She was an older woman responding to a compliment about how nice she looked. She said, "I may look good on the outside but I have felt terrible on the inside for long time."
He was a middle aged man and very likeable. One day he revealed, "Some pray that tomorrow may be better but I pray that I won't wake up!"
The husband was a heavy drinker. When confronted about his drinking he spoke, "It is the only way I have of getting even with my controlling wife!"
All three people have a common thread: MISERY! The emotional stress on their personal lives and their constant state of living in this stress has created a misery within their being. What causes misery in the lives of people? Sometimes it can be caused by physical illness but as hard as it is for some to accept, most misery is self-induced and self-maintained. Misery has its roots in selfish desires. The more we want something, whatever that may be, the harder it is to accept not getting it.
She was a young woman and wanted a husband so badly that she attempted suicide when a young man refused to marry her. Her suicide was a fake attempt to get his attention. It didn't matter if he wanted to marry her or not, all that mattered to her was she wanted to be married and was willing to do whatever it took to accomplish that!
Here's the point. Wrong reactions to what others do to you will always lead you into more pain. Resentments, bitterness, hate and malice are reactions we experience when others have done us wrong. Do you realize when you do or think something that is wrong, especially when it involves others, that you are suppose to feel miserable? This state of mind is described in Rom. 2:14-15 as it involves the conscience. If we are reacting to a situation involving someone else wrongly, it becomes easier and easier for us to become hateful and bitter creating a state of misery within our being.
The Scripture points out in Gal. 6:7-8, we have a detailed account of how God operates. God is not fooled and you can't excuse yourself before Him. The Lord God gives to each person what they sow! It's that simple. For one to give in to his own fleshly desires, the harvest he will reap in himself will be corruption!! Corruption is where a person gets better and better in reacting wrongly to situations and less regard for what the Lord wants. In the list of the deeds of the flesh in Gal. 5:19-21, we can see plainly of how and what we sow toward. Our fleshly desires produce these reactions within us and the longer we keep sowing to them, we become more steeped in them and misery begins its reign within. We blame this situation or that person as the cause of our miserable existence while ignoring the real source...YOU. You become more miserable as you become more corrupted.
God says there is an answer to man's misery and that's to walk by the Spirit. It's not mystical or magical. It is simply yielding to God, listening to Him and following His lead (Gal. 5:16-17). If we would change our minds and give in to God's ways, the product will be wonderful (Gal. 5:22-24). This is God's answer to misery. God wants to help and we have to decide if we want His help. It calls us to humility and faith. When you are in turmoil you have to make a choice. God or my desires? One reaps peace the other loves company!
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