I heard a sermon today, that was primarily aimed at preachers, and it spoke about rejoicing with others in times of their success.  The Bible tells us to weep with those who weep and to rejoice with those who rejoice.  At another person’s failure, we might experience feelings of superiority, but when their successes are greater than ours, we tend to feel inferior.  Yet, the Bible teaches us to be happy when blessings come to others.  When we do so, we put ourselves in position to receive blessings.

All the Bible is God-breathed revelation, therefore, one verse is not greater than another.  On the other hand, there are some verses that are especially precious to us, because they seem to jump out at us with a special message of hope, promise, or comfort.  One such verse for me, is 2 Peter 1:3, which says that God has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness…   That’s past tense, already done, not might happen someday.

It is as though there is huge umbrella, and if we can position ourselves under that, we are in the blessing of God.  Being born again is certainly the first consideration in coming under the umbrella of God’s blessing, but that is not the end all of the matter.  The way of salvation could have been put on a very few pages of the Bible, so the Bible obviously deals with far more than lost people being saved.  Once we are converted to faith in Christ, we begin a life long process of learning how to receive what Jesus lived and died to give us.

Love is the most foundational characteristic of the blessed Christian.  1 Corinthians 13:1-3 tells us that nothing else that we might ever do will even count, if we do not have love.  This is a commitment kind of love for God, that also flows outward and desires to do good toward other people.  Jesus said that if we have this kind of love, we will do what He says do.  We cannot do what we do not know to do, and that’s why it so important for every Christian to be a serious student of the Bible.

There are people who know that they have believed on Christ as their Savior, yet their lives are in turmoil.  They cry out for help, and they wonder why their life is in such disarray.  In Hosea 4:6 God said, “My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge.”  There is help for the hurting, but it’s only under the umbrella of God’s blessing.

Depression is a terrible malady, and it is running rampant in our society.  Depression is feeling of hopelessness and despair, than can take such a deep hold on an individual, that all kinds of other physical and emotional problems occur as a result.

What’s the cure for depression?  Well, like most things, it depends on who you ask.  Answers range anywhere from powerful drugs to long term psychoanalyzation.  It is my conviction that God can, and will, lift one’s spirits and give lasting healing.  The problem, however, is that many of God’s people do not understand how to receive all that Jesus lived and died to give them.

When you are depressed, the first thing to do is to come to the Bible, God’s word, and receive His promise, being totally convinced that He will do what He says.  For some, it may be necessary to pray and ask God to help you get to that place, where you can completely rest yourself on His promises.  You have to believe something, so why not believe God?  He’s got a far better track record than anyone, or anything, else out there.

Next, try to determine why you are depressed.  It is possible that you have a chemical imbalance in your body, so you certainly need to look at your diet, exercise, rest, etc.  Depression is often anger that is turned inward.  There may be issues that you have never really allowed yourself to deal with, and it has built up such a pressure within you, that the result is deep depression.  Again, come to the Bible and see what God says about the proper way to handle your anger.  Another trigger for depression is deep seated fear.  The Bible says, “Fear has torment,” and it really does.  There is so much the Bible says about fear, and the antidote for fear is faith; finding God’s promise and standing on it.

What comes out of your mouth is extremely important in dealing with your depression.  I have developed several confessions that I repeat quite often.  I have taken these right out of the Bible, things like, “This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it,” etc.  When you are depressed, this is about the last thing you feel like doing, but it has supernatural power to your soul.

2 Thessalonians 5:17, “Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away, behold, all thing have become new.”

Being in Christ changes eveything.  It is a lasting change, lasting not only throughout time, but for eternity.  It is being changed from the kingdom of darkness to the kindgom of God’s dear Son.  It is a change from being under condemnation to coming under the great salvation of our Lord God.  It is change you can believe in.

The real reason for being a giver is love and adoration to God, who so richly gives us every good and perfect gift, and for the joy that is derived from doing so.

Without going into Bible verses, which are many, I will just give a word a personal testimony.  I have found that, as I have heard so many say, “you can’t out give God.” 

Giving to the Lord’s work of the utmost importance, but giving also includes helping that person that needs help.  It includes just blessing somebody.  Try it, you’ll like it.  You get more out of it, than the person you bless.