UnDeServing ForGiveNess__

Thursday, June 5, 2008

Came Across This Devotion:
Worth the thought.

2008/06/02

The Loneliness of Separation
by Rick Warren

Only Luke is with me. 2 Timothy 4:11 (NIV)

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Separation causes loneliness. In prison, awaiting execution, Paul feels isolated from those he loves. He asks his protégé Timothy to visit, “Do your best to come to me quickly” (2 Timothy 4:9, NIV).

Paul later mentions some of his friends, such as Priscilla, Aquila , and the household of Onesiphorus (2 Timothy 4:19). They are among Paul’s his closest friends and he misses them.

He is feeling the loneliness of separation. Paul never went anywhere alone; he always had at least one traveling companion. Yet, here at the end of his life, he’s in prison in a foreign country and he can’t just pick up the phone and reach out and touch somebody.

In the United Sates, twenty-five percent of the population moves in any given year. Many of us have lost our roots, or never had any to begin with, and that can cause loneliness. We can experience the loneliness of separation because of military service, or a career, or an illness.

What can you do about your loneliness from separation?

Focus on the needs of others – Get your eyes off yourself and focus outward. Look at how you can serve other people. Paul focused on telling more people about Jesus: “But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it” (2 Timothy 4:17 NIV).

Focus on your purpose – Even when Paul was isolated in a prison, he wanted other people to know about Jesus. He wanted everybody to know about God’s love. He stopped looking at himself and he looked at how he could still tell others about the good news.

When you’re lonely – Stop building walls and start building bridges! Instead of saying, “I’m so lonely,” say, “Father, help me be a friend to people who need a friend. Help me to help lonely people.” That is the antidote for loneliness.

© 2008 Purpose Driven Life. All rights reserved.

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