What is the overall reason the Lord Jesus came to the earth?  It is written in Matthew 18:11-14, “For the son of man is come to save that which was lost.  How think ye?  If a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?  And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.  Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.”
     Unfortunately, far too many of these precious ones have been ignored by the body of Christ as a whole.  You know, I meet people every day who go to church, who have “fallen through the cracks” so to speak.  They go to church, but due to problems they may be facing in their lives, they are classified as “high maintenance” and after a very short time, are written off as a lost cause.  And instead of being restored and healed, they end up worse than if they had not gone to church at all.  And the worst part is, they end up blaming God because men rejected them.  If you are one of those people, let me tell you, GOD IS NOT REJECTING YOU, SO STOP BLAMING GOD FOR THAT WHICH MAN HAS DONE UNTO YOU!
     In defense of Pastors, they are not Superman.  They put their pants on in the morning one leg at a time, just like everyone else. They are subject to like passions as any other man.  They are battling with their own problems as they try to help you with yours.  And like it or not, they may disappoint you at some point.  I may disappoint you, no matter how hard I try to help you.  But there is one you can seek who will NEVER disappoint you, and His name is JESUS.
       Some people come to church with more baggage than could fill a freight train.  And it takes time to work through it.  Sometimes we’re looking for the “quick fix”, and are quick to give up when we don’t see it happen as soon as we’d like.  Hey, with God it is a “relationship”, not a “drive-through”.  I’d compare it with a lifetime commitment versus a one night stand. 

     Too many Christians are satisfied with a one night stand, goose bumps, and hype and emotions running high.   we have become a “microwave” society; fast foods, high speed internet, a quick solution to every problem.   But everything is not instant, except the forgiveness of God.  That’s quick.  No, that’s SUDDEN!  Immediately, if not sooner.  But consider your life like a rope.  Along the way, the rope gets a lot of knots in it.  And it takes time to untie them all. 
      I remember as a child having a fishing rod with an old fashioned casting reel.  Many times, I’d cast my bait, and after the line stopped going out, the reel would just keep spinning, resulting in a massive backlash.  The next few minutes I didn’t get much fishing done, because I’d be trying to get the knots out of my fishing line.  Sometimes I’d get so frustrated, I’d just get mad and cut the line and throw it away.  It didn’t take much of that before I not only ran out of line, but my lures were gone, too.  I lacked the patience to untie the knots and resume fishing.  And, believe it or not, that’s what sometimes happens with us in our relationship with God. 
      I had lots of “issues” when I came to the Lord Jesus for salvation.  I’d like to say He waved a magic wand and took all of them away, but that isn’t how it happened.  Yes, He healed me, and I haven’t been sick again, Praise God, but He had to help me unload some baggage.  I found out early on that even though I was interested in a “quick fix” so I could get back to “life as usual”, that wasn’t what the Lord had in mind at all.  He had my long term interest at heart.  I was looking at the “here and now”.  He was looking at my eternal future. 

     We are all eternal creatures.  The spirit man inside us will live forever.  Where we will spend eternity is what God is most interested in.  I call it the “hereafter”.  We understand “hereafter”, don’t we?  Yep.  We’re “here after” all we can get.  And whether or not we are honest enough with ourselves and the Lord to admit it, you judge your own situation.  I’m not here to condemn you in any way. 
      Our flesh wants to be comfortable.  But God offers us the Comforter.  We’re interested in a new car, and God offers us a new life in Christ Jesus.  We spend waaaaaay too much of our time seeking things here on earth, when God says we need to be seeking those things above.  You see, we are aiming too low.  God wants us to aim higher, MUCH higher.  He isn’t telling us we have to do without material goods, but rather, He wants us to be free from becoming slaves to material goods.  He wants to set us free from ALL bondages.
 As God starts working with our problems, we often run from His correction because frankly, we would rather just ignore our issues, than deal with them.  We would rather just keep those bad habits that are displeasing to God, and keep asking God to forgive us, than forsake them.  Why is that?  Because most of us are pretty comfortable where we are, and really don’t want to change, when it gets right down to it.  Oh, we may be unhappy with the situation we’re in, but remaining in it is often more comfortable than changing it.  And then we wonder why the “blessing” isn’t working in our lives.  Hello?  Anyone home? 
      Remember, a relationship is built over time.  A one night stand is over as quickly as it started, and has no lasting benefit whatsoever.  Oh, it may feel good for tonight, but will you still love them in the morning?  Not only that, but you may leave with something you didn’t intend to get.  On the contrary, a long-term relationship builds trust.  And trust goes both way, folks.
       When you have a long-term relationship with God, you learn to trust His word, and you gradually learn obedience brings blessings.  You learn that what God promises in His Word is true, and there is no lie attached to it.  You learn that God has your best interest at heart.  Jeremiah 29:11 says, “For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” As you seek that relationship with God, and study His Word, you find that as you let God untie the knots in your rope of life, that He is merciful and tender, and will not just “cut the knot out” and leave you missing part of what you need.  Rather, He will make a full end of that which He has started in you. 
      You will also find as time passes, that God trusts YOU!  And when you pray, you will get your prayers answered.  We all know God is all-powerful.  What many of us just don’t seem to be able to grasp, is that God is willing to grant the use of that power to those whom He can trust.  And like I said, that doesn’t come from a “one night stand”. 
      So make your mind up right here and now that you’re in this for the long term.  Remember, you’re already an eternal creature in God’s sight.  This is an eternal relationship we have with Him.  Let’s stop looking for the “quick-fix”, and let Him sort us out and fix what needs fixing.  While we look at the “sweet by-and-by” and know everything will be ok then, we’re still in the “rotten here-and-now”, needing healing for our bodies, needing finances to pay our bills, needing a roof over our heads, and needing lots of other stuff.  God is not ignoring our problems, or our needs.  He’s on the job, even as you read this. 
      God is the Original “GIT ‘ER DONE” One.  But He doesn’t do shabby work.  Sometimes the very best work takes a little longer.  He created the heavens and earth in a mere six days.  But His masterpiece is YOU, and getting you right may take a bit longer.  But He thinks you’re worth it!