WORK FOR MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS

(Message by Tanny Keng)

1. Struggling With Loneliness

a) You are not alone in feeling lonely; many deal with this feeling of isolation. For those who trust God, there is help in His Word.

b) You can feel lonely in any circumstance, at any age, even when you are surrounded by people, even when you are in a relationship, or when you have many friends and acquaintances. Loneliness is the soul feeling isolated from meaningful human connections, feeling misunderstood, out of place, etc.

c) Interestingly, the Bible doesn’t say anything directly about loneliness. However, this doesn’t mean that we can’t use Scripture to help us deal with these feelings. Here is one of the few different effective ways of doing so.

2. Work For Meaningful Connections

a) It can be easy to relish the role of victim, to think no one has it as hard as I do, to believe the reasons Satan feeds us to make us think that is true, and actually indulge in self-pity. When the temptation comes to sit by yourself and wallow in your own feelings, rather overcome them and go out and do something with and/or for others. This builds love, unity, brotherhood and fellowship.

i) Galatians 6:2

“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

ii) John 15:13

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

iii) Philippians 2:3-4

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others.”

iv) 1 John 1:7

“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”