ONLINE CHURCH BULLETIN

Understanding People

John 6.66 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve. 68 Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Life challenges us to understand ourselves and other. Professional counselor, Dr. Lawrence J. Crabb, Jr.'s book Understanding People (1987) is very helpful in regard to this. I recommend this book and present some portions from the final chapter here:

When life is exposed for what it really is, the only reasonable options are running to Christ, suicide or returning to some level of denial (which is nothing more than building a house on the sand).

Without God, two core realities of human existence must in some way be denied; to admit either would require movement toward Christ as the only hope. First is the fact that we are designed to experience a quality of relationship which is not available in this fallen world. In the deepest part of every soul is a hunger that will only be fully satisfied in heaven. The second denied reality is the awful fact of sin. Beneath every nonorganic problem is clear movement away from God and toward self-sufficiency, a direction chosen by the person and instrumental in creating and sustaining all his troubles.

Without learning what it means to richly depend on Christ for that life that my soul craves and to repent of sinful movement away from God, all improvement is superficial, no matter how apparently meaningful or satisfying. Symptom relief, renewed energy and healthier relationships are good only to the degree that they reflect movement toward God. Otherwise, they support the illusion of independence, the illusion that life can work without relating to God on His terms.

The core of all helping effort must be Christ. The gospel really is good news. When the internal troubles of people are exposed, when unsatisfied longings are felt in a way that leads to overwhelming pain, when self-centeredness is recognized in every fiber of human motivation, then (and not until then) can the wonder of the gospel be truly appreciated.

The answer to all of life's questions lies in relationship with Christ, a personally gripping relationship that is entered into in a moment but takes long and difficult years to develop.

In the deepest part of our soul, a region that few ever self-consciously enter, each of us longs for a quality of love that only Christ provides. We long for an awareness of value to another that is available in that relationship and nowhere else. When we enter that hidden part where longings are intensely felt and where our arrogant refusal to trust God is exposed in all its ugliness, then the truth that Christ is life begins to grip us deeply.

The route to maturity is long, bumpy and uphill. But it can be traveled--and it's worth it. At times the route to life will seem like the route to death. Entering more deeply into our unmet longings and exposing more thoroughly our sinful self-protection is painful. But the awareness of pain enables richer and more courageous trust and the awareness of sin can lead to more profound levels of repentance and obedience.

There is a route to life. Our Lord is that way. He is the truth that frees us to walk toward Him. He is the life that we can taste now and indulge in freely and fully for all eternity. In everything, including counseling, Christ must have the preeminence (pp. 210-212).

Dear Father, we are so grateful for Christ, our Life. May we trust Him fully and walk with Him today. Help those who are hurting. We ask this in the name of Christ, our Lord. Amen.

1 John 5.14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Only God can know HOW our prayers WORK but we believe HE answers. Please write me to add names to the prayer list and to report changes in status.

Let us be thankful and prayerful!

Love
Brad Forgy