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Seven essential truths

SETTING THE PACE / Living life with an eternal perspective

This past weekend was one I will never forget. Eight months ago, I stood before my church and said that one day Caleb would walk back into our worship center and declare the glories of God with his own mouth. That happened this past Sunday. Caleb walked into our sanctuary with very little assistance and sat on stage and boldly stated, “I am standing here in the power of Jesus Christ!” No words have ever been sweeter to my ears.

 After Caleb and I did a question and answer time (which is available on our church Facebook page: FBC Newcastle), I shared seven truths with the congregation that have carried me and my family throughout our lives. These are more than cliché statements, these are truths we continue to cling to. I pray they encourage you as much as they have encouraged us.

 First, you must live with an eternal perspective.  2 Corinthians 4:18 says, “So we fix our eyes, not on what is seen, but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.” In this life,

you are either living for the “T,” the temporary, fleeting pleasures of this world, or the “E,” the eternal things of God. You must make every moment count for what matters most by living with an eternal perspective.

 Second, while we are waiting God is working!  Even when you cannot see it, God is always, always working. The hardest thing in the world to do is wait. As Christians, we must believe that God is doing something in us, through us, and for us. 2 Corinthians 4:17 says, “This light and momentary suffering is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comprehension.” God is in the wait and while we wait, He works! Nothing is wasted in the hands of God. We simply must trust Him!

Third, impossible doesn’t exist with God!  You must decide you trust God long before you are tempted not to!  If there is anything Christians must do, it is believe that nothing is impossible with God. Manly Beasley once said, “Faith is believing that it is so, when it is not so, so that it can be so, because God said so.”

 Fourth, God will do whatever brings Him the most glory!  God often glorifies Himself in ways we would not choose. Sometimes God glorifies himself in death, sometimes through patient endurance, and sometimes through earthly healing! If we believe God is truly God, then what He does is truly best. My family has seen God receive great glory through our son, Trey’s death. We have seen God receive great glory in our journey with Caleb. We have seen God receive great glory through the gradual healing of our son. Wherever you find yourself in your life, know that God will do whatever brings Him the most glory. Missionary martyr Jim Elliott said it best, “God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with Him.”

 Fifth, the b ›ody of Christ is a powerful family!  Our support system over the last eight months has been out of this world. In every place we went, God put the right people in our lives and we will never be able to say thank you enough.  This is evidence that the church is not a building, it is a people, and the truth is, there is simply no limit to what God’s people can do when they come together!  

 Sixth, when God’s people REALLY pray, miracles happen! Somehow, someway, God’s sovereignty and the church’s passionate and desperate prayers work together to accomplish His will. Prayer does not control God, but the more we genuinely pray, the more God controls us! I have never in my life seen people rally in prayer like they have for Caleb these past eight months. As I said before, that does not mean the outcome will always be what we think is best, but when we really pray, God aligns us with His will and accomplishes His purpose.

 Finally, the only real hope in life comes from a relationship with Jesus Christ!  John 14:6 says, “I (Jesus) am the Way, the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” This is not talking about being religious because religion cannot save or sustain you. Only Jesus can do those things. Why? Because He is God and there is no other. The only way to make it in this life and the next is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  

We have endured the loss of a child and the near death of another, not because we are special, but because our God has carried us every step of the way. If you would ever like to know more about entering a relationship with Jesus, I would love to visit with you personally. God bless each of you and see you next week!

 

Jeremy Freeman

www.pastorjfreeman.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jeremy.freeman.3538

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The Newcastle Pacer

217 S. Main, Suite C

Newcastle, Oklahoma 73065

405-387-5277