Don't Count Me Out!

Happy Sunday!

Bishop Alexis A. Thomas preached, "Don't Count Me Out!"  He used St. John 11:20-22 as his reference scriptures.

Bishop said, "The story of Jesus is the story of Ultimate Recoverability".  Pits are not permanent.  Failure is not final, and sickness is not unto death."   Our lives are testimonies of the "Comeback".  even the Psalmist said, "Weeping may last for the night, but there is a song of joy in the morning". -  Psalm 30:5 (God's Word Translation)

When Bishop was preaching I thought of March Madness.  Now, I'm not a true follower and I don't have a bracket, but I heard there was an upset last week involving Duke.  Feel free to respond to this e-mail and set me straight if I'm wrong.  The team that was pitted against Duke, I think it was Mercer.  They wanted the world to know, "Don't Count Me Out! Don't underestimate what God can do or will do in my life!  It may look like I don't have what it takes, but with God ALL things are possible!

In this scripture text, Lazarus the friend of Jesus has died and been buried.  To the community, to his sisters, and to the disciples it appeared that Jesus was "late".  But you know what the old church folks used to say, "He may not come when you want him, but he's always on time!"    God's timing is perfect!  The Psalmist repeatedly tells us to, "Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord." Psalm 27:14 (King James Version)

Don't count me out!  Don't count yourself out either!  No matter our age or position in life, God can do great things in and through us!  You may never know in this life what a simple act of kindness did in the life of a stranger.  That child you treated with love, that neighbor you helped, or that co-worker you responded mercifully to could one day do great things.  Hebrews 6:10 says, "God doesn’t miss anything. He knows perfectly well all the love you’ve shown him by helping needy Christians, and that you keep at it." (Message)   And finally, Galatians 6:7 says, "Don’t be misled: No one makes a fool of God. What a person plants, he will harvest. The person who plants selfishness, ignoring the needs of others—ignoring God!—harvests a crop of weeds. All he’ll have to show for his life is weeds! But the one who plants in response to God, letting God’s Spirit do the growth work in him, harvests a crop of real life, eternal life." (Message)

Love and prayers, Cynthia