20 February 2011 - ENCS

Today Pastor Larry kicked off the series titled "Grace Works"
The chosen topic of stress was just one of the perks
The foundation scripture was Hebrews 4:16
We can find mercy and grace from God unseen
In Singapore, stress is a major factor
But is can also act as a positive reactor
For when things seem too tough to bear
Stress can lead us to God through prayer
Pastor shared four ways for us to deal with stress
Covering so much, our ears were put to the test

Topic number one - relational stress - is never welcome
Marriage, divorce, family, and friends - to name some
Interestingly, from Genesis 3:9-10 we did read
That only after God's command that Adam did not heed
Because of his sin and the fact that he lied
Adam become stressed and tried to hide
Hiding from stressful relationships is not God's way
And of course His will is what we must obey
For if we focus on the fact that we are stressed
We will never be allowed to be fully blessed
To deal with stress, God gives us plenty of grace
Be it spouses, children, or other stressors we face
Philippians 4:6-7 has an important message for us
To pray and petition God instead of being anxious
Then the peace of God will guard our heart
For prayer provides perspective, Pastor did impart

Pastor then said that many have emotional stresses to fix
He first read from 1 Samuel chapter 30 verse six
This includes fear, hurts, bitterness, and depression
Which we all go through, per Pastor's confession
David found strength in God when he was distressed
That is what Psalms 119 verse 114 conveys the best
And if we read from David's Psalm twenty three
"Thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me"
God's word is in great supply
He gives us the free will to comply
On Joshua 1:8-9, Pastor Larry did lean
The grace to encourage can be seen

Next up was the topic of situational stress
Job loss, finances, retirement, and illness
In John 16 verse 33, Jesus did say
"I have overcome the world", take heart you may
We need to thank God even in difficult times
(That has been the topic in many of my rhymes)
For God will provide pillars of strength
Pastor mentioned Job at some length
For despite his losses, God he always did praise
Similarly, Paul's voice in jail did also raise

The last topic was about time stress
Deadlines lead to frustration and anger no less
Matthew six contains more than one apt verse
From verse 27, worrying cannot time reverse
And then if from verse 34 we do read
Worrying about tomorrow we do not need
For God gives us grace to manage our time
Trusting in God is far from a crime
From Ecclesiastes 3, verses 10 and 11
None of us can fathom the acts of God in heaven
Per 1 Timothy 4 verse seven again
To be godly, it says that we must train

Remember that some stresses are self-induced
But God equips us to have them reduced
For God will not do for us what we can ourselves do
That is a statement that rings very true