I remember the first time I saw that quote I said to myself what a great concept! We usually gripe and complain when things happen to us that we did not expect but sometimes it is good to look at things differently. I believe that quote is attributed to Dale Carnegie who used it in his 1948 book entitled: How To Stop Worrying and Start Living. Lemons suggest sourness/tartness or difficulties in life; making lemonade is turning them into something sweeter, positive or desirable.
When things do not turn out as we expected, especially for Christians or Believers we feel as though God has abandoned us; but sometimes we need a different perspective. There is a hymn we used to sing in our churches many years ago it was titled: No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus. The writer of that song spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter. The composer says that after returning home from an evangelistic crusade he found a note left by his wife of many years. The note said she had enough of the evangelistic life and she left him. The composer said that he became very despondent during the next several years. There were even times when he contemplated suicide. Yes, there was the terrible despair he experienced because he believed that no one really cared for him any more. But he said that gradually his spiritual faith was restored and he once again became active in Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that became a summary of his past tragic experience. From his broken heart came the words to the hymn:
No on ever cared for me like Jesus.
There’s no other friend so kind and true.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He Cared for me
Even in our darkest moments, much like the times we are seeing around us today, God has promised to care for us!
In Psalm 22 we see the words spoken by Jesus when HE was on the cross, those same words which many of us have said over the years:
"My God, my God…why have You forsaken Me?"
It was the most gut-wrenching cry of loneliness in history, and it came not from a prisoner or a widow or a patient. It came from a hill, from a cross, from the Messiah: "My God, my God," he cried out , "why did you abandon me!"
Never have words carried such hurt and anguish. Never has one BEING been so lonely. The despair is darker than the sky. The two who had been one are now two. Jesus knows your pain and your isolations and He is there with you which means you are not as alone as you might think or feel you are! Keep your focus on Jesus and pray to feel His embrace in your life.
Perhaps this story will help you. After an accident in which she lost her arm, a girl named Jamie refused to go to school or church for an entire year. Finally the young teen thought she could face her peers. In preparation, her mother called her Sunday school teacher and asked that he not call attention to Jamie. The teacher promised, but when he got sick on Sunday morning and had to call a substitute, he forgot to tell the second teacher. At the conclusion of the lesson that day, which was about inviting friends to church, the substitute led the class in doing the hand motions to the familiar children’s poem:
Here’s the church, Here are the people, Open the door, See all the people.
Jamie’s eyes filled with tears she only had one arm. However, a young boy realized how she might be feeling. He knelt beside her. With one hand apiece, they supported each other, making the church, steeple, and people. Together they illustrated what the real church is all about.
The devil wants you isolated and in despair, But Jesus wants you connected to Him and to His people. You may not see Him, you may not feel Him, but standing right beside you at every moment is your loving Heavenly Father. He is there He will always be there, Jesus said I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU! I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU!
Jesus is given many titles in the Bible. Perhaps none is as endearing as Emmanuel (God with us). It speaks of his constant, continual presence in our lives. May you be encouraged as you think upon that title. You may be worn out. You may be beat down. You may be discouraged. You may feel like nothing is going right in your life. You may feel like a failure. But I am here to tell you today: Whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley…you can trust God…He is faithful.
When we look back at the Crucifixion of Jesus. I believe that the betrayal of Judas was worse than the beatings for Jesus. Yes, there was the desertion of the disciples, the humiliation of the crucifixion, being spit upon, the crown of thorns, the nails in His hands, the mocking, the emotional torment, and even the mental torment. None of these compared to what He was facing at that moment on the Cross. This was the worst moment of the Crucifixion. Jesus is all alone at this moment in His life. Not even the Father is with Him. He cries out to God. That is what we need to do when life is handing us lemons, we need to take it to the Lord in prayer because He knows what that is like. He loves and cares for us. Do you believe it? Trust HIM. JESUS can turn things around!
When things do not turn out as we expected, especially for Christians or Believers we feel as though God has abandoned us; but sometimes we need a different perspective. There is a hymn we used to sing in our churches many years ago it was titled: No One Ever Cared For Me Like Jesus. The writer of that song spent most of his life as an itinerant evangelist and gospel songwriter. The composer says that after returning home from an evangelistic crusade he found a note left by his wife of many years. The note said she had enough of the evangelistic life and she left him. The composer said that he became very despondent during the next several years. There were even times when he contemplated suicide. Yes, there was the terrible despair he experienced because he believed that no one really cared for him any more. But he said that gradually his spiritual faith was restored and he once again became active in Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that became a summary of his past tragic experience. From his broken heart came the words to the hymn:
No on ever cared for me like Jesus.
There’s no other friend so kind and true.
No one else could take the sin and darkness from me.
O how much He Cared for me
Even in our darkest moments, much like the times we are seeing around us today, God has promised to care for us!
In Psalm 22 we see the words spoken by Jesus when HE was on the cross, those same words which many of us have said over the years:
"My God, my God…why have You forsaken Me?"
It was the most gut-wrenching cry of loneliness in history, and it came not from a prisoner or a widow or a patient. It came from a hill, from a cross, from the Messiah: "My God, my God," he cried out , "why did you abandon me!"
Never have words carried such hurt and anguish. Never has one BEING been so lonely. The despair is darker than the sky. The two who had been one are now two. Jesus knows your pain and your isolations and He is there with you which means you are not as alone as you might think or feel you are! Keep your focus on Jesus and pray to feel His embrace in your life.
Perhaps this story will help you. After an accident in which she lost her arm, a girl named Jamie refused to go to school or church for an entire year. Finally the young teen thought she could face her peers. In preparation, her mother called her Sunday school teacher and asked that he not call attention to Jamie. The teacher promised, but when he got sick on Sunday morning and had to call a substitute, he forgot to tell the second teacher. At the conclusion of the lesson that day, which was about inviting friends to church, the substitute led the class in doing the hand motions to the familiar children’s poem:
Here’s the church, Here are the people, Open the door, See all the people.
Jamie’s eyes filled with tears she only had one arm. However, a young boy realized how she might be feeling. He knelt beside her. With one hand apiece, they supported each other, making the church, steeple, and people. Together they illustrated what the real church is all about.
The devil wants you isolated and in despair, But Jesus wants you connected to Him and to His people. You may not see Him, you may not feel Him, but standing right beside you at every moment is your loving Heavenly Father. He is there He will always be there, Jesus said I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU! I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU!
Jesus is given many titles in the Bible. Perhaps none is as endearing as Emmanuel (God with us). It speaks of his constant, continual presence in our lives. May you be encouraged as you think upon that title. You may be worn out. You may be beat down. You may be discouraged. You may feel like nothing is going right in your life. You may feel like a failure. But I am here to tell you today: Whether you are on the mountain top or in the valley…you can trust God…He is faithful.
When we look back at the Crucifixion of Jesus. I believe that the betrayal of Judas was worse than the beatings for Jesus. Yes, there was the desertion of the disciples, the humiliation of the crucifixion, being spit upon, the crown of thorns, the nails in His hands, the mocking, the emotional torment, and even the mental torment. None of these compared to what He was facing at that moment on the Cross. This was the worst moment of the Crucifixion. Jesus is all alone at this moment in His life. Not even the Father is with Him. He cries out to God. That is what we need to do when life is handing us lemons, we need to take it to the Lord in prayer because He knows what that is like. He loves and cares for us. Do you believe it? Trust HIM. JESUS can turn things around!
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