6-2-2014

Good Morning All,

      1 Samuel 22:2; “And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them.”

     As I have told you before, I am a fan of movies.  The other day I was watching one of the Robin Hood movies and I tried to figure out how many different versions that I had seen.  There is the “real” one with Errol Flynn.  There was one with Sean Connery, one with Kevin Costner, the newest one with Russell Crowe, Disney made two, one animated and one with real actors and my favorite; “Robin Hood: Men in Tights.”  These are the ones I thought of, there are probably others. 

    The basic premise was that a group of people were suffering under a great injustice and eventually, a nobleman who lost his estate became their leader.  They “robbed from the rich and gave to the poor.”  Eventually they are vindicated when the proper king returns and all is right with the world.  A wonderful little tale and like many wonderful little tales; it would seem that it has its origin in the Bible.  The biblical story is based on David.  He, essentially, became an outlaw as King Saul tried to kill him and kill anyone who helped David.  Thus men who had been beaten or punished by the king turned to David and he became their leader, their commander.

    In many ways, these two stories, similar as they are, are somewhat representative of our relationship with Jesus.  You and I, as sinners, live under the rule of a cruel ruler, the devil.  The devil wants you to live in distress.  He wants you to suffer the pain of sorrow and sadness.  He wants you to feel the worry of paying the bills tomorrow or facing the doctor, alone, or trying to deal with the uncertainty of life.  He wants you in debt, so you have more to worry about.  He tempts us with tantalizing gadgets and things; that everyone else seems to have and we just “need” in order to live.  Yet above all, the devil wants you to be bitter in soul.  He wants you to go through life feeling passed over, forgotten, unlovable, leave-able; someone not worth worrying about or worth wanting.

   Into this life, Jesus comes to claim those whom the devil attacks.  He is there to comfort you in your distress.  He is there to give you hope beyond debt and above all; he is there to relieve the bitterness in your soul.  He is there to take the bitterness of loneliness, and despondency and to restore you to someone whom He completely loves.  He will never forget you, never find you unlovable, he will never leave you.  You are always someone whom Jesus finds worthy of wanting.  He wants you to be loved by Him and to live with him in eternal paradise.  He will show you the way to live in harmony with God.  He has shown us the path to eternal life.  His love for us endures forever, especially for the distressed, the indebted and those who are bitter in soul.

Gracious Lord, you came to bring us out of distress and to sweeten our bitter souls.  Continue to strengthen our faith and to lead us to that life which you give us, one to prosper us.  Be with those who feel the bitterness of life.  Show them your mercy.  In your precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret