Happiness and Joy

Let's say, for instance, someone gives you $5.  Would that make you happy?  Of course, it would.  Now let's say, for instance, that same individual that gave you the $5 asked for $2.50 of it back.  Would you still feel that same level of happiness inside?  Of course not.

In the sense, happiness is of the temporal, or, of the life we live.  It is the conditional concept for one's own personal, self-fulfillment.  It is desiring what we want, when we want it, and doing whatever it is to get that need satisfied for ourselves.  Having happiness means living for the flesh, and because our bodies get old and eventually die away, we can not ever obtain eternal happiness.

Happiness could be described as:

H:  Having
A:  Adequate
P:  Pleasure and
P:  Purpose
I:   In the
N:  Now,
E:  Excluding
S:  Service to others and
S:  Sacrifices towards self

Now, let's take another example.  Let's say that a man named Jesus came to you one day and offered you eternal happiness.  Would you accept his offer?  Would you even believe him, now knowing that eternal happiness in the flesh cannot be obtained?

Keep in mind, now, that he had not $5 to offer you, but only himself, a personal relationship with him that we might know God through him, and his own life which he gave up on the cross for you and me (John 3:16 KJV).  And that through the sacrifice of Jesus' own flesh, is how God has given us eternal life (1 John 5:11 KJV).

If life has been sorrowful or grievious for you, establish your very own personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.  Confess with your mouth your sins to him, and believe that God has saved you to be his own (Romans 10:9 KJV).  The Bible says in James 1:2-3 to count it all joy when we fall into diverse temptations; knowing this, that the trying of our faith works patience.  For weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning! (Psalm 30:5).

J:  Jesus first
O: Others second
Y: Yourself last

Allow your great, fleshly pleasures come from having joy rather than seeking happiness.  Let's pray that God will work a good work in us today, and to be a help and benefit to others, through our savior Jesus Christ!

Husbands and Wives

“For better or for worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do you part?” inquires the clergyman.  And your response, “I do.”  “I now pronounce you husband and wife!” proudly proclaiming the clergyman.  And now it is life happily ever after, right?  Well, sometimes it is and sometimes it is not. 

Take into account a celebrity, for instance.  Multiple marriages, even more relationships, possibly many children from each one, and so on.  Quite the contrary, for those of us who are not amongst the rich and famous have experienced—or are experiencing—the same things, in that love and happiness can be found in another when situations become too complicated to reconcile, is sometimes just not the case at all.

The Bible talks about how husbands and wives should love one another.  In Genesis 1:27 “God created man in his own image; male and female created he them” (Also, Genesis 2:7 KJV).  However, as our Father, always having infinite foresight and wisdom and knowledge, already knew that it would not be good for man to be alone, so he made him an help meet (Genesis 2:18 KJV).  Man (Adam) would later name is help meet (Eve) Woman, “because she was taken out of man” (Genesis 2:23 KJV).  “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:  and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24 KJV; Ephesians 5:31 KJV).

“But sometimes I just cannot get along with my spouse,” you say.  Or, “They never treat or respect me the way I ought to be treated or respected,” you profess.  “Why me, and why am I even in this relationship?” you ask.  Well, Paul writes in Ephesians 5:21 “to submit yourselves one to another in the fear of God.”  God needs to be the center of your marriages and relationships in order for them to grow and thrive and flourish.  “Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence:  and likewise also the wife unto the husband” (1 Corinthians 7:3 KJV). 

Paul also compares the love of the church through Jesus Christ with the love a husband should have for his wife.  “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church:  and he is the savior of the body.  Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything.  Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.  So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies.  He that loveth his wife loveth himself.  For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church” (Ephesians 5:22-25, 28-29 KJV).

Anything worthwhile will not always be easy.  Marriages and relationships are hard work.  Just as a car requires regularly scheduled tune-ups, marriages and relationships require the same maintenance.  Husbands and wives should continually pray for one another; especially in the areas where Satan attacks most often, asking for God’s hand of protection over their marriages and relationships.  “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband” (Ephesians 5:33 KJV).

 

 

 

Feeling For The Lord

There is so much anxiety that can linger around in a person's heart. There is so much time to examine the presence of worry. Not many souls have peace of mind whenever it comes to stress and sadness. The present-day global tyranny of self, through life and living, imparts our lives at one time or another.  To become free, even still, causes more fright than might for some, in relieving the burdening disillusions of joy and happiness possibly available for ourselves.
 "There must be some sort of way I can get out of this mess," some say.  Others chant, "I'll just work harder and do what I have to do."  "But this cannot be happening to me!  Why me!" more might say.

It is just a simply, small voice inside of us that gently and sweetly calls out to us.  In all the mist of turmoil in our lives, God still manages to get through to us.  He tells us to be still, and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10 KJV).  When it seems as if others have left from our sides, God promises to always be with us, never forsaking us (Psalm 27:10 KJV). 

Feeling for the Lord is not a difficult thing to do.  The difficulty lies in allowing ourselves to open up to His good grace and mercy.  Having a hard heart from anger, malice, or discontentment only worsens matters.  We must learn to realize that the forgiveness of another person is not for the sake of them but rather, for ourselves.  In order to know and feel the goodness of the Lord we must have a clear and open heart to receive the blessings He wants to bestow upon us (Colossians 1:14 KJV; Acts 26:18 KJV; Luke 11:4 KJV: Matthew 6:14 KJV).

The soft whisper on the inside of ourselves we often hear and feel is none other than God calling out to us, to offer us hope and freedom, and peace of mind through His salvation (Lamentations 3:26 KJV; Psalm 85:9 KJV).  So let's do ourselves a favor today, and open our hearts to Him!

First Thing's First

Who is God?  Who is Jesus Christ?  What is the Holy Spirit?  Well, for many individuals these questions come easily answered.  However, for others, these questions are difficult in nature to believe or answer.  Peoples’ personal backgrounds help shape them into how they are able to answer these questions.  As children, many individuals are taken to church by their parents or grandparents and taught all about the Lord.  For others, church was not that big a deal for their families growing up.

So back to the main questions:  Who is God; who is Jesus Christ; and what is the Holy Spirit?  God is our Father, who art in Heaven.  Yes, our Father, who created the heaven and the earth (Genesis 1:1 KJV).  Everything that ever was, ever is, and ever will be is fashioned by the hand of God.  He is the one true being in existence who sees all, hears all, knows all, tells all, shows all, assists all,  blesses all, and even disciplines all according to His Will, glory, and benefit. 

Next, who is Jesus Christ?  Jesus Christ is God made flesh, into the form of man, to come down and use His earthly created body as a sacrifice for everyone’s sins (John 3:16 KJV).  These sins are for everyone that existed during his time as he walked the earth, and for future individuals like you and me, and for many, many more generations to come after us, until the end of the world.    

The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is the essence of God as if He were still here as man in the flesh, Jesus Christ, giving us insight and knowledge of the truth of His word.  The Holy Spirit is the soft calling-feeling we feel whenever we are called to do something good for another.  And, on the contrary, it is the disapproving voice on the inside of us when we know we are not doing the right thing (Romans 8:9 KJV).

Take Heart; Delight in the Lord

Have you ever wondered how often people tend to doubt themselves throughout the day?  How ineffectual they sometimes must feel whenever compared to another person?  Or doubt their personal characteristics and abilities whenever they see someone else who seems to have it all?  If you answered yes to any of these, then do not fear; take heart, and delight in the Lord.

God has you perfectly and intricately designed just as He would have you to be.  For He created your inmost being, knitting you together in your mother's womb (Psalm 139:13-14 KJV).

So often times we tend to forget God is in charge of our lives.  All accomplishments, praises, and things given to us in good gifts are from God, our Father (James 1:17 KJV).

As trials and tribulations work their way into our lives, we should consider them all as joy, for the Lord is testing us in that He may strengthen us in accordance to His good works, glory, and Will (James 1:2-4 KJV).  And, during the times whenever life becomes difficult, always reflect on this one thing about yourself:  take heart, and delight in the Lord!

The Heaven and the Earth

Is it not a  great delight to awaken unto a bright, sunny morning?  Or to smile from a song bird's sounds?  To feel a loved one near you, close by?  Many of us would agree with these factors.  However, as most of us sleep throughout the night, our areas probably resemble dark, quiet, and still places; absent of light, peace, calmness, or love.  Such can be like in our own existence today.

Just as how  we rest at night, so was the like manner in how the world was formed.  In Genesis 1:2 it is written, "The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was  upon the face of the deep."  As humans, we have a lot of darkness surrounding us, and sometimes within us as well.

Nevertheless, in all our darkness, God is able to mend us into what it is He would have us to be, for His glory, benefit, and Will.  As the earth was transformed and made whole and given light, so can our lives be through the goodness of Christ Jesus (Genesis 1:3 KJV).

Many of us often feel unworthy to ask the Lord for help out of our dark places.  He is our Father, and desires to help us through our faith, and wants us to accept His continued grace and mercy (Romans 5:2 KJV).  But living out of darkness can only be done by accepting God's gift of light for our lives.

God's Own Fear

Have you ever wondered why your life might not be going your way?  Why your children are disrespectful, or frustrations present themselves so?  Why one minute situations arise in negative fashion, or in another days are more happy-go-lucky?  Do these things make you afraid?  Do they make God?

In apprehension, it is human nature to have fear and doubt.  However, God tells us not to fear because He is with us always (Psalm 115:11 KJV).  The Lord longs to be our provider and protector, and promises these truths to us as well.  It is His desire for us to come to Him for assistance in times of need and anxiety.

The Lord is gracious, slow to anger, and exceedingly patient (Psalm 103:8 KJV).  His love for us is perfect, and drives away all fear within us (1John 4:18 KJV).  In complete love, there is no fear.

Being as how God is perfect, so are His ways perfect, and He shows us this perfect love by how we love others.  And, by how the way we love others, we have no fear of them because we love them through Christ who first loved us, by dying for our sins on the cross (John 3:16 KJV).

So, does God have fear?  No.  He has an everlasting desire for us to love Him, and for us to love each other through His example; to come to repentance and righteousness through His unfailing love for us, by His most everlasting, wonderful doctrine, bestowed unto us, His Holy Bible.