I blue-lighted and in MM's statement red-lighted because these are excellent posts that hit me hard this morning after yesterday's worship service. Major, I'm sure you can identify with this.
What Via said in contrast to what the responses were is a great example of our growing in Christ. Yesterday I had my liberal theological moment before, during and after yesterday's worship service.
The flow of the worship service was sloppy! I won't go into detail but many things just didn't go well. Afterward, I asked the leadership to meet with me in the library and the first thing I did was apologize to them. In my inner cup I was so intense and frustrated.
We always prepare for God's blessings for the Sunday worship service and especially the measures of preventive maintenance. Unfortunately, it didn't go well.
As they were listening, I confessed to everyone that deep inside, I was so frustrated over the mechanics of the service after everything I did to prepare my part. I let down my guard and instead of it being about God, it was about me, after all my efforts, yet many things went wrong.
The liberal was God being there to allow me to figure this out, spiritually and Biblically. Then I was reminded in Job 2:10b, Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?”
After I opened up to everyone, thank God, they all understood. Then we prayed in accord and gave glory to God for His presence in not just the good, but also during the troubles we will endure.
I agree with crossnote. I personally find that it's not always about how much we pray, read the Bible and apply the application of serving God that everything will fall into place, it's allowing the Holy Spirit to set us free from ourselves, exposing our weaknesses when we do fail or when things fall apart. We have to be reminded from God, what is missing?
Things Happen. God knows this and as Lanolin shared, always pray, connecting and let God be God.
Through it all, Major shares a profound lesson and by the prompting of the Holy Spirit's help, Stop, Sit Down, Listen and Wait. It works!
God bless you all for your posts. It gave me much to think about this morning.
My dear brother........I have had those very same days. I have given sermons and just knew that it was the worst thing I had ever done only to have phone calls thanking me for it.
May I tell you what encourages me and gives me hope.
If the church had been perfect in the first century, we wouldn’t have several of the New Testament books.
The Galatians we’re leaving grace for old-school legalism.
The Ephesians very quickly lost their first love.
The Laodiceans were lukewarm.
And the Corinthians? Oh my. Where do I begin with them?
Yet God used the faithful, imperfect, striving, in-need-of-radical-forgiveness first century church to turn the world upside-down.
So even when a church service does not seem to feel right to us, it just may be that it does effect others and It gives me hope.
Also remember Romans 8:28..........
"ALL things work for good to them who are called......"!