV the word is Christ’s love controls us.

So, why do we do this? We do so because the love of Christ overwhelms us. We do so because the love of Christ motivates us to speak truth in love to those we encounter and to those to whom we have been given influence. When we embrace the love He has for us and that love overwhelms us and motivates us to share our faith with others. 

Second, we are commanded by Christ to disciple. The love of God experienced through the work Christ done on our behalf motivates us to obey God’s call to be discipled and to disciple. If you remember, last week we found that Jesus commands His disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19). Peter says to all Christians, “Be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have” (1 Peter 3:15, NIV). 

We disciple because it is a part of the plan executed by God. Think about this, God could have used any means possible to share His love. He could have just spoken directly to those around us. But for some strange reason, He chose us. He chose this imperfect, sinful creature created by God to be the vessel He would work through to touch people and to give them the word of hope. 

Third, a love for the lost compels us. A love for the lost should compel us to have compassion for those in need, and everyone’s greatest need is eternal salvation. We saw before that it is love that should compel us as a motivation for discipleship. To effectively accomplish this we must have a love for those to whom we are being sent. 

To understand that love we must consider how richly God has loved us. See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him (1 John 3:1). Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:7-11).

And finally, we disciple because we have a love for God. Our ultimate motivation in evangelism must be to see God glorified, and God is glorified when the truth about Him is known and made known. Thus our desire should be to glorify God by proclaiming the truth about Him as often as we can. This motivation will sustain us when our love for others may run dry. If we are to faithfully evangelize despite rejection, opposition, and even persecution, our deepest motivation must be to glorify God. You see perfect love casts at all fear. When our love for God overwhelms us, we are motivated by faith and not the individual we are sharing hope with. 

So why do we disciple others? We do so because of the love of God who sent His son and the love that is manifested in our hearts.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/messages.

Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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April 7, 2019 · 6:22 pm

The Antidote to Fear – Perfect Love

Peninsula Community Church 

April 7, 2019 

1 John 4:15-18 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.

Last week we looked at trust being an antidote for fear and this week we will look at the power of love to cast out all fear. One of the great authors of the New Testament is John. He had an understanding of love that surpassed most of the other disciples of his day. Perhaps that is why He was known as the beloved disciple. As you read his words, you see that he comprehended the meaning and power of love. Not a romantic love but a love that is stronger than romance. This was the love of a Father who would send His only son to take on mankind’s sin. John knew God’s love and he had a grasp of what that meant for him and for us.

As you read through Scripture we find that it was John that penned some of the most quotable and well known verses in the Bible. Listen to a couple of these passages. For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35). See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are (1 John 3:1) Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another (1 John 4:7-11). We love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). This is just a splattering of the Scriptures that relate to God’s love but it gives us a sense of John’s heart and the power of God’s love that has been freely given to us. 

We also have the passage before us today. In this passage there are a couple of truths to consider. First of all, just as John knew God’s love we also get to know and believe in His love. Listen to these words. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. Did you get that? We have come to know and to believe. While knowing God requires an intellectual understanding of His love it is so much more than that. We do not just know about God, we experience God! How is this possible? It is possible because He gave Himself for us. It is possible because He has forgiven us our sin. It is possible because He not only forgives us, but He also takes the power of sin away. It is possible because His love extends beyond time into all of eternity. This is possible because He came to live in us. We can know and believe His love because it is a gift freely given. 

In this passage John makes an astounding proclamation. He states that God is love. You see, God does not just love, He is love. He is the embodiment of love and in Him is the power of love. Because of this statement we have come to understand that to define love we look to God. In 1 John 4:8-10 we find that anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. How is His love manifested through us? The amazing thing about love is that it was expressed long before we knew we needed it. He became the propitiation for our sins because of His love. He covers our sin but He does not just cover our sin, He hides them. In essence, our past sin disappears. His love is manifested in that He loved us before the foundation of the world. He loved us before we knew Him. He loved us before we loved Him. His love is worked out in us through Him who is love.

That leads us to a second point. We find there is a direct correlation between abiding in Christ and loving well. His love is best experienced as we abide in Him. This idea of abiding is another theme that runs through John’s writings. In verse 12-13 John states No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. In verse 16 John reaffirms this declaration. He states So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him. 

Our ability to understand His love is directly connected to our abiding in Him and vice versa. We must abide in Him. We must get to know Him. We must study His word. We must pray. We must engage with others who have a passion for God. Together, we learn the love of God. As we abide in Him His love becomes more real and more powerful than you would ever think. Our sustenance, our hope, and our passion is driven by a deepened relationship with Him. In this abiding, we learn to trust and His love is perfected in us.

It is in this regard that we are reminded of John’s words in John 15:1-10 I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love. 

Do you get that? There is a direct correlation between abiding in Christ and understanding His love. We abide in Him and His love is revealed in us and through us. Without abiding in Him, we lose focus and we begin to trust in those things that fail us. One of those issues is fear. Fear is a fruitless emotion as it relates to our growth in Christ. 

The third lesson here is that perfect love casts out fear. The word used here means to jettison. Remember in the old westerns when there was almost always a saloon scene and someone being thrown out of the salon. They would be thrown through the swinging doors or they would crash through the window. They were thrown out or in this case they were cast out of the saloon. God’s perfect love does just that, it jettisons fear. God’s love and fear do not go together. 

The word perfect means to bring into completeness or wholeness. This means that God’s love is perfect and does not need anything added to it. As noted God is love. His love is not contingent upon any outside source to satisfy the quality or power of His love. The love here is Agape love which is dependent on the benefactor. You see Agape love is conditioned on the one giving the love and not the one receiving love. His love has been and always is a free gift. 

Finally, the purpose of all of this is that perfect love counters our fear of judgment. We all deal with questions that cause fear in our heart. I am sure that you know what I mean. We deal with the question “Am I good enough?” “Do I have what it takes?” “Will God forgive me?” “Will I escape the final judgement?” “Have I been forgiven?” Paul in Romans 8:15 wrote For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Paul also reminds Timothy that God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control. (2 Timothy 1:7).

If there is a correlation between God’s perfect love and fear, when fear arises we can turn to Romans 8:31-39 where we have an incredible promise of hope. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If perfect love casts out all fear and there is nothing that can take God’s love away from us, we do not have to walk in fear. If there is nothing that can separate us from His love, what is it that we have to fear? We are more than conquerors in Christ. We can deal with our fear and it is God’s perfect love that drives that fear away. Cast it off, reject it, jettison it and never return to that fear again. 

Let us pray!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/messages.

Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

 

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March 11, 2019 · 10:53 am

Liberalism and Legalism Balanced by Grace

Peninsula Community Church

Liberalism and Legalism Balanced by Grace

March 10, 2019

Romans 6:10-14 For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

Over the next few weeks I would like to look at a couple of subjects that I believe will inspire us and help us in our growth in Christ. It will help us in our ability to reach people with the lifesaving message of the Gospel. Through these studies, I would like to look at what the men have been focusing on in their study on Tuesday nights. The challenge will be to let go of offense. We will look at the idea of reaping what we sow. Finally, we will look at the power of fear and how that can keep us from being the person God wants us to be.

Today, however, I want to focus on four ways to deal with the culture we encounter. First, we can compromise our beliefs to address the culture. Second, we address the culture by cloistering ourselves and moving to the margins by way of legalism. Third, we can address the culture by becoming apathetic about what is going on around us. This can produce an attitude of giving in and giving up as there is no faith or hope that things will change. I will also submit to you a fourth way to address the culture and that is through God’s grace. That will be our focus today.

Before we begin let me share some critical information that is a wake up call for the church. I have been reading many reports that show that most churches in the US are declining or or they are stagnate. In fact, I just read a report from the North American Mission Board of the SBC that reported that 85% of their churches are stagnate or declining. The consensus is that North American churches as a whole are declining or stagnate. 

Fortunately, there is another side to this story that must be considered. It is a sobering thought that those churches that are growing are growing because they are engaged with the communities they serve. They are not just a church in the community but they serve the community around them. This does not mean they are standing on the corner preaching but rather that they have a heart to see culture change one person at a time. They are reaching the unreachable. They are praying for their community. They are speaking God’s love. They resist judgement toward those they encounter. And, they sincerely love those in their community. They practice Christ’s last commands to His disciples. “Go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” Go is the great commandment. 

With that in mind let’s look at these issues. First, there is legalism. Legalism can be defined as the effort to control and manage sin. The truth of the matter is that we were never called to control or manage our sin or someone else’s sin for that matter. We were to called to forgive and allow the grace of God to fill us with the righteousness of Christ. That is what Paul is saying in the passage before us. Just because God calls us to be instruments of righteousness does not give us the right to control sin, especially the sin in others. Legalism leads to the judgement and criticism of others. We must use the instrument of righteousness correctly. Write this down. True righteous is not what we do as much as what we are. Here is the point. We can dress right, talk right, act right, and yet our hearts can be far from God or His purposes. This is most critical as we attempt to reach our culture. Remember the story that Jesus told. 

In Matthew 7:1-5 Jesus had this to say on this subject. “Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Notice what He says. We are trying to get the speck out of the other person’s eye while we have a log in our own eye. It never works. We need to deal with the log in our eye before we can consider the speck in someone’s eye. Legalism seems to always points out the sin of others and judges others for their sin rather than recognizing one’s own sin.

The other problem with legalism is that it tends to cause us to cloister together and make it hard for anyone to get into our little circle. We make it hard because we are quick to judge and beat our chest that we are not like the tax collector who was in humble prayer at the altar of God. Listen to Jesus’ words. ”Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get. But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner’ (Luke 18:9-13)!

The second way we can address the culture is to compromise. Here we try to minimize sin in an attempt to reach the culture. You might say that legalism over emphasizes sin while liberalism under emphasizes sin. We ignore sin or worst yet we begin to engage in sin thinking that we will somehow be better positioned to reach our culture. The problem however is that we lose our influence in the very culture we are trying to reach. The problem is that without recognizing sin and wrong we cannot change or move toward a healthy environment. If there is nothing to change why would anyone want to become a Christian. 

We do not have to look very far to see how this is effecting our culture today. Whether we are looking at the abortion issue, euthanasia, gender identity, legalization of drugs, legalization of prostitution, and so much more we find that there is a minimization of sin and a distortion of truth. We find many who have a form of godliness but they deny the power of God to bring change and bring salvation. They would rather compromise than speak truth in love. They would rather look more like the culture than be in a position to bring change.

The third way to address the culture is to become apathetic. The problem here is that we come to the place where we do not care about people. We can lose our love for people and come to the place where we do not care if they are hurting or need help. We are in our own little world and that is all we care about. Sadly, we do no believe that God can bring change or bring salvation. This is really a state of faithlessness. 

But there is a better way and that is through the way of grace. Grace is a powerful tool and a powerful means to reach people with the gospel and make an investment in our community. Through grace we do not judge because we know that except for the grace of God we would be lost. If we are honest we would have to admit that we just sin differently than others because the fact is all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Roman’s 3:23). 

In our passage today we find that Paul issues a challenge to us and that is the consideration that we are dead to sin and alive to God. Think about that idea! We are dead to sin but alive with God. In our sin we are dead but in God we have life. Because of that we are commanded to present ourselves as instruments of righteousness versus instruments of unrighteousness. That is what it means to walk in grace. 

Let me ask you a question. Are people drawn to you, or are they pushed away when it comes to spiritual discussions? Jesus is our model. Sinners and saints were drawn to him because He was a real man dealing with real issues. That was grace. He met them where they were without judgement or condescension. He loved them enough to give everyone seeking grace that gift. 

In life, I find that the instruments we have can be powerful and bring life or they can bring destruction. The same instrument can cause life or it can cause death. It is for that reason that I believe that God gave us grace in order to use the instruments of righteousness the way we should. 

Through grace we will have a correct view of sin. Rather than cloistering ourselves together and maximizing sin, we will walk in grace. Rather than compromise and minimizing sin, we will develop a proper perspective of sin. Rather than apathy we are awakened to a new reality and a new way to live and connect with our community. We are grace receivers and we are grace givers. 

Let me close with a story I read just this week. A man went to church. He forgot to switch off his phone and during the the prayer time his phone accidentally rang. The pastor scolded him. The worshippers admonished him after the prayers for interrupting the silence. His wife kept lecturing him on his carelessness all the way home. One could see the shame, embarrassment, and humiliation on his face. After this he never set foot in church again.  

That evening, he went to a bar. He was sill nervous and trembling from his earlier adventure. He spilled his drink on the table by accident. The waiter apologized and gave him a napkin to clean himself. The janitor mopped the floor. The female manager offered him a complimentary drink. She also gave him a huge hug and a peck while saying, “Don’t worry man. Who doesn’t make mistakes?” He has not stopped going to that bar since then. We have the chance to give grace to others and touch this world with the gospel, the good news. 

So how is your grace today? Are you just a receiver or are you a giver of grace? 

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/messages.

Copyright © 2019 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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September 17, 2018 · 10:18 am

Grace and Action

Peninsula Community Church 

Grace and Action 

September 16, 2018 

2 Peter 3:17-18 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, take care that you are not carried away with the error of lawless people and lose your own stability. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

This morning we are on our third installment of our series, Amazing Grace. We have looked at grace and truth and we have looked at grace and mercy. This week we will take a bit of a different track as we will explore our part in grace. While grace is a free gift, we also recognize that we have a role to play in accepting His grace and His mercy. We have a role to play in the stewardship of His grace and what we do with His grace makes all of the difference. 

John Piper has stated After “Jesus” there is no sweeter word in all the Bible than “grace.” As Dr. Widen, a member of John’s church, use to say, It’s the greatest unused resource in all the world. It is the wealth of God’s kindness; the riches of his mercy; the soothing ointment of his forgiveness; the free and undeserved, but lavishly offered hope of eternal life. Grace is what we crave when we are guilt-laden. Grace is what we must have when we come to die. Grace is our only ray of hope when the future darkens over with storm clouds of fear. How true and how powerful that is. 

In considering this study, we must acknowledge that we can do nothing to earn God’s favor or increase His love for us. Too often, we are deceived into thinking that we have to earn God’s favor, and we can believe that we have to work extremely hard for Him to love us more or even consider loving us. This is such a issue and it is an issue that I am most familiar with. For years I worked hard in an attempt to get God to love me more. I felt that if I did not work hard enough, He would reject me and stop loving me as His child. How relieved I was when my understanding of God’s grace changed my mind, and enveloped my heart with the confidence that He loves me, and accepts me no matter what. The frustration and anxiety of trying to please God was diminished and I was freed up to actually accomplish more for His Kingdom. 

While it is true that we cannot earn God’s favor, nor can we work harder to get Him to love us more, there are some steps we need to take. The free gift of His grace must be stewarded or managed in order for us to maximize the gift we receive. Through stewardship, we recognize that we do not own anything, but we have been blessed to receive great gifts from God. That is why stewardship is so incredibly important. We must steward our finances, our possessions, our relationships, our employment, and we must steward the gifts God has given us.  

In Matthew 25, we have the parable of the talents. A landowner headed out on a journey. He entrusted his servants with the talents in order to manage the farm was he was gone. The first sergeant took his five talents and was able to double them. The one with the two talents did the same. Unfortunately the one with one talent went and hid it. When questioned he stated that he did so because he was afraid. The landowner responded by taking the talent from him and giving it to him who has the ten talents. What is the lesson here? We must steward what we have been given or else we can lose it. Now understand we cannot lose God’s grace but we can begin to minimize it in our life to the degree that it no longer guides and directs our steps. We can ignore God’s grace and that has sad consequences and difficult outcomes. 

So how do we steward or manage grace? In our passage today, we see that one way to steward His grace is by growing in the grace He has given us. In other words, grace is not a passive gift. It is active in the sense that we need to recognize the value and power of grace. When that happens, we will be moved to action. The question for us is what motivates us as stewards of grace. Well, we do not act on grace to gain salvation. It is a free gift. We do not act on grace to gain His love. He gives His love freely and graciously. We do not act on grace for His acceptance. He already accepts us because He sent His son into the world to die for us. All of these things are already set in motion because they are free gifts freely given.

With that said, in our passage today, we find that we are exhorted to grow in grace. So, how do we do that? I would suggest four things we can do to steward and grow in the grace God has given us. First, I would suggest to you that we need to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. In Philippians 2:12-13 Paul states Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.

In this passage, I would propose to you that we must make our salvation our own. We must receive His grace as the gift it is . Notice two aspects of this passage. First, Paul exhorts us to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. This relates to the seriousness and necessity of this action. We are exhorted to work through the problems that keep us from understanding His grace. We must deal with the bondages and shortcomings of our life to grow toward a state of healthiness and understanding of His grace. 

This brings us to the second part of this passage. It is God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. This is important because we often feel we do not deserve grace. We reject His grace, because we somehow feel there is too much water under the bridge for God to accept us. We can also believe we are too defective and too broken to be healed. 

I love this passage because we see that He works in us, because it is His will to do so. In fact, it brings God pleasure to work in us. Did you catch that? It is His will to work in us. It brings Him pleasure. Wow! What grace that is! Notice too that this passage gives us the balance between grace and our actions. We are called to work out salvation, but it is His work in us that makes it happen. We do and He will. He is willing and ready, but we must act. We cannot be passive. 

Secondly, in 1 Timothy 4:7-8 we find that Paul exhorts us to train ourselves for godliness. Listen to his words. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The word here for trained is an athletic term. Just as those who participated in the Grecian games had to prepare themselves so also, we must actively train ourselves for godliness. This means you will not always feel like it. You may be too tired, or you may be disinterested, but train anyway because there is a goal in mind. It is a goal of godliness and that is a most worthy goal. 

While we receive God’s righteousness and godliness as a gift of grace, we must train ourselves in the understanding of that grace. Our training in godliness is not a passive experience but one where we must be engaged in order to grow and develop a greater understanding of who He is. One who is training for an athletic event does not sit in their recliner and eat potato chips all day. No, they are up early and working out. They are eating healthy. They are resting appropriately. They are training their body and getting ready to participate in the event they are training for. 

When it comes to godliness our training includes personal Bible study and growth. I would suggest that we need to take advantage of the opportunities that are provided for us to grow. So, let me be a bit shameless and do a promo for the studies we have going here at PCC. We have the Ladies Thursday Morning Bible Study. We have the Ladies Thursday night BSF Bible study. We have the Tuesday night Bible study for ladies. We have the Tuesday night Bible Study for men. We have Sunday School for everyone. We have Sunday worship. We have one our Life Groups launching this Saturday with more to come. Coming in October we will have the Grief Share Group meeting at IRSC. All of these provide opportunities for growth and personal development. No one has an excuse for not growing in their faith. All of these events are opportunities for personal growth, but it also a time for fellowship and outreach. 

That leads us to a third vital point. Do not stop gathering together. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25). We need one another and it is in the assembling of ourselves together that we can and should experience God’s grace. As we work with one another, we have the opportunity to experience grace and give grace. Grace is best worked out through our interaction with one another. The temptation most often is for us to isolate and hide, but in isolation we are more susceptible to defeat and depression. We need one another! We need encouragement! 

Finally, I will end where we began. We are to grow in the grace and the knowledge of God. As we close let me summarize these keys to growth. This list is not exclusive, but I believe it is the priorities we need to seek. First, we grow in grace through worship and prayer. Through prayer and worship we experience a greater understanding of who God is and all that God has for us. Second, we grow through His word. Read the Bible and study the Bible for yourself. It is God’s manual for life to accomplish He desires. And finally, we must continue in fellowship. Do not isolate. While it is a gift of grace, when we isolate, we fail to share that grace with others. 

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2018 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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December 11, 2017 · 10:12 am

The Journey of Love

Peninsula Community Church

The Journey of Love

December 10, 2017 

John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Last week we looked at the idea of the wisemen taking a journey to find the Christ child. They looked for one thing, but found another. They were looking for a king and a warrior, but what they found was a baby and what a baby He was! This child was about to do what no other person in the history of the world could do. He was about to save the world and bring to each person who trusts Him hope, love, joy, and peace.

Last week, we looked at the idea of hope and the light that shines into the darkness. This week we will look at the power of Christ’s love that came to set us free. From the early writings of the New Testament, we find that John recognized a truth that is needed in our life today. We need love. We need true love and not a facsimile or imitation love. As John penned these words, he recognized the source of our love is the One who came to save us. Listen to the words again. For God so loved the world, that He gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him.

The passage begins with for God so loved. He loved. He loved the world. This term world here is the term KOSMOS. It was a word that meant universe and/or adornment. In the New Testament, it was also used to describe man in his fallen state that resulted from the sin and the fall of man in the Garden of Eden. Thus, we could say that God so loved mankind that even in his fallen state He sent His only Son to save man from his failures and from being a fallen creation of God.

Notice too, that He did not come to condemn the world. The world was already condemned and was living life in shambles. Most were well aware of their difficulties and their sin. Additionally, many were living hedonistic lives apart from God. While proclaiming to be fulfilled, free, and at peace, they struggled with their identity and self-esteem. The fact is, they were living life devoid of real love. Does that sound familiar in our society today?

The blessing we have is that in our self-centered, self-focused life, we can find that His love reorients us to His purpose and plan. His love reorients us to the destiny He has for us and He empowers us to fulfill the purposes we have been created to achieve. So what kind of love does Christ offer? To understand this it would behoove us to consider the words used in the Greek to define love. Unlike our English language, the Greeks had four words to describe love.

The first of these words is Eros. This is defined as erotic love. This is the love that is engaged through body chemistry and is relegated to feelings. Eros love is focused on others but only as others fulfill their desires. The motto of this kind of love is “I love you because you make me happy,” but “if you cease to make me happy, then I will no longer love you.” This kind of love is based on a characteristic in the other person that brings pleasure, but if that characteristic ceases to exist, the reason for love is gone. Eros love looks most often for what it can receive and not give. Many of us have experienced this kind of love. As long as we are giving and we look a certain way, we are accepted and loved. As long as we meet another’s expectations, we are loved. But let changes come and that love is diminished.

Secondly, there is Phileo love which is a brotherly or friendship love. This speaks of affection, fondness, or liking. Phileo love responds to kindness, appreciation, or another’s love. It involves giving as well as receiving, but when it is strained it can collapse in a crisis. How many have had a friendship fall apart because of a disagreement or problem? What you thought you had was quickly destroyed.

Thirdly, there is Storge which is the love that has its basis in one’s own nature. This love is based in one’s natural affections. It is the natural movement of the soul for a husband, a wife, a child, or even a dog. It is a quiet, abiding feeling within a man that rests on something close to him and that he feels good about. If Storge love is not centered in Christ, our feelings can cause us to move toward unhealthy and immoral love. We see this today in many of the issues we face. Romans 1 speaks of a generation that would seek that which goes against their nature because they reject the truth. Their passion for unnatural affection has lead them to be be deceived and destroyed. Their hearts have been darkened.

Then we have Agape love. Agape love is focused on the preciousness of the object loved. This speaks to the character of God! It carries the idea of prizing. It is not kindled by one’s personal merit or worth. Agape love delights in giving. Agape love keeps on giving when the one being loved is unresponsive, unkind, unlovable, and unworthy. It is unconditional love. Agape love desires only good for the one loved. It is a consuming passion for the well-being of the other person. So let us look at our text this morning in view of Agape love.

First of all, His love is based in the preciousness of the object loved. He loves us because He believes that we are precious in His sight. Remember the song we sang in children’s church so many years ago. Jesus loves the children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight, Jesus loves the little children.

We are precious because we are a creation of God. Therefore, we have value and we have significance. One of the great lies of the enemy is to get us to believe that we are less valuable than we are, or that we do not have any significance in this life. I can tell you this morning that you are precious in His sight and He extends His love to us as a result. The Psalmist said “We are fearfully and wonderfully made.” Who is the “we?” It is you and I. If we agree that we are a creation of God, then we must accept that we have value and significance. We must rise up and live like we believe it. We are not talking about a sense of false security or pride, but rather the truth enveloped in Christ’s love for us.

You see value is given to person or object by the one who adores or loves it. In the case before us today, God loves us and has added great value to us as a person. That is Agape love. Agape love places a high value on us as a person. In 1973 I bought a used 1970 Dodge Charger. I paid $900 for it. That was considered to be the value assigned that car, at that time. In 1976, when I left for Bible college, I sold the car for $4000. The value in someone’s mind had gone up. Today, I have seen similar 1970 Dodge Chargers sell for over $100,000. Why? Because someone has given a greater value to the car. Let me tell you, we have a Father and an elder brother named Jesus who has assigned value to your life and no matter what someone else tells you, and no matter what you think, you are valuable and you are worth more than you know.

Secondly, this kind of love is not kindled by meriting His love nor is it based on one’s idea of self-worth, but it is solely the action of one doing the loving. Here is the amazing thing about Agape love. It is not conditioned on the one receiving the love, it is fully based in the one giving the love. With that in mind, think about this. The perfect, eternal, faithful God has loved you and has assigned value to your life, no matter what you may have done. No matter what condition you are in, you are valuable to Him. It is for that reason that no matter where you are, He is reaching out to you. How can a car that was worth $900 in 1972 be worth over a $100,000 today? It is because someone saw value in the car. Most of these cars have been rescued from backyards, junkyards, and from the side of the road. The car had nothing to offer but the master mechanic stepped up and repaired the brokenness in the car. That is what Christ has done for us. He saw us on the trash heap of life, He saw value in us and He came to save and redeem us.

Thirdly, Agape love delights in giving. There is an amazing joy that comes in giving to others. Know this, God counts it all joy to love you and give you all you need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3). He delights in you. Think about that, the God of heaven delights in you. He loves you and wants to minister to you in a way that will enrich your life. He does not withhold His blessing from those He loves, but rather He lavishes His love upon us. John succinctly stated See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are (1 John 3:1). The Greek shows us that the work has already been done. He has lavished His great love on us as a completed work. We do not work for it. We simply accept the work already done on our behalf.

Fourth, Agape love keeps on giving when the one being loved is unresponsive, unkind, unlovable, and unworthy. It is unconditional love. Here is the most amazing thing about God’s love. It is unshakable. The greatest fear in our life is that we have failed God or that somehow God cannot or should not love us because of what we might have done. This also means that there is no place to hide from the power of His love. The Psalmist stated that he could run to heaven or to the depths of the earth but there He finds God and where God is, there is His love (Psalm 139:8).

Fifth and finally, because of Agape love, He desires to have a relationship with you. He is not interested in an Eros love relationship that is secure as long as you are pleasing Him. He does not love you for what you can offer Him and when you cease pleasing Him He will discard you. He is not looking for friendship love that might be diminished when there is a problem or a difficulty. He is not looking for a love based on the naturalness of our nature that can easily change based on the condition of our heart. Christ is looking for a deeper relationship. He is looking for a personal, real, ongoing, and life changing relationship with you. It is out of this relationship that we realize that He loves us and that He has our best interest in mind. In this relationship, we can experience His love and the magnitude of His grace to us. It is because of this love that He promises not to leave us or forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6). It is because of this love that we can also be assured that we cannot be separated from the love of God.

Let me close with this verse, so that we hear for ourselves the power of God’s love in Romans 8:31-39. What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. This is Agape love defined!

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2017 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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October 9, 2017 · 10:41 am

Making Sense out of Suffering

Peninsula Community Church 

Making Sense out of Suffering

October 8, 2017 

John 11:1-8, 11-16  Now a certain man was ill, Lazarus of Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill.” But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God, so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So, when he heard that Lazarus was ill, he stayed two days longer in the place where he was… After saying these things, he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep, but I go to awaken him.” The disciples said to him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that he meant taking rest in sleep. Then Jesus told them plainly, “Lazarus has died, and for your sake I am glad that I was not there, so that you may believe. But let us go to him.”

I have always been fascinated with this story. It is an amazing story of faith, trust, and belief in something greater than ourselves. This story is as applicable to us today as it was in that day. Just like Mary and Martha we encounter problems in our life that are beyond our comprehension. We encounter problems that cause us to question “Where are you God?” “Why did you not do something to intervene? Why did You let this happen? When you look at the underlying heart of those in this story it seems that is the question that is being asked.

We are all too familiar with tragic stories and events in our life that leave us with more questions than answers. On Sunday night, a horrific scene unfolded in Las Vegas. This was a tragedy that was unprecedented. It revealed the amazing power of one man to take the lives of so many and wound hundreds more. That coupled with three major hurricanes and two major earthquakes in Mexico. There is so much that is present in our lives to cause fear, faithlessness, and hopelessness. There is so much around us that leads us to ask where is God in these times?

I am convinced that this story sheds light on the difficulties we face and the problems we encounter even today. Notice this is not a parable, which is a word picture or story that is used to express a theological or Biblical insight. This is a real life story experienced in real time. The pain felt here is very real. The death of Lazarus for the characters in this story was final and there appeared to be very little hope for a different ending.

We find Mary and Martha’s brother was sick and was about to die. If you remember it was Mary and Martha who served Jesus when He visited their home. These sisters, who loved their brother, brought this devastating news to Jesus. They were filled with an expectation that Jesus would respond to their need. After all Lazarus was Jesus’ friend also. But Jesus does the unexpected. He says to them do not worry, I will be there in two days. Can you imagine the sinking feeling in their heart? I can imagine their response might be hey Jesus, Lazarus does not have two days. Our brother is dying and he needs your intervention. He needs you now. Heck, we need you now.

We do not know Mary’s heart here but I wonder if she had thought “remember me Jesus.” I was the one who anointed your feet. Jesus, it’s me. Don’t you remember all that I have done for you. While everyone else was eating and enjoying themselves, I served you. While my sister was busy making dinner and serving the guests, I was anointing your feet and wiping them with my hair. Doesn’t that count for something? She pulled the “I deserve it card” on Jesus. The reality is, we do not deserve any of the blessings of God, but He gives them anyway, because He loves us and He is a grace giving God. Now many times do we play that card?

With that said let us look at a couple of lessons from this passage. First of all, suffering is undeniable. We cannot deny the existence of trouble and the problem of sin in this life. Trouble and difficulty happens to us all. It does not matter who you are or what you have done. One of the problems with society today is they attempt to deny the existence of evil or have misdefined what is evil.

The second lesson for us is that suffering is unavoidable. If you are alive and you are breathing you will have problems. You will suffer. People do dumb things. Things happen. Problems exist. Jesus said that in this life you will have problems. Every book in the New Testament deals with the issue of trials and difficulties in some way. One of the reasons we suffer trials the way we do is that people have rejected the truth of God. When truth is rejected, the foundation to understand God is removed. The result is suffering.

In Romans 1, we find that when people reject the truth, there is a consequence. The people of Paul’s day rejected God and they rejected truth. This resulted in futile thinking, becoming  foolish, and action that came from an impure heart. Notice, God gave them over to these mindsets which are opposed to God’s way of thinking. God allowed them to follow their own desires because they were not willing to follow and obey the truth.

The third lesson for us is that no matter what happens, Jesus has not forgotten us. He always knows best and He can take the worse of situations and bring them in alignment with His purposes. One of the problems is that many times we begin to believe that our suffering is a measurement of God’s love for us. But that is untrue. It is a lie that is propagated in our hearts to cause us to reject God and turn our focus away from Him. Jesus loved Lazarus which is a recognition that the suffering he experienced was not incompatible with His love for him.

To show that God is in control notice the two statements made by Jesus. These statements remind us that He is all knowing and He is all wise. Two things exposed here. This situation was a pathway to bring glory to the Son of God so they might believe. The point was that Jesus was to be glorified through this difficult situation. The glory of God is the manifestation of his presence and is a manifestation of His presence in people’s hearts and into their situations. That is and has always been the plan. The end result was to be a stronger believe in Jesus.

Let’s bring this closer to home. We were all shocked by the news of last Sunday night. So many lives were negatively impacted by the shooting. But there is another side to the story. You see when we experience a dark moment in our life we can focus on the problem and the suffering and miss what God is doing.

What we do not always hear on the news is the positive accounts of God’s grace. The focus has been on the shooter, as it should be, but we can miss other stories within the story. There were great stories of heroism through this event. While the shooter represented the worst of us those who stepped up to help, even under the worst of circumstances, showed the best of us. Whether it was the war veteran who placed his thumb in the wound of one of the victims to stop the bleeding, to those who used their personal clothing to stop bleeding. We saw those who used their personal cars to transport people they did not know to safety and to the hospital. We have heard the story of those who shielded others and were killed themselves.

There is another aspect of this that bears mentioning as well. We have a friend, Dave Early, who founded a church in Las Vegas. Dave has since turned the church over to one of the cofounders, Chris Martin. Chris made the following observation. This crime has brought people together like nothing else. They are sharing their goods, they are donating blood, they are passing out water. They are distributing food. The city is active with the grace of God. People are more open to hear the message of hope found in the Gospels. People are focusing their attention toward God like never before. The son of God is being glorified and people are believing in Jesus.

The final lesson is this. Through every situation we face and through every difficulty we encounter God’s glory can be revealed. As His glory is revealed, we learn to trust God more and in a deeper way. Remember the end of the story. Lazarus was dead, but with a word from Jesus he rose. He was alive and he walked out of the grave healed and whole.

I cannot help but think of Joseph’s words in Genesis. He suffered. He was rejected by his brothers. He was sold into slavery. He was falsely accused. He was thrown into prison for a crime he did not commit. He was forgotten and lived in the reality of broken promises. But in the midst of the story every time a difficulty occurred, we find that the Lord was with Joseph. In the end, listen to Joseph’s own words. “Do not fear, for am I in the place of God? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” (Genesis 50:19-21).

God’s glory was revealed and faith was built in Joseph’s brothers. Mary and Martha were able to experience God’s glory and their faith was built. Today, we can be impacted by the trials of life but we can also be encouraged to see the glory of God and have our belief in God restored. Rather than focus on all that is bad and wrong, we can focus on God. He is at work. He has not forgotten you. He is with you. He wants to glorify His name and He desires that in the process that your faith will grow.

For an audio of this message go to http://pccministry.org/media.php?pageID=14

Copyright © 2017 All Rights Reserved Robert W. Odom

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