December 21, 2025

Deacon Christopher Pearson blessed us with a meditation this morning titled Who can you trust? Who can you count on?

This morning we were reminded how systems change and promises can shift and as they do we try to handle many of them ourselves. When we get tired we look to others and are quickly reminded people are human. Who can we trust? When things are uncertain God is steady, when things fall short God is faithful and when life gets heavy God has proven Himself over and over. God is who we can trust.

Reverend Mary Lyles returned to Christ Ministries and brought us a good word. We miss her greatly when she is not here. Her sermon today was titled God Is Working It Out.

Scriptures:

Romans 8:18, 28

James 1:13

Jeremiah 17:7

1 Corinthians 10:13

Psalm 23 & 24

Even in times when the world feels difficult to navigate we still serve a great God and there is still a future. In the epistle to the Romans, Paul gave us a future hope. The suffering of this world can not be compared to what comes next. When this world looks like it is out of control we must remember that God is still in control.

When we want to give up, when we are in the midst of our troubles and times of testing we are reminded that God is working it out. He is for us, we need to get beyond ourselves and claim the promise that God is working it out for us.

These are toxic times and it will get worse before it gets better. We must hold on to the truth that God is working it out on our behalf. God's purpose is to conform us into the image of His Son Jesus Christ. He aims mold, shape and make us more like Jesus and it takes a mixture of experience in our lives to accomplish this. Tests, trials, troubles and temptations is the mixture and God is our master potter.

People need to see Him showing up in our lives. Through our trials and temptations our faith is strengthened, Godly character is being produced and hope is increased. Our hope should be built on the blood of Jesus and His rightesouness. No matter how good we think we are or how good we feel we are we are not righteous without Jesus.

God will not allow us to be tempted above what we are able to bear. God always provides a way of escape through the Word. Feeling trapped is a trick of the enemy. Satan is our oppressor and accuser, he wants us to get our mind off Jesus and focused on our problems.

Through it all we need peace and we need to stay at the altar. When we get that peace it is the peace of God. Talk to God and pray in order to be maintained, to be able to go through. The situation may not change but we will change and be better equipped to handle what we must go through. There is comfort in the Word. Understand the Word enough to know that the Holy Spirit comes to make it better.