HelpFinder Bible - Flipbook - Page 18
page A16
Absence continued
How can I compensate for those times when my physical presence is not
possible?
• 1 C O R I NT H I A NS 5 :3 -4 | Even though I am not with you in person, I am with you in the
Spirit. . . . I will be present with you in spirit, and so will the power of our Lord Jesus.
When you are not physically present, you can still exercise your commitment to your
relationship. Two caring people can provide emotional and spiritual support for each
other at a distance.
• 2 J O H N 1 :1 2 | I hope to visit you soon and talk with you face to face. Then our joy will be
complete.
• 1 T H E S S A L O NI A NS 2 :17 | Dear brothers and sisters, after we were separated from you for
a little while (though our hearts never left you), we tried very hard to come back because of
our intense longing to see you again.
• 2 T I MOT H Y 1 :4 | I long to see you again, for I remember your tears as we parted. And I
will be filled with joy when we are together again.
When you are away from your family—or your dearest friends—keep in touch with them
as much as possible, praying for them along the way and looking forward to your reunion.
There are many ways to connect with others from a distance.
PROMISES FROM GOD
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HelpFinder
• E C C L E S I A S T E S 4 :9 -1 0 | Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other
succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone
is in real trouble.
• MAT T H E W 2 8 :2 0 | “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Absolutes See Convictions; Truth
Abuse See also Addiction; Anger; Bitterness; Healing; Pain; Self-Esteem; Suffering
How wide is the circle of your influence and power? How many people, talents,
possessions, or opportunities are in that circle? What we do with what we have is a
reflection of who we are and how much we deserve to be entrusted with more. We
can be good stewards of what is within our control, or we can abuse what has been
entrusted to us. In its simplest form, abuse is poor stewardship of what has been
entrusted to us. But it can be far more dangerous and damaging. Abuse may be violent
or it may be as quiet as neglect or abandonment. Abuse can be aggressive, but it may
also be regressive—a steady depreciation of human worth, like dripping water wearing
down a rock.
Abuse may inflict pain or rob personhood; it may leave scars on the skin or lacerations
on the heart. Its result may be superficial, the response to a careless comment, or it may
be a lifetime wound resulting from a neglected or mismanaged trust. Abuse requires an
abuser and a person who has been abused. But God grants healing—both physical and
spiritual—through forgiveness and a new way to live. The abuser can change, becoming truly transformed by God’s Spirit. The person who has been abused, through Christ,
can forgive the abuser and find true healing. This allows the cycle of abuse, which can
become multigenerational, to halt.
Will God forgive a person who is guilty of abuse?
• A C T S 2 :2 1 | “But everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
• L U K E 2 3 :3 4 | “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
God forgives all sins, not selected ones. His mercy is to anyone, regardless of that
person’s past.