8 Survival Skills for Changing Times – Part 5-3

Guarding Self-Respect – Part 3: I Am God’s Child (continued…)

Down through the years, many believers have been imprisoned unfairly. It’s a humiliating experience, to say the least. Do you suppose some of them have repeated:

I may be in jail. I may be in jail.
I may be treated unfairly. I may be treated unfairly.
But I am still… But I am still…
Somebody. Somebody.
I bear the mark
MADE BY GOD.
And though broken because of sin,
I’ve been restored by Christ.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

In time, Joseph is released from prison and made the number-two leader in all the land of Egypt. Everyone knows his name and his face. A chariot races down a government street. The rider reins his horse. When the dust settles a bit, you see the license plate—“No. 2.” That’s Joseph. He’s somebody, and everybody agrees with that assessment.

But Joseph is the same person who not long ago was in prison—and before that was standing on the auction block. He hasn’t changed, only the circumstances have. In God’s eyes he’s always been quite special!

Have you learned the Joseph lesson? At work it doesn’t matter whether someone answers to you or you now answer to that someone. Those kinds of things shift a lot. Maybe you’ve been laid off because, with new technology, your best skills aren’t needed anymore. Or maybe you’re a professional musician whose style was popular for a season but not anymore.

——————————————–

Sunday’s coming. Do you have your sermon ready? Is it relevant? Will it effectively motivate your congregation to walk more in step with the Master? What about that Sermon Series you’ve been thinking about?

Or, if you’re someone who plans well ahead, have you asked yourself what you will preach for your Easter Sermon, your Advent Sermon, your Christmas Sermon?

David Mains and Mainstay Ministries can help. We offer a wide variety of Sermon Starters and Full Sermons that will give you Sermon Ideas to help you prepare for regular Saturday or Sunday sermons, Mid-week Bible Sermons, and Sermons for special occasions.

We also offer assistance as you create Topical Sermons, Sermons Series, and sermons for special times of the year. We have resources available to help you with Advent Celebrations, Advent Sermons, Christmas Sermons, Easter Sunday Sermons, Patriotic Sermons, and more.

For more information on how to create better Bible Sermons and how to turn Sermon Ideas into Sermon Outlines, and then into effective, meaningful Sunday Sermons, please click here to visit David Mains’ website.

You will also find a variety of resources for pastors and congregations at the Mainstay Ministries website. Just click here.

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