Session Says - Ron Session Ministries

Compassion Under Every Circumstance

Ronald Session — Mon, 27 Mar 2017 14:54:07 +0000

In the midst of His personal suffering and agony, He looks out for others. This underscores His selflessness. He cares for you in every circumstance. What love! If He would look out for others in the worst possible moments of His own life what do you think that He will do for you?

From a crucifixion cross, there hangs Jesus with nails in hands and spike in His feet…groaning out words in great agony in order that He might fulfill Scripture. Somewhere between the 3rd to the 9th hour He looks down upon His mother and has compassion on her. It is conspicuous, that absent from the raucous crowd was Joseph, Jesus’ earthly father. Tradition has it that by this time Mary was a widow and culturally her care fell to Jesus. Now Jesus is dying and can no longer take care of Mary. Though in great agony, He looks down upon her with profound compassion and makes a Christological connection when He in effect executed John’s adoption before the crucifixion crowd. He says “Woman behold your son, son behold your mother.” His personal predicament did not make Him forget that others were hurting as well.

George Truett was a tremendously effective pastor for decades in Texas. His heart was broken when he accidentally killed his best friend while they were on a hunting trip. His daughter said that she never heard him laugh after that day. Truett had a radio program, and each day when it came to a close he would say, “Be good to everybody, because everybody is having a tough time.” Because he knew personally what a heavy burden people could be carrying, he encouraged compassion toward them.

Sometimes we cross paths with people who seem to be course and not very easy to like. Yet there is usually a reason for their behavior, and often it is because they are hiding a heavy heart. If we take the time to understand what has happened, we may find that while they have a tough outer exterior, inwardly they are desperately wishing for someone to care about them.

If Jesus’ connection of His mother and His disciple teaches us anything, it teaches us that even in the midst of everything that you’re going through, we still need to show compassion on others.

Too often we are so consumed with our own pain that we forget that there are others who do not know that God can bring them through. When we remember that God has entrusted us with the responsibility of being His agents on earth then we will take serious our claim to follow Christ. Because if we are His followers, let us follow Him even in this.

Christopher Sercye was playing basketball with his friends when he was shot in the chest. His friends helped him get to within forty feet of the hospital and then went inside and asked for help. The hospital staff refused to help Christopher saying that it was against the hospital’s policies to administer aid to those outside the hospital. Eventually a policeman was able to get a wheel chair and wheeled Christopher into the hospital where he was helped by the hospital staff. It was too late, however, and Christopher died about an hour later.

Many times it seems that churches are surrounded by people that desperately need to hear the gospel, yet Christians are content to share it only with those that manage to come inside their church.

Henri Nouwen writes the book entitled Wounded Healer. Nouwen’s chief contention is that often times those who are being called upon to help are in fact, hurting themselves. He goes on to intimate that it is only when we engage others in their pain do we find healing for ourselves.

He says, “Compassion asks us to go where it hurts, to enter into the places of pain, to share in brokenness, fear, confusion, and anguish. Compassion challenges us to cry out with those in misery, to mourn with those who are lonely, to weep with those in tears. Compassion requires us to be weak with the weak, vulnerable with the vulnerable, and powerless with the powerless. Compassion means full immersion in the condition of being human.”

Put another way…“Compassion can’t be measured in dollars and cents. It does come with a price tag, but that price tag isn’t the amount of money spent. The price tag is love.”—J. C. Watts Jr.

Who will you help today? What mission will you embark on today? It’s not enough to take God’s salvation…to let His Son die in your place…if He died for you then you must live for Him! Will you love Him enough to show compassion on others?

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YOUR LIFESTYLE IS A BAROMETER OF YOUR FAITH

Ronald Session — Mon, 20 Mar 2017 14:58:40 +0000

If God Has Given Us His Son, Will He Not Give Us Everything Else? Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?”

When you are facing the toughest times in your life, how can you be confident in the God that you hear me preach about every Sunday? How can you know that He will be all of that to you? How can you trust that He will aim His loving compassion your way in the midst of your personal storm? You do know that your lifestyle is a barometer of your faith? So trust in God and do not doubt.

John Stott said that “the cross forever proves the generosity of God!” There is no question if God loves us because it was His idea to give us Jesus. To question God’s motives towards us is like a father who gives his son a Bentley and when the son realizes that the car is low on fuel, he is afraid to ask the father for gas money. He’s afraid to ask because he assumes that the father will scold him for his request. He thinks that after the father has given him such a great gift that he would be done with giving. No, if he would be willing to make such an investment into the son it is apparent that nothing else is off the table. Ask the father for what you need.

When the great Swiss theologian of the Reformation, Karl Barth was asked what is the greatest word in the New Testament he did not hesitate. He said the greatest word in the New Testament is the word “for”. It means “in the place of…” so when Paul says that God delivered His Son up “for” us all…he means that God delivers Jesus “in place of you and me.” This again demonstrates God’s generosity towards His children.

Because God has given us His Son why wouldn’t He give us everything else we need to accomplish His purpose for our lives? No my friends, this verse is no blank check to ask God for whatever you want from Him regardless to whether it is in His will or not. But you can rest assured that He is faithful to give you everything you need to fulfill His purpose. Remember all things work together for the good in order that His purpose might be fulfilled.

So what now? How should we go on from here? Go knowing that how you believe will have an impact on how you live. Go knowing that your lifestyle says much about how you trust God. Others will listen to your claims of faith but they will only believe what they see you walk out in your life. What are you going to do with your faith today?

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FORGIVE THEM

Ronald Session — Mon, 13 Mar 2017 22:41:57 +0000

Final words make a world of difference and are sometimes the most important words to hold on to. While Jesus hang from His crucifixion cross He shared seven sayings that are still just as relevant today as the day He uttered them. The first one is found in Luke 23:34 “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”

Look at this macabre crowd as they stand around to observe the crucifixion of our Lord. They are there to witness the spectacle but could hardly know that it was the greatest act of love rendered on their behalf. The One who had claimed to be God in flesh appears to be at the mercy of a Roman executioner. This Jesus who had restored sight to the blind, unstopped deaf ears, fed the multitudes, walked on water, made the wind and the waves be still, raised Lazarus from the dead and stopped a widow woman from Nain who was at the city gate to bury her son. There, He snatches his life back from the snaggle-tooth grin of death at the last moment. This Jesus who after being laughed to scorn raised Jairus’ daughter from the dead now is Himself, about to die at the hands of inferior men. All while Roman soldiers cast lots for the garment of our Lord.

With so much going on around Him and so many disregarding His deity, He still manages to say Father forgive them for they know not what they do.

He does so because He recognizes our deepest need…the need for forgiveness and to be absolved from guilt.

· Universal need: Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Every one of us need God’s forgiveness.

· Personal need: We are aware of our own shortcomings. We all need a Savior who will personally forgive us for our personal failures and faults that have nothing to do with anyone else’s issues.

· Christians need to forgive others: How can we claim Christ if we aren’t willing to let others out of the prison of your personal opinions? 1 John 1:8 “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” If you are unwilling to forgive, you compromise your Christian witness and the bible says we are liars.

This is exactly why we should forgive others…because He has forgiven us. The saddest truth I know is that many people walk around still hanging on to guilt that His blood has cleansed us from. Let it go because He has forgiven you… You ask me how I know. Look at the very next verse in 1 John 1… He says in verse 9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Leading psychologists seem to agree that at the heart of most people’s emotional problems is unresolved guilt. I will tell you from a spiritual perspective that if you do not walk in the forgiveness that Jesus’ blood has paid for then you will never truly experience walking in the joy of the Lord.

Today, make a commitment to let yourself and others off the hook and forgive as He has forgiven us!

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Not By Power Or By Might But By Total Dependence on Him

Ronald Session — Mon, 06 Mar 2017 15:31:14 +0000

Ever been overwhelmed with life and it seems as if you have more to do than there is time to do it? Yeah, that's me too at times... Some years ago I learned a principle that began to change me when nothing around me had changed. It is simply this... Spiritual dependence on God in all things... Yep, just that simple. What He has given us to do can only be done by spiritual power anyway. Zechariah 4:6 says "“This is the Word of the Lord to Zerubbabel saying, ‘Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts." We have to depend more intentionally on Him and not on our own power...

When circumstances become far too overwhelming for you to handle and it seems as if the enemy is all around you remember Psalms 118:5-9

5 From my distress I called upon the Lord;
The Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
6 The Lord is for me; I will not fear;
What can man do to me?
7 The Lord is for me among those who help me;
Therefore I will look with satisfaction on those who hate me.
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in man.
9 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
Than to trust in princes.

In Exodus, the people of God had to depend on God to rain down manna daily that they might eat. They couldn’t gather more than what they needed for that particular day. The only exception to that was when the following day was the Sabbath. Then and only then, could they gather two days of manna. Why would God make such a rule? It’s because He was teaching them daily dependence on Him. He is calling on us to learn this same dependence. He doesn’t want us to rely on ourselves or others whose power is failing and limited. He wants to be our continued source for everything.

Friend, instead of worrying over things that you cannot change this week, try relying on the powerful Spirit of the Lord. Our power and might will fail but the Lord is an inexhaustible source. Enemies can’t defeat Him. Problems can’t confuse Him. Armies are no match for Him. Lack cannot encroach Him. Disappointment cannot sadden Him. Family problems cannot frustrate Him. Sickness cannot hinder Him. He is God of all.

When you feel yourself falling into the trap of feeling overwhelmed by life, remember that it is not by human capacity that you can overcome the world but rather by depending on Him. Jesus says in John 16:33 “I have said these things to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” Walk in Him, live in Him, trust in Him and He will give you the victory. You have nothing to prove to others so release yourself from the opinions of other people. Put your complete trust in the Lord.

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Keep Your Eyes On Your Own Paper

Ronald Session — Tue, 28 Feb 2017 16:00:00 +0000

One of my favorites in all of the bible is the psalms. That appreciation was developed and cultivated by my late pastor, Dr. L. F. Chaney who was masterful in his treatment of the text in psalms. When I was only 18, a boy preacher, he told me that the psalms was a reflection of the emotions and stages of life. I have discovered that to be true as I have had occasion to identify with the psalter on more than one of life’s many challenging moments.

This past Sunday I recently completed a preaching series entitled Songs of Hope from Psalms 13, 30,60, and 73. It was a time of reflection and renewal for me. I was reminded that despite the evildoers, God will always be faithful to His people. From the very words of Asaph in verse 1 of Psalms 73, “Truly God has been good to Israel…” and I suppose that it is only fitting that I confess that He has been good to me too.

Many of us are just like Asaph who sees the progress and prosperity of those who are not of the Household of Faith. It can feel as if God has somehow allowed this inequitable distribution of blessings to persist even when the pure in heart cries out for help. Asaph takes us on a journey with him as he starts out worshiping God, deals with worries and wondering where is God, and grows to the place where he no longer wavers on the worship of God. Maybe you’re on that journey today. Are you trying to measure what God is doing in the life of others? If so, keep your eyes on what He’s doing in the midst of your personal test.

Here’s a very important question in light of your current set of circumstances...How do you see God when it appears that He has left you in an unfavorable situation? Is your praise based on Him granting your every wish and desire or will you serve Him just because He is God? Too many people only serve and worship when things are going their way… The true test of your Christian claims and convictions is not whether you are a Christian when all goes well…it’s if you will live out the Christian faith when it seems as if God has forgotten you!

You know it’s getting old to hear people blaming others for where they are in life. If you want to grow, grow up! No one can walk out your faith for you but you! What other people are doing has nothing to do with your personal walk with the Lord. The psalmist has to come to this conclusion on his own…but while he is in the midst of his personal pity party he can’t help but to continue to point out that it looked like they had more than him. Keep your eyes on your own paper!

Watchman Nee tells the story of how he and some of his Christian brothers were out swimming in a nearby lake. He said that most of them were just average swimmers, there was one guy who was an expert swimmer, and one guy who couldn’t swim at all. Well, wouldn’t you know…the guy who couldn’t swim begin to drown, much to their horror? He kept going down and all the average swimmers began to scream for the expert swimmer to come to the drowning guy’s rescue. Watchman Nee said that he looked up and saw that the guy was perched atop a branch watching the whole thing go down. Watchman said “I began to hate that guy because he wouldn’t move to help one who was in need.” But then at the last possible moment the guy jumped in and with a few strong strokes he was there to save the guy from drowning.

What I hope you walk away knowing is that we serve a God that when it looks like life is sinking us…when it looks like life is getting the better of us…when it looks like life has turned on us we have a God who is waiting until we surrender to Him and He will jump into whatever is taking us out and deliver us! If we will pay attention to our own paper, God will reveal to us that He truly has been good to us!

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Climb Above

Ronald Session — Mon, 20 Feb 2017 13:48:37 +0000

“We must work the works of Him who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.” - John 9:4 ESV

There’s a story about a pilot who was attempting to make a successful run at the Transatlantic crossing in a modified plane by flying over the Atlantic nonstop. He was making great progress when he noticed that there was pieces of insulation falling to the floor of the cockpit. He figured out that the culprit was a stow-away rat who had begun to eat at the electrical components of his instrumentation. He quickly concluded that the only way to survive was to climb higher and higher until he neutralized the stow-away rat. He knew that it couldn’t survive because the altitude was too high.

When you notice that people are pulling you down into ungodly, unproductive things it is your responsibility to climb above the distractions. This life will present you with many fatal distractions that derail your pursuit of your God given vision. If you cannot manage your associations well, you may find that you are being held back because of the personal choices you have made. Assess your circle, if you find that there are people who drain your energy, dampen your enthusiasm, and disrupt your tranquility you should shift your associations in a new direction.

You must keep your sights on the goal ahead and not the negative opinions of others behind you. Many times, the people who chew away at your instrumentation do so because they are afraid to risk flying as high as your vision will take you. So they attempt to keep you on their level in order to avoid being exposed for their fear and comfort with mediocrity.

The enemy wants to frustrate you in the day so that you won’t have an opportunity to begin your work until the setting of the sun. Friend, don’t fall for it! Know that he only comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He is crafty and will use other people to impede your progress. Don’t forget that you are living in a fallen world filled with hostile combatants to the will of God.

Will you crash over your ocean or will you climb above?

My “Right Now” Is Not My “Always!”

Ronald Session — Mon, 13 Feb 2017 15:47:00 +0000

For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime.
Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning. - Psalms 30:5 ESV

Have you ever heard of the resurrection plant? It is an ugly little plant that has very short roots and lives with about 2-3% of water. It can live in that state for almost 3 years. But if you take a cup of water and pour over that plant within the hour you will see where it gets its name from. That ugly, brown, crumpled up plant becomes a thing of beauty. If God can do that for an old ugly plant, how much more can God do with you? Where they find you doesn’t have to be where God leaves you.

Psalms 30 is a psalm of David when he reminisced about all that he had endured and how the Lord had faithfully brought him through. He teaches a valuable lesson about how to hold on to confidence in God during difficult times. If David was here he would say don’t get hung up on all the negative experiences that you have faced. Take time to remember how God has brought you through. Remember how God worked it out when your enemies thought that they had you pinned down. Remember when your soul was so overwhelmed that you wanted life to be over. Remember that’s when God showed up and renewed your spirit and made you feel like you can run on a little while longer. Instead of allowing life to overwhelm you, find a memory of what God has already done or is currently doing and rejoice over that. The songwriter reminds you to “Count your blessings, name them one by one…Count your blessings, see what the Lord has done!”

Sometimes you just have to hunker down and say to your soul…”If I can just make it through the night I know that God has something better in store for me! My right now is not my always! Where I am now is seasonal… This isn’t forever!” You have to rehearse that reality even when it feels more like fantasy. Tell your enemies don’t get used to me here…because my right now is not my always!

I know that if you can make it through the night season of your life that God is going to bring joy in the morning. Weeping is like a hotel guest that checks in for a night’s stay. As a guest, Weeping has access to all of the accoutrements of the facility. By the time weeping wakes up the hotel’s night manager has come around and slipped the folio under the door to inform Weeping that it is check out time. Weeping has to vacate the premises because there are other guests that will arrive in the morning. The room that Weeping has occupied will now be used by another guest, Joy! If you can hold on throughout the night joy will come in the morning and your “right now” will not be your “always!”

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