Your Past For Their Future
“We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves.” - Romans 15:1
On May 20th, 2013, Oklahoma was hit with a tornado that would kill and destroy everything in it’s path, but how can we help? Pray? Absolutely! Pray more? Sure! But to me, praying isn’t enough. We can pray for so long and so hard asking God to send the right people to help, which is true and good, but when are we going to answer the call like Isaiah and say, “Send me, Lord! I’ll go!” (Isaiah 6:8).
Last week, my wife and I bought a house, so we spend all week packing, cleaning, unpacking, more cleaning, and trying to find time to eat and breathe. We finally got settled in (Thank the Lord!), but one of those days, I was at our old apartment packing and moving some boxes, I noticed we didn’t have any tape, so I ran to the local Dollar General store, which by the way, is a youth pastors best friend. As I was standing in line getting ready to pay for my stuff, there was a lady that was in front of me that was checking out. As she was putting her stuff on the desk, she grabbed one of the local newspapers, and saw the headlines about the Oklahoma tornado. She looked at it, shook her head and said, “Been there, done that, don’t want anymore of it!” And the sad thing is that lady had a t-shirt on that had Scriptures on it. I was disappointed.
Why not go help those people? Didn’t God call us to GO into ALL the nations? Tuscaloosa, you know what it’s like, so why sit and just pray? Why not get up and go help them? Or whoever you are. You’ve been through storms. You know what it’s like to go without help, support, money, food, water, clothes, etc, so WHY NOT GO?!
God has called us to carry the burdens of His people…our brothers and sisters, whether saved or not. God has called us…He has called YOU to go! I’ve prayed so long and hard sometimes for God to help a certain place or person, but when He was wanting to use me to go there and help. Yes, pray. Never stop praying, but what I am saying is that we need to start putting some arms and legs on those prayers and GO!
I am pleading to you and begging for your help. I believe with all of my heart that when God puts my in storms or trials, it’s not only for me at that time, but it’s for those who are going to go through storms and trials in the future. God puts certain things in our lives, so that we can learn to deal with them and help other people that is about to go through the same thing or something similar to it.
Don’t you understand? Your life was meant for more than just you. It was meant to help others. Scripture says we are “obligated” to bear one another’s failures. It is your job, your duty, your calling to help and to love others.
God did not call me to wake up, pray, drink my coffee, do my work, preach sermons, and go back home and watch TV and then wake up do it all over again. He called me to go. He called us to go. So, with all of this being said, this is an invitation to all you readers to pray for them and to help them. Not just the Oklahoma people, but all the hurting and lost people in the world. LifePointe Church of God and Restoration Student Ministries in Tuscaloosa, Alabama are joining together with other organizations and churches to help. Starting this Sunday at church, there will be a box for gift card and cash donations for the Oklahoma Tornado Relief victims. Everything given will not go to the church. All proceeds will go to those who were effected by the tornado in Oklahoma AND a local church here in Alabama that is in need of help from the tornado two years ago in Tuscaloosa.
How will you help? Doesn’t matter how or where. People need your help. Now, let us join together in unity and go for the glory of God!
