Sinking Into The Quagmire Of Life?

March 14, 2004 | Link To Us | Index This sermon is for your spiritual edification and to spread a little hope and cheer. Psalms 40:1-3 I waited patiently for God to help me; then he listened and heard my cry. 2 He lifted me out of the pit of despair, out from the bog and the mire, and set my feet on a hard, firm path, and steadied me as I walked along. 3 He has given me a new song to sing, of praises to our God. Now many will hear of the glorious things he did for me, and stand in awe before the Lord, and put their trust in him. TLB

When you walk on a beach and you feel the sand beneath your feet do you sometimes wonder how many other people walked on the same sand or do you think of yourself and what your life is about? It is so easy, especially in this day and age, to get caught up in the trap of thinking about yourself. You think of the pressures that have attached themselves, it would seem, to your presence on this planet and you wonder, is this all there is to my life? Is this it? Can I try again and make a difference?

Everyone can make a difference in their lives and most importantly in the lives of others. You can choose to the President of the United States or you can choose to be a television repairmen. When you really think about, both jobs help people in one sense or another.

But how can we make this world a better place? Can it be done while going down the highway of life at faster than you should with a piece of metal glued to your ear, so to speak, in a car that was paid for with your last bonus being the down payment and being in hock up to your eyeballs with premiums and house mortgage payments?

Can it be done by burying yourself in your work because you don't want to face the realities of life because you feel they are too harsh? Or are you the type of person that has inherited a lot of money and can live on easy street for the rest of your life?

Whatever the case may be and what station you have in life, you can make a difference. Everybody gets out of high school wanting to make a difference in life. But you know what? You can make the difference in this world just by smiling at a stranger so that they know that somebody took the time to make their life a little brighter if only for a moment.

When I first started writing these sermons I wondered if they made a difference in peoples lives. I have had some appreciative people claiming I had made their world a brighter place. And that has made me happy because in some way I had made those people's lives happier. I had made a contribution of time and energy to help another and I may never see them in my lifetime, but I will know that they were and may still be closer to God because of my words. Words I feel that seem to fly off my fingers one by one. This is the blessing that God has given me.

Now you may be thinking that I am boasting, that I am a braggart when it comes to my sermons. But you have to have something in your life that you feel proud of. Something that you can think about that will inspire you to reach your true potential. But in order for you to do that there is one factor that you need to figure into that equation and that is the faith that God will help you every step of the way in your life. And all you have to do is pray and ask Him for His help and don't forget to thank God for all the wonderful blessings that you have been given throughout your life.

Don't let the pressures of the day get you down, instead pray and ask God to take that stress away. Give that stress to God and He will turn it into a seed for a tree that is planted in the garden of our minds. Not to fill us up with a negative, but to take that bad moment and turn it into something glorious. That is the truly wonderful thing about a lasting relationship with God. He can help you in ways you couldn't possibly imagine.

What is the difference between what you are told you need and what you really want? Sometimes while we are growing up our parents may try to force feed to us what they think is important for us. I am not saying that what they say is not important, but sometimes we think we know what we want and nobody can tell us what we want. But in order to know what you really want you need to pray to God and ask Him for the answers you seek.

You see, God knows what you are thinking. He knows what the future holds for you. So doesn't it behoove you to try and pray. Because without a relationship with God you are no better than a grain of sand beneath another persons feet. Think of that as your reality. You are nothing without God in your heart. Oh, you can wade through the quagmire of life trying to outswim the current with moss and tree limbs to impede your progress.

But let God make that quagmire into the clearest of swimming pools so that your foot will not become caught and you will not lose sight of your true objective in life. To make your life better through the power of God and to reach out to others when they need some help.

So don't let the quagmire of life swallow you up like a barracuda whose only wish is to find it's next meal. Make God a part of your life.

Prayer: Dear Lord, I am faced with many trials every day of my life. Give me the strength to endure and to blossom into the person you want me to be. Give me the insight to know what you want for me and help me to understand why I am here on this planet. Thank you Lord for being there for me and I thank you for all your many blessings. Amen.

Benediction: Now, Lord, Bless us in our daily lives. Help us to smell the roses whenever possible, to shine our light on those less fortunate than us, and lead us in the path we should go. For you are the light that keeps our path well lit. Help us to follow it, until we meet you, in a land where milk and honey abound, a place where our most wonderful dreams are fulfilled. Amen.

Hi, my name is Bryan, a messenger of hope to all those who need some cheer in their lives. God Bless.

© 2004 Bryan Hill