Become a Better You In The Hard Times of Life

HOW TO BECOME A BETTER YOU IN THE HARD TIMES OF LIFE
INTRO

When I hear my friends say they hope their children don't have to experience the hardships they went through--I don't agree. Those hardships made us what we are. You can be disadvantaged in many ways, and one way may be not having had to struggle.

• That quote reminds me of my grandmother. Born in 1912 to immigrant parents, she knew what the word struggle meant.
• After her mother died in childbirth, she lived in an orphanage, after her father remarried she was neglected and abused by her stepmother, so as a teen she moved out into a rented room on her own just as stock market crashed in 1929 and Great Depression set in.
• 50 years later, in her own small modest home, my grandmother would exhort me with words similar to what we heard in our opening quote. She would tell me one day I would appreciate the struggle and hardships. They would make me better.
• At a time in my life when I was struggling through those hard teen years, my grandmother coached me about the need to work hard in life; the need to learn to not complain about things you cannot control; and how to focus on what was really important.
• Today, 30 years later, we are living in tough times. We are living through a stock market crash and banking failure with recession coming on. The Baby Buster and Millennial Generations have never really tasted hardship. This message is for them, and for all going through trials and struggles.
• The Apostle Paul speaks to us again this week from a Roman prison where he was unjustly jailed for preaching the Gospel.
• Our reading from Paul’s letter to the Church at Philippi outlines four Christian attitudes that can make you a better person in the midst of hardships and struggles.

1. TO BECOME A BETTER YOU IN TIMES OF HARDSHIP AND STRUGGLE, DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF REJOICING

4Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!

• To rejoice is to express joy, gladness, and happiness. Joy in the general sense is an emotional response to any pleasurable state or event.
• For a Christian, joy is a wellspring of gladness and happiness that results from fellowship with God.
• It is a fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Spiritual fruitfulness is who and what we are—our quality of character and the essence of who we are as a person resulting from the indwelling Holy Spirit.
• The Fruit of the Spirit are nine qualities of godliness that God produces in a person when he comes into our lives to transform us so we become like him in who we are and how we live.
• When Paul tells the Church to REJOICE IN THE LORD AWAYS he is teaching us how to have a basic outlook in life that says no matter what goes on around me, nothing can take away what God has given me.
o He has given me forgiveness from all the guilt and sin in my life. He has given me a purpose, direction, a reason to live, a new beginning, eternal life beyond the grave, and he is my ever-present encourager, comforter, and friend.
• No matter what we are going through, at all times, and in all circumstances, God is always with us, so whether we are in prison like Paul was, in a struggling church like the Philippians were, or living through a stock market crash and hard times, we can have an inner happiness.
• Once Paul tells us to rejoice always, he repeats it a second time!! Again, I say rejoice. I think we need to hear this over and over. By nature, human beings are focused on themselves. We whine, complain, and want the world to revolve around us.
• The spiritual person focuses on God, and is able to say “At the cross at the cross where I first saw light, and the burden of my heart rolled away. It was there by faith I received my sight and now I am happy all the day.

2. TO BECOME A BETTER YOU IN TIMES OF HARDSHIP AND STRUGGLE, DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF GENTLENESS TO OTHERS

5Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand.

• Hard times of struggle test our character, especially in our relationships with others.
• In hard times, the worst of people will often come out under stress and pressure. People will throw you under the bus, steal from you, blame you, neglect you, and abuse you to survive hard times.
• Yet, Paul says, for the Christian, God wants to bring out the best in us in hard times.
• He wants us to remember when people do terrible things, He is at hand, He is always present to bring justice and take care of our enemies—his part. Our part is to let the fruit of gentleness be evident in us.
• Again, gentleness is a spiritual fruit of the Holy Spirit. Gentleness is a true humility that does not consider itself too good or too exalted for humble tasks. Opposite of pride or snootiness.
• “Meekness, a synonym for gentleness, is enduring injury with patience and without resentment.”
• Gentleness is never self-important but is considerate, courteous, and modest. In hard times when people are stressed, hurting, fearful, or angry, gentleness makes us leaders of the fearful.
The story is told of a corporal at Valley Forge who was directing three men as they tried to lift a log into place. It was too heavy, but the corporal commanded again and again, “All right, men, one, two, three, lift!” A man in an overcoat came by and said to the corporal, ‘Why don’t you help them?” The corporal pulled himself up to full height and replied, “Sir, I am a corporal.” Without a word the man stepped over and with his help the log went easily into place. The man was General George Washington.

3. TO BECOME A BETTER YOU IN TIMES OF HARDSHIP AND STRUGGLE, DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF PRAYERFULNESS.

• So often in life, when hard times come, we let the hard times set the agenda. When we face hard times we can easily become worried, stressed, and become full of anxiety. What if I lose my job? What if the money I lost in my 401k doesn’t recover? What if this illness doesn’t get better?
• Paul tells us the key to getting through hard times without anxiety:

but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

• Prayer is one of the main keys to overcoming anxiety during the struggles of life. Prayer means God wants us to talk to him. So, we cannot approach God with sin in our lives, so prayer always means we must first confess our sins, so we can stand in the presence of a Holy God.
• When our spirits are burdened, only prayer can ease our mind.
• As we come into God’s presence in prayer we say “Lord, I thank you that you gave me life, my family, and all I have. Now, I want to bring to you my struggles. I need your help and your direction for all these things that are troubling me.”
• Paul says, that when we make prayer and thanksgiving our response to the hardships and struggles we face, that another fruit of the Spirit forms in us—peace.
• Peace is calmness and quietness in the deepest level of our being. In our lives as Christians it is paradoxical. It surpasses understanding.
• God is in control. So while I don’t understand how all this will work out, I know that God is going to work it out so I can rest and not have stress. God is guarding my heart and mind now. I can calm down.

4. TO BECOME A BETTER YOU IN TIMES OF HARDSHIP AND STRUGGLE, DEVELOP AN ATTITUDE OF THINKING HOW GOD THINKS

• Truth is whatever God thinks about something since he is truth. Have you ever wondered how God thinks? In this letter to the Church at Philippi, Paul tells us.

8Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy-meditate on these things.

• In life, you can either focus on the good or the bad. You can have, as they say, stinkin` thinkin` that is negative and focused in ways that will tear you down, or you can learn to think optimistically and positively which will help you to not get dragged down into the pit of despair.
• When facing struggles and hard times, Paul says to think about the things that are true, noble, just, pure, lovely, of a good report; things that are virtuous.
• Don’t think and act like the cable news or radio talk show hosts. Don’t become morose and focus on all the bad in the world. It will ruin you. Turn off the TV. Read, get out in nature.
• Learn to think of goodness; think and meditate on God, and on all the good that God brings into the world himself and through his people.
• Learn to take time to smell the roses; enjoy the leaves changing; smell the fresh air; live life like a child experiencing the wonder of this world as if it the first time you have ever seen it.
• The result of rejoicing and being gentle to others, of praying, and thinking about life like God--you will learn to be content in whatever life brings your way.
• Paul says, content people, no matter if we are lacking or abounding materially, we will have learned the attitudes that no matter what hardship or trial we face, we will say like he did,

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.
TODAY, YOU CAN DO IT! JESUS IS HERE TO STRENGTHEN US. WE BECOME STRONG TO FACE THE HARD TIMES AND STRUGGLES OF LIFE WHEN WE REJOICE ALWAYS! WHEN WE ARE GENTLE AND MEEK TO OTHERS, WHEN WE PRAY, AND WHEN WE THINK POSITIVELY IN GOD.

Voter Consideration Liberal and Conservative

I found this note posted by my friend Steve Smallwood on his Facebook page excellent. I re-post it here. Steve was the Pastor of New Life Assembly in Nixa, Missouri where I did my ministerial internship prior to graduating from seminary --Fr. Kevin

“Roger E. Olson (PhD, Rice University) is professor of theology at George W. Truett Theological Seminary of Baylor University in Waco, Texas and author of the recent book, How to be Evangelical without being Conservative.
With the presidential election just around the corner I asked Dr. Olson to give us some "food for thought" before we vote:

5 Questions to consider before voting Republican:

1) What will happen to the poor in a Republican administration?
2) Will a Republican administration pursue world peace?
3) How will a Republican administration promote mercy, compassion and justice for all?
4) Is a Republican administration likely to be unduly influenced by large corporations?
5) Can a Republican administration show respect for every human person's dignity and rights?

5 Questions to consider before voting Democratic:

1) What will happen to the not-yet-born in a Democratic administration?
2) Will a Democratic administration keep America and others safe from terrorism?
3) How will a Democratic administration promote security and safety for Americans and others?
4) Is a Democratic administration likely to be unduly influenced by liberal special interest groups?
5) Can a Democratic administration show respect for traditional family values?

Sunday Sermon 10/5/2008 How to Keep Moving Forward When Life Wants to Hold You Back

HOW TO KEEP MOVING FORWARD WHEN LIFE WANTS TO HOLD YOU BACK
Sunday October 5, 2008
Fr. Kevin Baker

INTRO
• Postage stamps are getting more expensive, but at least they have one attribute that most of us could emulate: they stick to one thing until they get there.
• Today, my message is about how to stick with your faith and make it to heaven. It is a message about how to keep moving forward when life wants to hold you back.
• Our lesson is taught by one of the greatest teachers and encouragers whose message has never been forgotten—St. Paul the Apostle.
• Our lesson is found in a letter St. Paul wrote to a small discouraged church in W. Macedonia while he was a prisoner in Roman chains for preaching the Gospel.
• This church had small beginnings and took many years for it to grow. The people in this church were faithful to the call, yet they sacrificed much facing many obstacles that caused them to become discouraged at times.
• Paul’s message in his letter, which theologians call the Epistle of Joy--keep your eyes on the prize; keep pressing on toward your goals even when it seems they are so far from ever being attained.
• This discouraged in this church eventually flourished because they listened to Paul’s encouragement. Your life can also flourish if you will practice Paul’s lesson of persevering faith!
• I wonder this morning how many of you are going through tough times in your life?
• Paul was in jail for preaching the Gospel when he wrote this letter—tough times.
• The Church at Philippi believed in Jesus Christ and were struggling to establish a church in a part of the world where people hated what they stood for as Christians—tough times.
• We all face tough times in our lives. Paul’s message to us when we are down and discouraged is:

1. WHEN THINGS GET HARD IN LIFE, PRESS ON TOWARD YOUR GOALS.

14I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

• St. Paul—wow! Imprisoned for preaching the Gospel, encouraging a small new church, Paul’s message is press on toward the goal. Keep perspective! This is an attitude of Christian maturity.
• Paul says in hard times, remember the ultimate goal-- our upward call. We are a heaven bound people. Heaven puts things in perspective. The hope of heaven motivates us to persevere.
• We will live in heaven for a lot longer than we live on earth. The tough times and hard things we are experiencing here will only be a faint memory when we have been with God in heaven for 10,000 years!
• The lesson here is when you face tough times, setbacks, losses, disappointments, and heartbreaks keep pressing on toward your goals. God is with you. He loves you. He supports you.
• Maybe you didn’t get the job promotion you hoped for. Maybe you didn’t get accepted to the college you always dreamed to attend. Maybe a relationship ended or a painful loss took you into a period of deep darkness. Maybe your hopes and dreams have been shattered.
• Paul says Keep pressing on toward the goal. Don’t give up.
• God will take a life that you have lived for Him with His priorities and work all things together for good.

2. THE SECOND GUIDING PRINCIPLE TO REMEMBER IN TOUGH TIMES IS WALK OUT YOUR CHRISTIAN LIFE FOLLOWING THE EXAMPLE OF PAUL AND OTHERS WHO KEEP THE FAITH DURING TOUGH TIMES

15Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; 17Brethren, join in following my example, and note those who so walk, as you have us for a pattern.

• St. Paul calls our life in Christ a "spiritual walk." In the midst of hardships, He calls us to maturity by making his walk with the Lord an example for us to follow
• He also exhorts us to take note of those who also have walked out their faith following Paul’s model —her saints or heroes of faith--they are our pattern; our example.
• Did you know some of the Church’s saints suffered from mental illness? Were alcoholics? Contemplated suicide? Were betrayed by friends? Yet they pressed on and overcame?
• I want to recommend that everyone read Ordinary Suffering of Extraordinary Saints by Vincent O’Malley.

Paul instructed us to NOTE THOSE WHO FOLLOWED HIS EXAMPLE.

• The saints through the ages have faced many tough times doing the will of God in their lives, but they pressed on toward the goals God gave them and are now a pattern for us to walk out our faith.
• Now Lets’ learn about walking out our faith.
• By definition--To walk is to advance by steps toward a destination.
• St. Paul is encouraging all of us that when we face tough times, keep walking.
• Step by step, keep advancing toward your goals and toward your destination. Keep trusting in Jesus. Keep believing. Keep following. Keep serving.
• Don’t trade in your born again birthright of heaven for a bowl of earthly pottage.
• As Christians, we often say we need to walk the walk, not just talk the talk. We can say we love God, trust God, praise God—but what about when the going gets tough? Will our faith stand?
• Many of us will come to points in life where the tough challenges and trials of life can trip us up.
• Illness, grief, divorce, disability, unemployment, loneliness, poverty, and discrimination. All experiences that can trip us up in our spiritual walk.
• When we get tripped up, that is when we can stumble and fall—turn away from God in anger, disappointment, discouragement, and shattered dreams.
• Now let’s go back to St. Paul. Called by God to preach, he was constantly opposed and rejected.
• He could have looked at being in jail as unfair, why did this happened when I have done everything you asked? Why God? Where are you God?
• In his letter to the Philippians, from jail, Paul tells this church things like “Rejoice in the Lord always!” “Work our your salvation without complaining,” and forget the things that are behind and keep pressing on. Keep walking. Keep advancing step by step. Don’t let life get you down.
• Where did Paul and other overcomers get the strength to press on? From God’s Word.
• A promise I encourage all of to hold on to in tough times is found in

Psalm 37:3:
23 If the LORD delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; 24 though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

CONCLUSION
• No matter what hardship, temptation, grief, or trial you face today that could trip up your spiritual walk, remember God calls us to keep walking; to press on toward the goal.
• His promise is if we will choose to keep the faith, he uphold us when we stumble so we will not fall.
I want to conclude with a record of perseverance from the diary of the great Anglican priest John Wesley. . .

Sunday, A.M., May 5 Preached in St. Anne's. Was asked not to come back anymore.
Sunday, P.M., May 5 Preached in St. John's. Deacons said "Get out and stay out."
Sunday, A.M., May 12 Preached in St. Jude's. Can't go back there, either.
Sunday, A.M., May 19 Preached in St. Somebody Else's. Deacons called special meeting and said I couldn't return.
Sunday, P.M., May 19 Preached on street. Kicked off street.
Sunday, A.M., May 26 Preached in meadow. Chased out of meadow as bull was turned loose during service.
Sunday, A.M., June 2 Preached out at the edge of town. Kicked off the highway.
Sunday, P.M., June 2 Afternoon, preached in a pasture. Ten thousand people came out to hear me.

• John Wesley kept pressing on toward his goal of reaching the world for Christ. He learned to persevere and keep advancing forward step by step.
• Behind the scenes, God was upholding him with his hand helping Wesley to not stumble or fall.
• Today, God is here to help you keep moving forward in faith even when life wants to hold you back. Call out to him. Bow your head and ask for strength to go on, and he will give it. Amen.

Does Anyone Read This Blog?

After the Labor Day holiday I stopped blogging here to see if anyone actually reads this. If you are a reader of the blog, would you please leave a comment. If there is no substantial audience, I will most likely discontinue regular blogging here and concentrate on our Facebook presence.

Thank you.

Fr. Kevin

September 1, 2008

Today is Labor Day. One day of rest per year as a civil holiday for American workers. I am glad God in His wisdom and love for man tells us that we need a weekly day of rest from our labors!

I want to thank Sharon Pittman for spearheading our "Back To School Backpacks" outreach in partnership with Prison Fellowship. The people of St. Patrick's have shown their ministry of mercy and giving to bless many inner city families this school year. The reactions of the kids to their backpacks full of supplies and the families receiving a $25.00 gift card have brought much glory to God! In their faces we have seen and ministered to Jesus (Matthew 25).

Let us continue to hear what the Spirit of God has said to us through the saying of Mother ATeresa of Calcutta "If you cannot feed a hundred people then feed just one."