Cancer Awareness Sunday, James 1:2-4, 06/01/14

Sermon 6-1-14  James 1:2-4

Cancer awareness Sunday

What the ministry does

What they are doing in the wc

This is a companion

Count it all joy when you have trials and trouble
Presupposes that You are going to have it

Count it joy?
Right

What are our problems like?

First world problems

My phone broke while still in contract

The battery in my car died

I had to buy new tires

My boss made me work on a project I didn’t like

Problems in ancient rome

Life span 30

Running water – roman baths

Health care- non existant

No freedom – roman rule

The trying of your faith works perseverance….
We have had some trials
I used to say that my problems were borhing

Both my parents have died

I was once diagnosed with cancer

One of our children had a tumor

One of our children fell off a roof and broke his back

We are collecting a pretty good list of stuff

Let perseverance work its work
What are you about? what does it mean to be alive?
What do you learn about yourself during such a time
Can you let these struggles of faith work their work???

I don’t want to learn anything from this

I don’t want to do this

I don’t want to be of benefit to others

Yet, let us admit it.  We will all face difficulty.

How we respond will make all the difference in the world.

Are we destroyed by trouble or strengthened?

thinkgs I think we can learn from trials
1. Big F Fear – deep emotions push us toward God
God is there

2.  the scriptures are a great comfort

Those who sow with tears will reap with songs of joy. Psalm 126:5

Cast your cares upon him for he cares for you. 1 peter 5:7

Sing the praises of the Lord, you his faithful people; praise his holy name.
⁵ For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. ps 30:4-5

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
⁶ in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight prov 3:5-6

2. Your friends come out of the woodwork - community

3. 80% of what I think is important, isn’t- we are remind of what really matters

4. live in today, not waiting for Christmas
Enjoy this moment, not the next
look at every flower, every tree…your children’s faces

5. Surrender….cathy’s prayers – book -  on grief

6. Peace….I cant do anything about this
Resignation- this is when trust shows up

we can find the joy.

To be mature and complete

-      Because someone loves me

-      Because god loves you

Are you destroyed or strengthened by the things that you have faced?

Trust in the Lord