Devotions

DEVOTION BY MARK FUGATE  

The Right Place

When you look at the people who attend our Church what do you see?  Do you see impressive people, dressed up people, people who have it all together?  Or hurting people in need of comfort?  Tense people in need of peace?  Sick people in need of healing?  Let me tell you what I see…..

I see a family with an income of 550.00 and an outgo of 1,000.   I see two kids in one family who according to their father are failures.  I see a lady who just found a tumor that tested positive.  A couple who just had a terrible fight and are thinking about splitting up.  I see someone in the third pew back who found out he just lost his job.  I see a young gal trying to cover up the bruises her drunken husband gave her when he came home last week.  I see a family in the back who we’ve been praying for because their little girl has a hole in her heart.  A teenager in the front who’s been asked to be an adult and the head of his house and it’s so unfair.  I see the lonely, the bankrupt, the exhausted, and others at the mercy of forces beyond their control – they are all here.  There are those with lesser hurts but they don’t seem so small to us.  Every Sunday I see people who need to take Jesus up on his offer in Matthew 11.

• Matthew 11:28 – Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.

Now this is not to say that Jesus will heal every problem immediately if we just have enough faith.  He stated clearly that we will have trouble in this world.  But of course he then immediately promised that he has overcome the world.  The determining factor is our response to His offer of healing grace.  We preach it here all the time.

• Everyone is Welcome – (The hurting, lonely, addicted, discouraged)                                     
• Nobody is Perfect – (We are all in this together – for all have sinned)                                     
• Anything is Possible –(God can take us where we are, get us to where He wants us to be)

So if you’re thinking because of where you’ve been and what you’ve done you don’t belong here  - all I can say is – you’ve come to the right place.