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GOD I'M LONELY

SEVERAL years ago, a popular television series called Gilligan's Island dramatized one of society's gnawing problems. The series centered around the comical and usually frantic efforts of a group of castaways to extricate themselves from their small uncharted island. Between the emotional tides of high hopes and subsequent failures, they dived a relatively normal life. But with each failure, one sensed the group's despair. Life went on as they continually contrived ingenious ways of coping with their situation, and all the while hoping to contact the outside world. They frequently came close to freedom, but their efforts were always thwarted. It seemed they were condemned to live forever as marooned castaways on their lonely island.


GOD I'M AFRAID

Many people feel they'll get rid of fear as they grow older. but because fear is one of the base emotions of the human heart, we never seem to be completely free of it. The dictionary gives three different shades of meaning to fear: (1) Fear is a feeling of anxiety and agitation caused by the presence or nearness of danger. Practically speaking, its the feeling you get in the pit of your stomach when you're called in to see the boss after doing something wrong! (2) Fear is a feeling of uneasiness. For example, when your teen­ager isn't in by curfew you're afraid something has happened to him. (3) Fear is also a feeling of a respectful awe or dread ----as when you encounter a snake.


GOD I'M BORED

The more we think about the excitement of travel, the more painful is the awareness that we're trapped by life's daily drag. Life isn't exciting ---- its monotonous! The more our world closes in on us, the more frantic we seek to climb out of the rut by indulging in daydreams. But try as we might, we can't dream ourselves out of the rut. Have you ever said, "I'm bored to death with the life I'm living. I never do anything or go anywhere that's exciting?" Most of us have made this confidential confession to a trusted friend; but, have you ever said to God, "God I'm bored with my life?"


GOD I'M DISAPPOINTED

Disappointment is one of the frustrating problems each of us must face. Often I hear people say, "He disappointed me so much." Or have you ever said to someone, "I'M so dis­appointed in you?" Or even more pointed, "God I'm dis­appointed." Maybe you like so many just thought it to your­self without mentioning it to any one for fear of the disap­pointment of not being understood. If we are to face life realistically, we will have to grapple with the problem of disappointment. It can't be ignored. What happens inside when we say we are disappointed? The dictionary says it means "to be made unhappy by the failure of one's hopes or expectations." Disappointment then is the sinking feeling we get when our plans blow up in our faces.


GOD I'M BITTER

One of the deep problems of human life is bitterness. In his letter to the Ephesians believers, Paul addresses himself to this problem. He deals with the "gut" issues of unity, theft, lying, malice, and to "put off the old man and put on the new man." (Ephesians 4:22-24) Then the fourth chapter of Ephesians closes, Paul zeroes in on the thorny problem of bitterness. As we examine the context of these verses concerning bitterness, we see that anger has a place in the life of the Christian. "Be angry, and yet do not sin ---" (Ephesians 4:26). God permits the believer to become angry. But don't go over­board; anger is permitted, not commanded.


GOD - I HAVE DOUBTS

Frequently people say, "When I get to heaven, I'm going to ask Paul what he meant when he said ----", or "I want to ask Peter what possessed him to deny the Lord the night of His trial"; or "I want to ask the apostle John what it was like to be close to Jesus." Many desire to have an audience with some great men of the Bible in order to satisfy a personal curiosity. But I've never heard anyone say, "When I get to heaven, I want to talk to Thomas." Why should anyone want to talk with Thomas? We know he is called "Doubting Thomas", and is the one people think of as unbelieving. What could we learn from him?


GOD - I DON'T WANT TO DIE

There was a wealthy householder who sent his servant into the market place to buy food for a banquet. When the servant came to the market place, he saw Death. Terrified he fled and returned to his master and said, "Master, I just saw Death in the market place. Please let me borrow your horse and flee way up into the hills where I will hide in a cave." Later the same day the master went to the market place and he too saw Death. he approached Death and said, "Death, why did you frighten my servant so today?