You and I can experience true and long-lasting joy and an eternally full life because of Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus tells us the type of joy and blessings we can experience in His Sermon on the Mount.
The above paragraph is an introduction to a post I made on this topic last year during Holy Week. In lieu of writing a new post, I thought it would be wise to point you to last year’s entry on this topic.
Have a wonderful day and be reminded that the One who loves you more than any person died so that you can experience joy and life – to the fullest and eternally.
The 2010 Winter Olympics are over. Over the course of 17 days of this year’s competition, Team USA earned 37 medals — the most ever by one country in one Games, besting Germany’s mark of 36 set at Salt Lake. The feat was even more impressive considering it was the first time the U.S. earned the most medals in a Winter Olympics since 1932 at Lake Placid. Germany won 30 medals and Canada, the host country, won 26 total medals.
Medals Made of Recycled Material
And here’s a piece of trivia for you. This year’s 549 medals contained metal from recycled TVs, computers, and keyboards that might have otherwise ended up as e-waste. (More on this here.) I suspect that over a period of enough time, these medals will likely become tarnished.
Physical Conditioning and Discipline
To be good enough to win an Olympic medal, whether it be bronze, silver or gold, takes a tremendous amount of talent, skill and, for most of the events, a high degree of physical conditioning. Preparing for an Olympic competition requires discipline and perseverance. In the end the award that athletes receive is a medal, along with the distinction of being recognized as the world’s best athlete in their respective sport.
“All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:25
Running the Race of Life
Our life as a Christian is like an Olympic athlete training to win a medal. Whereas the prize for the athlete is a medal, our prizes are at least two-fold.
One prize is the abundant life that we are able to live because we are walking day to day with Jesus and by the power of the Holy Spirit. The more disciplined we are at incorporating spiritual exercises into our lives on a daily basis, the more rewarding and fulfilling our life can be. The more we live according to the guidebook that God gives us, the Bible, the sweeter our life can be. God has this “prize” for us on this side of heaven.
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that theymay have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10
Paul encourages the Corinthians to run the race of life with endurance and that the crown we will receive will last forever. He encourages us to press on, to persevere, to endure. As athletes require discipline in physical training and in what they eat to be competitive enough to win an Olympic medal, we must be disciplined in various forms of spiritual exercises to win the crown of a full and abundant life. ( Corinthians 9:24-25 )
The more disciplined and consistent we are in our spiritual exercises, the more abundance we will tend to receive this side of heaven. This is one reason Jesus died on the cross for you and for me.
The other “prize” that God makes available for us is the crown of eternal life that we’ll spend with Jesus after we leave this earth. It becomes available to us when we accept Jesus in our heart as our Savior. Isaiah 35:10 tells us that everlasting joy will crown the heads of those who walk with Jesus in a personal way. Unlike the tarnish that will probably occur with the metal of the Olympic medals, our crown of everlasting life and our joy will continue forever.
I encourage you to be disciplined in applying the principles of the Bible in such a way that you’re experiencing a full and rewarding life – the kind God desires for you. And I pray that you are confident that you’ll live eternally in the presence of God because of a choice you’ve made to invite Jesus into your heart.
A Few Questions to Consider
What disciplines in your life contribute most to your level of spiritual fitness?
Are you experiencing an abundant life in the way Jesus has made it available for you?
What spiritual exercises could you incorporate into your life to give you a more full life?
As I prepare to talk to a group of women this Sunday at a church near Charlotte, and review my notes that I’ll use and the key points that I’ll likely make, I’m reminded again of the essence of the Christian faith.
It’s about a close relationship with God, through his son Jesus and living by the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s not about “religion.” It’s about knowing and remaining connected to God in an intimate way.
Jesus tells his disciples in John 15:5 ….
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”
This verse tells us that we cannot live the kind of fruit-bearing life that he wants us to live unless we are closely connected to Jesus. Yes, we must also humble ourselves before God, submit to and follow his ways, and believe that what the Bible says is truth.
When we make a habit of living life according to the principles God outlines for us in his Holy Bible, we are promised that we’ll have an abundant life. We may not be free of disease, we will in all likelihood experience really tough life circumstances, but amidst it all we can enjoy deep inner peace, inner spiritual strength, joy, love and contentment. Oh yes, and we can be assured of living eternally in a wonderful heaven!
The more closely we stay connected to Jesus, the better we’ll understand our unique purpose in life and the greater difference we’ll make for his Kingdom and the body of Christ.
What blessings God has for us…. if we will put our faith in him, trust him, obey his truths for living found in the Bible and walk our life in close relationship with him.
These are some of the key points I hope to remind the audience of this Sunday. As I review my notes, read the related scriptures that I intend to emphasize and pray for God to guide me, I’m reminded of the great and powerful love he has for me and for you.
Life is good… when you know God in an intimate way!
Questions to Reflect On
Are you living in a close relationship with God, spending alone time with him on most days?
Are you regularly reading the Bible to learn how he wants you to live?
Today’s Wall Street Journal carries an article titled “Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work.” The author’s corresponding blog post uses the following title – “Workplace Blues? Call a Happiness Coach.”
“How would you feel if your employer brought in a happiness coach — a trainer or speaker urging you to practice new behaviors, cheer up and stop stressing out?” That’s how Sue Shellenberger’s blog post begins. She writes that trainers and coaches are “drawing on psychological research and ancient religious traditions to teach inner peace, gratitude, kindness and resiliency in the face of adversity” that is so prevalent at the workplace in today’s tough economic times. Shellenberger writes that coaches are placing an emphasis on the inner happiness of their clients and how they can control their own mood amidst turbulence or misfortune. Some techniques mentioned are writing emails to friends thanking them for something they’ve done, meditating daily to clear your mind, doing something for someone without expecting anything in return and focusing on the process of work rather than the outcome which you can’t control.
It’s true that we all can benefit from applying techniques and activities that will bring us peace, kindness and strength during tough times. Fortunately, God provides us many principles for this in the Bible. Let’s take a look.
What the Bible Says About Happiness and Joy
“Oh, the joys of those who …. delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.” Psalm 1:1-2
“O LORD Almighty, happy are those who trust in you.” Psalm 84:12
“Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship, for they will walk in the light of your presence, Lord.” Psalm 89:15
“Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord. Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.” Psalm 119:1-2
“As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.” Psalm 119:143
“Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.” Philippians 4:6-7
“Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise….. then the God of peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:8-9
What You Can Do
Deep inner happiness or joy is what people are looking for. That need is greater than short term happiness which is typically dependent on our circumstances. So how do you come to a place of joy? Our creator, God, inspired the authors of the Bible to tell us that this kind of deep happiness comes from placing your trust in God and by following his principles or commandments.
Trust and faith in God require a decision deep in your will. It requires you to believe deep in your heart that God is who the Bible tells us he is…. a loving, forgiving, all-knowing, powerful and holy God. When you believe this, it enables you to place your trust in him and to follow his ways.
You can’t know his ways unless you learn them and the best source of this knowledge is the Holy Bible. The more you read it, the more you can come to an understanding of who God is and what his principles for living are.
The challenge then is to live in accordance to these principles. We might call this obedience. The Bible tells us that if we truly love God we will obey him. (1 John 1:5) Having a deep love for God and spending time alone with him will enable you to obey him more easily. The scriptures above remind us that it’s through following his principles that we receive deep happiness or joy.
Thinking “healthy” thoughts is also key to maintaining a good attitude and achieving an on-going level of peace. As you renew your mind by thinking more about God and His nature and truth and less about untruths and negative thoughts it will likely improve your day-to-day attitude and corresponding emotions, as well as your disposition on life. This ought to contribute to a sense of peace and may well impact in a positive way on your emotional and physical health.
So, receive God’s love deep in your heart, get to know him better, place your trust in him, pray to him, think about “things of heaven,” thank God and follow his principles found in the Bible. That’s the pathway to deep joy and inner peace.
I don’t know about you, but God is my Happiness Coach.
Have a terrific day!
Questions About Happiness and Joy to Reflect On
How are you handling the pressures at work or in your home?
Who is your Happiness Coach?
What books or materials are you reading as a source of truth on how to have joy and peace?
meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.
We are made whole if we confess with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and we believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead. (Romans 10:9)
This is God’s promise in the Bible. We who believe in Jesus, and in what the Bible says about who He is and what He did, will be saved. We will have eternal life.
Jesus also wants us to have an abundant life on this earth. He tells us this in John 10:10. The way we can live life to the fullest is to surrender our “self” nature to God’s Holy Spirit who lives in us. The more we surrender to Him, the more we will enjoy the ‘fruits’ mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23 – love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.
I hope that you are enjoying the full life that Jesus wants you to experience.
Yes, Jesus died a gruesome death on a cross for you and for me. He also is risen and because of this, we can have life. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
On a hill over 2000 years ago, Jesus shed His blood and died for all of my sins. Because I believe this, I have been made right with God. I also have deep peace, ever-lasting joy and assurance that I will live in heaven for all eternity. Romans 3:22-26 and Romans 6:23
I hope that you know Him and have His peace and joy and assurance of eternal life in heaven. If not, read more about Jesus.
If you don’t have Jesus in your life but desire what believing in Him can offer you, follow this link or contact me. I’d love to share more about what Jesus has done in my life and can do in yours.
As I was sitting in church yesterday, Palm Sunday, and read the words of songs on the screen that were being sung by the choir, I was reminded of who I am and how I am living because of what God and Jesus have done. I made a decision to blog on this daily during this Holy Week before Easter.
Jesus was obedient to God in that He allowed others to crucify Him on a cross on Calvary. In the day or two preceding His death, Jesus was emotionally distraught. On the Mount of Olives, Jesus knelt and prayed to God, “Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet, I want your will not mine.” (Luke 22:42) Jesus knew the suffering He would endure as he carried His own cross to the hilltop on which He would be crucified. He knew the agony and pain His body would experience. He knew that for a moment as He would take all of our sins upon Himself that He would be separated from His Father and that this would be horribly painful in a spiritual sense.
The Bible tells us that soldiers mocked Him and beat Him on the head with a stick before He made the trip to Calvary to be killed. (Matthew 27:30) Most of us have seen the accounts of how He must have been beaten and whipped by the Roman soldiers in keeping with the tradition of that time. Clearly, Jesus suffered in an excruciating way. More about His crucifixion.
He suffered because He was obedient to the will of God, His father. God’s plan was that Jesus would be crucified so that we could have a full and eternal life. (John 3:16, John 10:10)
You and I can experience true and long-lasting joy because of Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus tells us the type of joy and blessings we can experience in His Sermon on the Mount – Matthew 5:3-12
One of Jesus’ disciples, Paul, writes about the life circumstances and joy he was able to experience in the book of Philippians. He writes about his joy in times of suffering, serving, believing and in giving. Paul encourages all believers to be joyful amongst the various experiences of our lives.
I know that I have experienced and continue to experience deep inner joy in my life because of the suffering and sorrow that Jesus experienced.
Do you experience joy because you know Jesus personally? I hope so.
If you have not accepted God’s deep love by believing in His son Jesus but are ready to have His peace and joy you can do that now. Follow this link.
Happy people spend a lot of time socializing, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television. This new study conducted at the University of Maryland found that unhappy people watched it more and happy people watched it less.
The researchers could not tell whether unhappy people watch more television or whether being glued to the set is what makes people unhappy.
I have a strong hunch that unhappy people just watch more TV. Because they are unhappy and do not have joy in their life, they watch more TV as a means of entertainment and to escape from their real life which is not full of rich relationships with other people and with God.
Here are a few truths from scripture on happiness and joy:
“Wisdom is a tree of life to those who embrace her; happy are those who hold her tightly.” Proverbs 3:18
“I will be filled with joy because of you.I will sing praises to your name, O Most High.” Psalm 9:2
“The Lord is my strength and shield.I trust him with all my heart.He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.” Psalm 28:7
“Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” Psalm 34:8
Scripture tells us that being happy and joyful stems from the wisdom of God and from being in relationship with Him.
Are you unhappy or do you lack true inner joy or are you experiencing the contentment and resulting life full of joy that flows from a rich relationship with God? If the latter is the case, my hunch is that you don’t watch as much TV as the unhappy people do.
Reuters Health released an article on September 1, 2008, “Lack of Joy in Life Ups Early Death Risk,” about a research study conducted in Japan. It found that people who don’t think life is worth living are more likely to die within the next few years. The increased death risk was mainly due to cardiovascular disease and external causes — most commonly, suicide. The research is the largest to date to investigate how “ikigai,” or “joy and a sense of well-being from being alive,” affects mortality risk, and only the second to examine death from specific causes, according to Dr. Toshimasa Sone and colleagues from the Tohoku University Graduate School of Medicine in Sendai.
In this study, the investigators looked at 43,391 men and women between the ages of 40 and 79. Each person was asked the question, “Do you have “ikigai” in your life?” The researchers found that those who did not have a sense of a “ikigai” were in worse health, more mentally stressed, and in more bodily pain. They were also more likely to have limited physical function. Overall, people with no sense of “ikigai” were 50% more likely to die from any cause during the follow-up period compared to those who did have a sense of life worth living.
The Bible speaks to the topic of joy and a life worth living in Psalm 119. Let’s look at the following five scriptures:
Psalm 119:1 Joyful are people of integrity, who follow the instructions of the Lord.
Psalm 119:2- Joyful are those who obey his laws and search for him with all their hearts.
Psalm 119:74 – May all who fear you find in me a cause for joy, for I have put my hope in your word.
Psalm 119:92- If your instructions hadn’t sustained me with joy, I would have died in my misery.
Psalm 119:143 – As pressure and stress bear down on me, I find joy in your commands.
Similar to the blog post on happiness that I made on Saturday, living a life that is in line with God’s principles that are written about in the Bible can not only bring a life of happiness but of joy and a sense that life is worth living.As the researchers in this Japanese study have discovered, those with a deep sense of joy and a sense that life is worth living do have better health outcomes than those who do not have that sense of deep joy in their hearts.That’s how God designed us.And that’s why God inspired the writers of the Bible to give us the truth that can be found there.As I urged readers of my blog on Saturday, I will urge you again to read through Psalm 119 so that you can understand the value of living according to God’s principles.
Do you have deep inner joy and a sense that life is worth living? I hope so.If not, I pray that by reading Psalm 119 and spending more time reading about the truths of God and through developing a personal relationship with Jesus you’ll be enable to find true and lasting joy and a sense of meaning of life.
A few days ago I was listening to Johnny Cash’s song, “I Walk the Line”, while I was running. One of the lines in the song is “Keep a close watch on this heart of mine.” It reminded me of several scriptures:
Proverbs 4:23 – “Above all else, guard your heart for it is the wellspring of life.”
Proverbs 14:30 – “A heart at peace gives life to the body but envy rots the bones.”
Proverbs 15 :13 – “A happy heart makes the face cheerful.”
Proverbs 17:22 – “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
From a spiritual perspective, our heart is the deepest part of our being. It perhaps includes our soul and our spirit. It’s clear by what we read in scripture that God advises, in fact he commands us, to take care of matters of the heart. Certainly Johnny Cash knew that, and God wants us to know that too.
How do we take care of our heart? We guard against things that are not of God. We resist the lies that the evil one speaks into our mind. We spend time reading God’s Word so that His truth can sink deep into our spirit and soul – our heart. As we understand His truth by reading the Word, we do our very best to live our lives in accordance with His guidelines and His truth. We monitor our behaviors, our thoughts and what we say. We take an honest look, on a periodic basis, deep into our heart, to see if there is any aspect of our heart that is not in alignment with God.
Having any bitterness or unforgiveness in our heart certainly is not of God. If somebody has hurt you in the past, if you are upset with God or you haven’t forgiven yourself concerning an issue of your life, your heart is probably not right with either God, yourself or another person. God would want us to take this issue to Him prayerfully so that we don’t carry this burden in our heart. Doing this frees us up on the inside so that more of God’s Spirit can control us.
Yes, our heart is the wellspring of all life. It is at the deepest level of our heart that God lives in us with His Holy Spirit. He does not want to share space with anything that’s not good, pure and holy. Is your heart pure? Is your heart full of peace, joy and love? I hope so, because when that’s the case, God’s spirit certainly can be alive in you to the fullest. Consequently, your life will probably be healthier because of it. You’ll also be a better example for others who observe you as you live this life.
Take good care of your heart….and have an awesome day!!
You and I can experience true and long-lasting joy and an eternally full life because of Jesus’ suffering and death. Jesus tells us the type of joy and blessings we can experience in His Sermon on the Mount.
The 2010 Winter Olympics are over. Over the course of 17 days of this year’s competition, Team USA earned 37 medals — the most ever by one country in one Games, besting Germany’s mark of 36 set at Salt Lake. The feat was even more impressive considering it was the first time the U.S. earned the most medals in a Winter Olympics since 1932 at Lake Placid. Germany won 30 medals and Canada, the host country, won 26 total medals.
To be good enough to win an Olympic medal, whether it be bronze, silver or gold, takes a tremendous amount of talent, skill and, for most of the events, a high degree of physical conditioning. Preparing for an Olympic competition requires discipline and perseverance. In the end the award that athletes receive is a medal, along with the distinction of being recognized as the world’s best athlete in their respective sport.
As I prepare to talk to a group of women 
Today’s Wall Street Journal carries an article titled “Thinking Happy Thoughts at Work.” The author’s corresponding blog post uses the following title – 
Happy people spend a lot of time socializing, going to church and reading newspapers — but they don’t spend a lot of time watching television. 
From a spiritual perspective, our heart is the deepest part of our being. It perhaps includes our soul and our spirit. It’s clear by what we read in scripture that God advises, in fact he commands us, to take care of matters of the heart. Certainly Johnny Cash knew that, and God wants us to know that too.
Let’s Connect!