A Sure Path to Unhappiness

“Compared to him, I feel worthless.”  “She is so beautiful, I’m ugly.”  “If only I had his opportunities in life, I know I would do better.”  And so it goes for those who look around and compare themselves or their lives with those of others. Rates of anxiety and depression in teens doubled in just one decade with 1 in 3 girls reporting that they have actively thought about suicide!  This is a direct result of social media lets kids ‘look’ at the images created by others, comparing themselves. Yes, teens and young adults have always measured their achievement and worth by comparison to their peers, but the pool was much smaller before the arrival of the smartphone that connects us to the world, literally. It is not just a kid’s problem, either. Many adults struggle to find contentment in life because they do not think they ‘measure up’ to the accomplishments of others.  

Christian, are you content to be the person God made you to be, using the gifts that God gave you?  That is a tough question, isn’t it?

Jesus told a story about God’s rewards for the faithful. The story is not about equality, surprisingly enough to us. The owner of the estate entrusted his employees with portions of his wealth while he was away for a long time. "He gave five bags of gold to one, two bags of gold to another, and one bag of gold to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities—and then left on his trip. The servant who received the five bags of gold began immediately to invest the money and soon doubled it. The servant with two bags of gold also went right to work and doubled the money. But the servant who received the one bag of gold dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money for safekeeping." (Matthew 25:15-18, NLT)   

When the owner returned he rewarded the first two equally, though one had provided significantly more gain than the other. Why? The answer is found in these words:   “Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount.”  He found them faithful, their efforts applied to the excellence!

But, then there is the sad story of the other guy.  He came in offering excuses, reminding the owner of his high standards, holding up the dirty bag of gold, claiming at least he had kept it safe. He received a scathing condemnation, ‘wicked and lazy.’  He had not be faithful, even to his lesser abilities.  Then there is this conclusion that Jesus gives - "To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who are unfaithful, even what little they have will be taken away." (Matthew 25:29, NLT)

All of God’s children are gifted children, not necessarily with IQ’s of 140 or great physical strength. He gives us the life of the Spirit, restoring us to our right heritage as His children through Christ Jesus. Then, that same Spirit enables us to give, serve, lead, show compassion, be craftsmen, teach, pray, share the love of God with others, speak with wisdom, offer insight --- the list is long! Here is the call to you and to me: "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms." (1 Peter 4:10, NIV)  God does NOT expect you to be Billy Graham or Mother Teresa. He desires the best of you, offered to Him in faithfulness.

Comparing ourselves and our successes to those of others frequently leads to another terrible thing- the inability to rejoice in their successes.  The man who enjoys a flourishing business ‘must be a crook to make that much money.’  The pastor who leads a large church ‘can’t be teaching the real Gospel.’  And on and on it goes!  We can be deceived to think that by tearing another down we lift ourselves up.  Jesus forbade that. “Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged." (Matthew 7:1-2, NLT)  Judging and criticizing another’s life will inevitably turn us into mean and ugly people, bereft of happiness  and contentment.

The pathway to contentment is found in pleasing God;  looking up, not around. Comparison is not even reasonable. None of us has exactly the same experiences, backgrounds, or advantages. We cannot hope to replicate the life of anyone else nor should we expect anyone to replicate ours. God knows and loves each one of us as unique persons.  God’s grace finds us in our sin and is sufficient to lead us to a place where we can be who He wants us to be.  You are not valuable because your body is some ‘ideal’ size, because you drive a certain car, have an Ivy League degree, or live in a home straight out of Good Housekeeping.  God does not care if you are a professional or a laborer, rich or poor. He desires faithfulness to His calling and excellence in the use of His gifts and our opportunities.

Are  you comparing?
Are you trying hard to achieve some ideal based on another’s life?
Are you craving the approval and applause of friends?  You will be unhappy! Thankfulness will elude you because those goals are a mirage, always out there on the horizon: shimmering, beautiful, and elusive.

Here is wisdom from the Word, a sure way to be joyful thankful.  Read it, believe it, and – by God’s grace – live it. 

"If you are wise and understand God’s ways, live a life of steady goodness so that only good deeds will pour forth. And if you don’t brag about the good you do, then you will be truly wise!

But if you are bitterly jealous and there is selfish ambition in your hearts, don’t brag about being wise. That is the worst kind of lie. For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual, and motivated by the Devil. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and every kind of evil.

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no partiality and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness." (James 3:13-18, NLT)

Choose to be thankful.
Change your life to meet God’s call.
Be thankful.
Contentment will be your blessing.

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Find Us Faithful

We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us
Line the way
Cheering on the faithful
Encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament
To God's sustaining grace

Surrounded by so great
A cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race
Not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness
Passed on through godly lives

Oh may all who come behind us
Find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion
Light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live
Inspire them to obey (to obey)
(Oh may all who come behind us)
(Find us faithful)

After all our hopes and dreams
Have come and gone
And our children sift through all
We've left behind
May the clues that they discover
And the mem'ries they uncover
Become the light that leads them
To the road we each must find

 

Find us faithful
Oh may all who come behind us
Find us faithful

Jon Mohr © 1987 Birdwing Music (Admin. by Capitol CMG Publishing)

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Selfish?

I watched a documentary about a well-known celebrity, actor, politician in which the word “I” was prominent. The person proudly declared how hearing a thousand people chanting his name was his dream from childhood. He was born in an off the main road town and became world-renowned by the age of 21. There is no doubt that his drive and intensity produced the results he wanted, but is that all life is about?  Is it just our trophies, our record of achievement, the number of people who speak our name, the measure of success?

Jesus calls us to a different way of living, one that He demonstrated in His own life. "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross daily, and follow me. If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for me, you will find true life. And how do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose or forfeit your own soul in the process?" (Luke 9:23-25, NLT)  How quickly I nod in agreement but when I really stop to think about that call, the challenge is clear.  

Honestly, I take care of Jerry!  There is always a current of self-interest flowing through me. Some of that is healthy. A person who hates themselves becomes a wreck, often doing damage to people around them, too.  Failing to take care of one’s self – bathing, eating, interacting with others properly - is a sign of mental distress.

However, when we turn healthy care of our body and soul into a self-centered worship of “Me, Myself, and I”  insisting that "the world owes me happiness" our lives become ugly. We become parasites that rob life from others, stealing their sunshine, grabbing every larger slices of life to feed Self.  The evidence of this imbalance is abundant in our present culture. “I gotta be me” is said without a hint of shame. Commitments take a back seat to “what makes me feel good now.”  Loyalty is rare. Duty has become a kind of curse word.

Living for self is natural when one does not know and love God. After all, life is short. If it comes down to how much happiness we can enjoy for the 7 or 8 decades we live under the sun, Self must be served.

Christian, we know that there is more than that to our existence. By faith we see over the horizon of time and into eternity. That is why Jesus’ call to die to Self makes sense. We are investing our lives and in the process finding a richer, fuller life than we can naturally imagine.  In Matthew 25, we catch a glimpse of the promise. "Then the King will say to those on the right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’ “Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? When did we ever see you sick or in prison, and visit you?’

 And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’" (Matthew 25:34-40, NLT)

Are you one of those Christians who has bought into a 'gospel of self-enhancement?’ (McLaren)  We are tempted to rewrite the Scripture’s declaration that "God loves the world" into "God loves ME and wants ME to be happy!” Truthfully,  Jesus did not come to give us the ability to become more healthy, more wealthy, and more happy than our neighbors. In the process of living the life of the Spirit we may discover some of those blessings, but they are by-products of the work of the Spirit that restores the image of God in us which was lost to sin and selfishness.  The whisper of the Spirit, deep within us, is insistent that we exist for some reason greater than piling up lots of stuff to play with or carving out a place of comfort where we can live out our days in self-indulgence. Jesus says that if we embrace self-sacrifice, only then do we truly find life!

Do something for someone today for which you expect NO THANKS. It doesn't have to be grand. Maybe it's listening to somebody's story, or washing your kid's clothes, or picking up trash in the parking lot. Pray for the most miserable person you know, asking God's blessing for them.  Pray for the Holy Spirit to help you to abandon complaining and seeking for recognition. Seek to be a servant for Jesus' sake. You will find ‘life to the full.’

 Here's a word from the Word. As you read pray that the Holy Spirit will let you appreciate the joy that can be found in humble service to God, expressed in serving others.

“Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn't claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death-and the worst kind of death at that: a crucifixion.

Because of that obedience, God lifted him high and honored him far beyond anyone or anything, ever, so that all created beings in heaven and on earth-even those long ago dead and buried-will bow in worship before this Jesus Christ, and call out in praise that he is the Master of all, to the glorious honor of God the Father.”  Philippians 2:5-11 (The Message, a contemporary paraphrase of the Bible)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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Only Jesus

Make it count
leave a mark
build a name for yourself
Dream your dreams
chase your heart above all else
Make a name the world remembers

But all an empty world can sell is empty dreams
I got lost in the light when it was up to me
To make a name the world remembers
But Jesus is the only name to remember

And I I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus
And I I've only got one life to live
I'll let every second point to Him
Only Jesus

All the kingdoms built all the trophies won
Will crumble into dust when it's said and done
'Cause all that really matters
Did I live the truth to the ones I love
Was my life the proof that there is only One
Whose name will last forever

Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name
Jesus is the only name to remember

I I don't want to leave a legacy
I don't care if they remember me
Only Jesus

 

Bernie Herms | Mark Hall | Matthew West

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Blessed, now bless!

 

Have you experienced the joy of being blessed by another? Probably you did not refer to that way, but if you received a word of thanks or praises or affirmation, you were ‘blessed.’ The word simply means to be ‘favored.’  When I receive a card of appreciation or a note that lets me know that something I have done has helped another person, my day brightens with joy. 

Parents who learn to ‘bless’ their children with true words of encouragement, hope, and recognition give a gift of amazing value in the formation of that child’s life. I am ‘blessed’ by watching each of my adult children pass along the ‘blessings’ to their children.   

Leaders of groups, large and small, will find their work much more effective when they recognize the work of those with whom they share a mission.  Let’s not confuse flattery with blessing.  Insincere praise is corrosive because it is not based in truth but that is a topic for another day.

Christian friend, we have a Father in Heaven who loves to bless us. "How we praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we belong to Christ. Long ago, even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes.  

His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the wonderful kindness he has poured out on us because we belong to his dearly loved Son. He is so rich in kindness that he purchased our freedom through the blood of his Son, and our sins are forgiven." (Ephesians 1:3-7, NLT)   

Oh that every Christian would memorize and meditate on the truth declared there.  We are no longer orphaned in this world, we are adopted into God’s own family. He is delighted to love us, not duty-bound. He has a destiny planned for us, to make us whole and holy. When we mess up (and we do!) He is not vindictive, He is kind and forgiving.

His greatest blessings are not the money in our bank account, the clothes we wear, or the meals we eat. They are His grace and love which make it possible for us to be more than His servants, we are His children – sons and daughters with full rights of inheritance of eternal life.

Yes, my friend, you are blessed!

Now, be a “blesser.”

If we take in His blessings but fail to learn to pour them back out onto others,  we will become like the Dead Sea. That body of water in Israel’s desert contains no life because it has no overflow. Water flows in but only leaves by evaporation which over the time has so concentrated minerals in the water that it is incompatible with life. Water, the very essence of life, has been turned into death by an over-concentration of minerals that are critical to health in the right proportions.  What a powerful metaphor for us.  We need to pour out God’s blessings so we can be refreshed.  In so doing, we are enriched even as we enrich others.

John says it like this - "We love because He first loved us." (1 John 4:19, NIV)   "My dear, dear friends, if God loved us like this, we certainly ought to love each other. No one has seen God, ever. But if we love one another, God dwells deeply within us, and his love becomes complete in us—perfect love! " (1 John 4:11-12, The Message)  See the pattern?  God loves us and we, in turn, love others. The result is that His love grows stronger in us until it is mature and whole.

What a difference we can make in the world in which we live IF we receive God’s gifts and share them. God can retrain your thoughts and speech. He can fill your mouth with words of blessings, give you a genuine love even for those who are unlovely. The paradox is that the more we love, the greater the love we enjoy. There is no limit to the supply.   So, how about it?  Thank your Father for His blessings. Learn to give thanks and praise to Him, then go be a refreshing source of life-giving water in a parched, thirsty world.

Here is His blessing to us which I want to pray for you today. " For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God." (Ephesians 3:14-19, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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The Blessing

The Lord bless you

And keep you

Make his face shine upon you

And be gracious to you

The Lord turn his

Face toward you

And give you peace

 

Amen

Amen

Amen

 

May his favor

Be upon you

And a thousand generations

And your family

And your children

And their children

And their children

 

May his presence

Go before you

And behind you

And beside you

All around you

And within you

He is with you

He is with you

 

In the morning

In the evening

In your coming

And your going

In your weeping

And rejoicing

He is for you

He is for you

 

He is for you

He is for you

 

Chris Brown | Cody Carnes | Kari Jobe | Steven Furtick

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Serenity, is it possible?

 

The smoke from a wildfire in Canada blanketed a third of the United States yesterday.  It was thick at my home, making my eyes water and apparently alarming many who called 9-1-1 to report a fire. Looking at my own dry lawn, I wondered about fire here.  I saw the story out of Ukraine about a major dam on the Dnieper River that was blown up, adding to the death count and misery of that war.  I spoke with someone deeply concerned about a struggle in their family and strained relationships. 

Yes, there is plenty to make us worry.   Who does not experience at least some anxiety over our deeply divided nation, the future of our leveraged economy, or gloomy rumors of wars?  Add in the personal challenges of work, family, health, and finance and there is a recipe for a stew of stress!  

In the second half of John’s Gospel, we read an extended conversation between Jesus and His disciples over the final Passover meal as He prepared them for His imminent arrest and death.  They were confused by His words, unable to grasp His promise of a new Comforter that will come to live in them, the Holy Spirit. Jesus does not sugarcoat the future. He warns them that they will be persecuted by the world who will not like them any more than they liked Him. He tells them that when they do good, they will be hated. He says that troubles will come their way. 

But, He promises them a pathway to peace.

Christians sometimes falsely conclude that they must have ‘faulty faith’ when they experience trouble and hardship.  “If there is all this trouble in my life I must be doing something wrong,” we tend to think. No doubt about it, we can bring trouble on our own heads by making foolish decisions, by living without prayerful awareness of God’s Spirit. However, because we live in a broken and sinful world, even the most devout saints will go through hard times.

Serenity is possible, a gift God provides.  Here’s what Jesus said at the Last Supper to men who were confused and stressed by what He had told them about their future:  "Truly, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy when you see me again. It will be like a woman experiencing the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives place to joy because she has brought a new person into the world. You have sorrow now, but I will see you again; then you will rejoice, and no one can rob you of that joy." (John 16:20-22, NLT)   

Those men were going to enter into a greater darkness than they had ever known, but in three days the Resurrection would let them put the puzzle together, give them the assurance they needed, and prepare them for the future. – “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”    (John 16:33)

“Take heart! I have overcome the world!” is still a promise to shape our emotions. Temptation, death, divorce, disappointment, failure, missed expectations, wars, divided culture, dysfunctional people – will bring us concern, but for the saint there is serenity found in the care of the Lord.

Stressed and anxious, worried and weary?  Meditate prayerfully on this word from the Word and I pray serenity will flood your mind.
"Do not be anxious about anything,
but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
present your requests to God.
And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—
think about such things.
Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—
put it into practice.
And the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:6-9, NIV)

(Video of this blog at this link)

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O Come To The Altar

 

Are you hurting and broken within

Overwhelmed by the weight of your sin

Jesus is calling

Have you come to the end of yourself

Do you thirst for a drink from the well

Jesus is calling

 

O come to the altar

The Father's arms are open wide

Forgiveness was bought with

The precious blood of Jesus Christ

 

Leave behind your regrets and mistakes

Come today there's no reason to wait

Jesus is calling

Bring your sorrows and trade them for joy

From the ashes a new life is born

Jesus is calling

 

Oh what a Savior

Isn't he wonderful

Sing alleluia Christ is risen

Bow down before him

For he is Lord of all

Sing alleluia Christ is risen

 

Bear your cross as you wait for the crown

Tell the world of the treasure you've found

 

Chris Brown | Mack Brock | Steven Furtick | Wade Joye

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