Word for Today, Wed, 31 Aug 2005, Lasting Joy
Posted by: masinick <masinick@...>
Dear friends,
What things really satisfy you? Really think that over. Let me
ask you again: What things really satisfy you?
During much of our lives, we spend them in pursuit of this or
that. Perhaps it is an educational pursuit, the pursuit of
knowledge. Perhaps it is the pursuit of financial stability.
Perhaps it is the pursuit of a hobby, of leisure time, of power,
wealth, money. possessions.
In themselves, none of those things is inherently wrong.
However, when they become our primary passion, they replace what
really ought to be our primary passion, and what we are designed
to do.
We are designed to bring glory to God. That's what Adam was
designed to do. God tested Adam. He gave him everything he
could possibly ever need or want, and He also gave Adam Himself,
but Adam was deceived, and so was Eve.
Because of the deception, they were denied perfect intimacy with
God. To be certain, God was still with them, but life became a
struggle. It has been that way ever since then.
However, Jesus Christ brought to us an alternative. He became
man and brought God back to us. In fact, Emmanuel means "God
with us". Jesus is our Emmanuel, God with us. God sent to us
His Son, and His Son left with us God's Spirit, the Holy Spirit,
to be with us forever and to live in us.
What should we do with that? What does it mean? It means that
God wants a relationship with us. What does God want out of that
relationship? He wants us to recognize Him as our Creator, the
Awesome One. He wants us to think about Him all the time,
include Him in the center of our activities, and most of all, as
we are doing that, He wants our praise.
Yes, God is a jealous God. He wants us to revere only Him and to
place our relationship with Him above everything else.
When our life on earth is done, He wants to spend the remainder
of eternity receiving the praise, honor, and glory that He
deserves. He doesn't want to wait eternally for that praise,
though. He wants it now, and He wants it to continue without
ceasing forever.
Remember to thank God, not only for the things that He has
provided for you, but also for the privilege of knowing the
author of humor, God Himself.
Yours in Christ,
Brian
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/ MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST -- http://www.heartlight.org/
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August 31, 2005
MY JOY... YOUR JOY
That My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might
be full.
John 15:11
http://www.SearchGodsWord.org/desk/?query=joh+15:11&sr=1
What was the joy that Jesus had? It is an insult to use the word
happiness in connection with Jesus Christ. The joy of Jesus was
the absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice of Himself to His
Father, the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do. "I
delight to do Thy will." Jesus prayed that our joy might go on
fulfilling itself until it was the same joy as His. Have I
allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?
The full flood of my life is not in bodily health, not in
external happenings, not in seeing God's work succeed, but in the
perfect understanding of God, and in the communion with Him that
Jesus Himself had. The first thing that will hinder this joy is
the captious irritation of thinking out circumstances. The cares
of this world, said Jesus, will choke God's word. Before we know
where we are, we are caught up in the shows of things. All that
God has done for us is the mere threshold; He wants to get us to
the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim Who Jesus
is.
Be rightly related to God, find your joy there, and out of you
will flow rivers of living water. Be a centre for Jesus Christ to
pour living water through. Stop being self-conscious, stop being
a sanctified prig, and live the life hid with Christ. The life
that is rightly related to God is as natural as breathing
wherever it goes. The lives that have been of most blessing to
you are those who were unconscious of it.
MY UTMOST FOR HIS HIGHEST - by Oswald Chambers //
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http://www.heartlight.org/devotionals/my_utmost /
This devotional is copyright Oswald Chambers Publications,
< http://www.oswaldchambers.co.uk >.
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--
Brian Masinick, mailto:masinick@yahoo.com
Home page: http://www.geocities.com/masinick/
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