The Bible says we are to “bring them up”, not watch them grow up. We are to nourish them, giving them what they need so they will grow as they ought. That requires time, effort, wisdom, patience, and love–lot’s of love. Think about it! Don’t forget the children.

It is a sad fact that many mothers fail to get the praise they deserve from their children–hopefully it isn’t because of the father’s failure to honor his wife. Husbands of godly mothers should do all they can to express their love and appreciation for their children’s mother. Happy Mother’s Day!

I’ve been thinking about this subject ever since I read an article about something which by all accounts could be described as a miracle. I don’t need to repeat what I read because we’ve all heard such stories. I run across these all the time, but I refuse to believe most of them because they seem too far fetched–too good to be true. Some are no doubt the product of an overactive imagination. But, for the sake of argument, lets suppose some of these stories are true. Could it be that we aren’t giving God enough credit? Are we depriving ourselves of benefits and blessings because we don’t expect such things from God? Do we miss a miracle because we refuse to trust God enough to ask for it.

William Carey tried to teach us to “Expect great things from God; attempt great for God“, but we never seem to learn. Few folks live in the light of great expectations. Most stay in the darkness of doubt. They fail to see God in their situation. They rule out the possibility of a miracle—that was for a different day they say. Don’t misunderstand.I’m not suggesting that you should believe everything you read or hear, nor let your imagination run wild with the attitude that if you convince yourself it will happen it will. There is a world of difference between positive thinking and Biblical faith. I’m just saying that as Christians we have good reason to “expect great things from God”. Too many people are doubt driven, dismissing from their mind the possibility of God doing something miraculous. And when we expect nothing from God we can expect to get it.

Why are we so fearful of faith? There is no evidence that God has ever lied or failed. To the contrary, we find numerous examples of God fulfilling His promises and working miracles. We have good reason to have great expectations! Wouldn’t it be better if we did? When we doubt God we limit what we do, and what He does. That’s exactly what happened with Israel–“they turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel“(Ps. 78:41). That is tragic. We should never make that mistake. Doing that restricts what God does for us, with us, and through us. That is a shame and disgrace! Doubt dishonors God.

There is no doubt that some have concocted stories, stretched the truth, distorted the facts, and made false assumptions, but we shouldn’t allow their folly to spoil our faith. While we might have good reason to reject what they say about God, we should never doubt what God says, nor what He is able to do. Ditch your doubts. Fuel your faith and enlarge your expectations and you will find peace and joy under any circumstance.

Why is it that we are surprised when God answers our prayers? Think about it. It’s as though we prayed in doubt and out of duty, and when the request is granted we’re shocked. Why are we surprised? Did we pray without any expectations? By the way, isn’t it a glorious testimony to God’s grace, that He would grant our request even though our faith is small and our expectations nil. Just think about what wonderful things God might do if we honored Him by trusting Him completely, expected great things from Him and attempted great things for Him. Launch out into the deep–you can trust God!

“Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep”.—Rom. 12:15

“Rejoice”–if that was all that was said in this verse there is much that could be said about it. As Christians we have a responsibility to rejoice, and numerous reasons for doing so. But there is more–we are to “Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep”. While we fail in both of these commands far too often, I suspect we fail at the first more than the second. For some reason, when it comes to others, remorse comes easier than rejoicing. Many people are bothered by the blessings of others—a strange attitude for a Christian.

The word “rejoice” means to be cheerful, glad, delighted, to be merry, a state of happiness. As used here it tells us we ought to be happy to see others happy! The problem is that rather than looking for reasons to rejoice some are looking for cause to complain. We have enough sadness in the world without looking for it, or creating it. It is shocking that the same people who are grieved over some great loss is saddened over the gain or gladness of another. And, yes it really happens. You tell them about your new promotion or a new possession, or a pleasurable experience and you would think they just learned they had cancer. They might mumble a congratulatory comment, but their countenance tells a different story. Nothing chills their spirit quicker than seeing someone else prosper.

The command to “rejoice with them that do rejoice” seems simple and easy, but for some it isn’t. Their envy and pride keeps them from rejoicing–causing them to disobey God’s command. Then they have the audacity to criticize others. They nearly gag at the thought of saying “congratulations”, or hitting the “like” button on Facebook, because they are afraid it give the other person the attention they themselves are longing for. All you have to do to ruin their day is tell them you got a raise at work, purchased a new car, caught a 10 pound bass, received a new diamond ring, etc. You got what they want and it makes them miserable. Some take it a step further– they rejoice when others weep and weep when others rejoice. Nothing makes them more unhappy than to see you happy. That is a sick attitude, but it certainly describes a lot of folks.

Hebrews 10:24 tells us to “consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works” and numerous verses speak about the need for us to be encouragers, but many refuse to do so. If a church needs anything it needs members who make it their mission to encourage others. The last thing it needs are sad sack fault-finders who bring a spirit of doom and gloom over the congregation. I am so thankful for those who make it a habit to say kind things and express appreciation for what you’ve done. We shouldn’t need that to keep going, but it certainly helps. There are certain people who never leave after the service without a kind comment about the sermon or the music, and there are some who never say a thing. They refuse to commend and encourage others. That is a serious sin because it helps when someone appreciates what you do rather than ignoring you, or criticizing you.

If you can’t rejoice over the blessings enjoyed by others there is something terribly wrong in your life. If your desire for attention is so great that you detest seeing others get what you long for, your motives are wrong, your pride is showing, and your envy is eating you up. Those who do such things are like little children on the playground trying to out-do each other–you can hear them screaming “Look at me” over and over again. If we don’t love others enough to be pleased by seeing them pleased we are sadly lacking the one thing above everything that makes for strong relationships and a good testimony—love. If that describes you, you ought to study 1 Cor. 13 and ask God to forgive you of your sinful pride. True love causes us to be moved by and adjusted to to moods of those we love– we weep with those who weep and rejoice with those who rejoice. Unconditional love never fails to do this. Think about it!

“A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: ...” Prov. 18:24
I can’t say enough about the importance of relationships–especially those in the church. When I was saved I was fortunate enough to be in a church where there were several young couples with whom I quickly developed a close relationship. I’ve often said, “I couldn’t backslide if I wanted to. If I missed a service someone was on the phone wanting to know why. Had I missed two services there would have been a knock at the door”. Nearly every week our families did something together and after nearly every service we either went to someone’s house or had folks over to our house. Our lives were so intertwined that we were all affected by the actions of the others. Sadly,we don’t see that much anymore. I’m convinced that if every church member today had relationships like that the results would be amazing. Why don’t we?

We hear a lot of talk about people wanting to have friends and they usually blame everyone but themselves if they don’t.. The problem is that while they wish for them they don’t work for them. Considering their lack of effort you would think it’s not a big deal, but I want to remind you how important this is. If people don’t connect they will either drop out, be dwarfed in their spiritual growth, or be defeated by some sin. So this isn’t something we can approach with a take it or leave it attitude. We need one another. and we need to do everything in our power to connect with others. The church is like a body and every member is important. But making friends is difficult for a lot of folks.

There are some people who just naturally have a personality that makes it easy for them to connect with others. But for others, making friends is terribly difficult. It would be great if everyone reached out to people like this, but far too often they don’t. Although it is no excuse, people today are generally so busy with their own family and friends that they feel they don’t have time to reach out to others. Some are simply “loners” by choice–they just want to be left alone. But, whatever the cause, some get lost in the crowd, left out in the cold, left to fend for themselves. It is a shame that no one reaches out to them, and I suspect that we all, to some extent, are guilty of neglecting or ignoring these folks. But that’s not the whole story. While it is easy to place all the blame on others, sometimes the friendless complainant needs to accept some of the responsibility. There can be several reasons why they don’t have close friends. Such as—

Some people expect too much. It is as though they want everyone to be their best friend. They want everyone’s attention all the time–the star attraction at every event. They expect the other person to make the first move, to seek them out, and pursue a relationship with them. Then they expect you to always be available for the things they want to do.

Some are offensive. In many cases people have an attitude that makes them repulsive to others. Some take advantage of people and merely use them to get what they want. Or they are living a very carnal lifestyle that causes others to avoid them. This list could go on and on, but you get the point. It isn’t safe or pleasant to associate with some people. While we ought to be friendly toward these folks, that doesn’t mean we should develop a close relationship with them. If godly people refuse to embrace you as a friend maybe you ought to examine your own life rather than blaming them.

Some make no effort. They expect everyone else to come to them and fawn over them. It doesn’t work that way. If you want friends you have to show yourself friendly. Building and maintaining relationships takes time and effort. To have friends you have to take advantage of opportunities to be with people, you have to get involved. In addition to the regular services at church, you ought to attend meetings, activities, etc. that will bring you into contact with others. Get involved in ministry. Working together has a way of drawing us together in a close knit group. I’ve heard people complain about the church being unfriendly and not having any friends when the real problem is that they haven’t made any effort to befriend others. They have never invited anyone out to lunch after the service or into their home, and then wonder why they don’t have any friends. I can guarantee you that there is someone who is lonely and would love it if you showed an interest in them. If you aren’t going to reach out to others quit complaining about others not reaching out to you!

One final word. There are those who fail miserably on both sides of this issue—don’t give up because of them. Some have unfairly complained about no one wanting to be their friend, when they haven’t made any effort to be a friend, and others have indeed been snubbed by those who should have reached out to them. But, if you are wise you will do what is right regardless of their wrong doing. Don’t allow their failure to cause your fall. Their weakness makes your strength all the more important. We each are accountable for our own actions. We can’t control what the other person does, but we can change our attitude. The best way to have a friend is to be a friend. Think about it!