Lesson 13: Never Alone Again

 The next thing that will change when you realize that God is Personal, is how you handle loneliness.

Matthew 28:20 “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

Jesus makes the incredible promise that He will be with us always. Notice, He did not say occasionally or two weeks at a time, but always. This should not only comfort our hearts but the hearts of our lonely world. Sociologists say we are approaching an epidemic of loneliness that is spiraling out of control. Whether due to death, divorce, or decaying marriages, our world is filled with more loneliness than ever before. To make matters worse, many of today's so-called "advances" are increasing loneliness.

 Stop and think of the awesome message we get to declare to our lonely world. When you get saved, you are not only on your way to heaven, but before you get there, no matter what happens in your life, you will never be alone again! Why? Because God is Personal.

You might ask, "Does knowing something as basic as God is Personal help ease the pain and suffering in people?" Tell me, does paying attention to your surroundings save you from a lot of wasted time and energy by what happened to this man:

 "A wealthy merchant on a long journey carried with him his most valuable jewels. Along the way, another traveler befriended him, making it look like a chance meeting; but he planned to steal the rich man's jewels.

At the end of each day when they arrived at a local inn, they shared a room together and each night the men would wash up before going to bed. The merchant was somewhat suspicious of his newfound friend's real motives, so he devised a scheme to safeguard his valuables. Before they turned in for the night, he offered the thief the privilege of washing up first.


 As soon as the thief left the room, the rich man would take his bag full of precious stones and hide them under the thief's pillow. Sure enough, when it was the rich man's turn to wash up, the thief would plunge into the rich man's belongings feverishly looking everywhere for the jewels, but to no avail. Each night the thief lay his sleepless head on his pillow, angry at his failure to locate the treasure.

 Finally, as it came time to part and they were saying their goodbyes, the rich man informed the thief he was aware of his motives all along.

Then came the revelation. The rich man said, 'You poured all your energies into looking everywhere — except under your own pillow. The wealth was nearer to you than you realized.'"

That man spent all that energy and sleepless nights looking for a treasure that was right under his head. It was closer than he could imagine.

Many Christians today spend money, energy and sleepless nights searching for hidden treasure to soothe their souls when all the time the greatest Treasure of all, Jesus Christ, is right before them! When we get saved, God is not far off, hidden in some ivory castle. He is with you wherever you go. God is Personal.

This is the message we tell everyone: "God not only exists, but through Jesus Christ you really can have an intimate personal relationship with the Creator of the universe."

* How can you tell someone today that God is Personal?