Friday Countdown

Well, the Friday Countdown begins until Sunday. I trust you have had a great week and are anxious for the weekend.

Today, I was in Indianapolis spending the afternoon with my mom. Annette and I both spent the afternoon with our moms since we can't be with them on Mother's day. I picked up an Indianapolis paper at a restaurant and my eyes automatically went to the subhead under the headline of the front page which read, "Rise in suicide rates in state and Indianapolis coincides with despair over financial situation."

As I continued to read the article, the author wrote about how this generation's middle class has never experienced times like this before. Many are losing their jobs (some 347,000 this compared to 177,000 last year) and many others are losing their homes. Suicide help telephone lines are busy day and night with people most of which mentioning the loss of a job, a home, or both, as reasons for the suicide thoughts.

Reading this really saddened me. I hurt for people who lose their jobs and/or lose their homes. I can imagine the despair must be great. However, I have faced a few major crises in my life and I have certainly pastored many people through major crises. I know by experience that God's Word is sufficient to get us through the worst of times. The Word of God guides, strengthens us, empowers us, and prevents us from making messes of our lives when we trust it and obey it. Jesus warned us as human beings not to put our trust in material things on this earth. This is why He said in Matthew 6:19-21, "Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Jesus went on to say in Matthew 6:25-34, "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Suicide is the absolute worse option that anyone could ever choose. I sincerely believe that there are demons that drive people to take their lives. God help us as a generation look to Him in our time of despair.

-Pastor Randy