Lessons from evil people

Believe it or not we could learn a lot from evil people. Look at how zealously they serve there god, Satan and look at in comparison how apathetic we serve the true God. Consider the words from Living Zealously by Joel Beeke and James A. La Belle

We should be motivated by people who are violent ways of sin, lest they serve Satan better than we serve God. People of this world are industrious, vigorous, and resolute in the ways of sin, while we are negligent, cold, and inconstant in the service of righteousness. They disregard all reproofs and counsel, they grieve friends and relatives who stand in their way they readily venture into great dangers, they waste their wealth, macerate their bodies, and in the end die martyrs to lust and sin. They are zealous in following the way to hell, while many of us are sluggish on the path to heaven. They break bone and body for hell, while we are afraid to break flesh and skin for glory.

You have to give evil people credit they love what they do and they do it well. What about the Christian?

Are you ready?

Do you recognize any of these symptoms in people today?

Love only themselves and their money
Boastful and proud
Disobedient
Ungrateful
Consider nothing sacred.
 Unloving and unforgiving
Slandering others
No self-control
Cruel and hate what is good
 Betrayal of friends
Reckless
Puffed up with pride
Love pleasure rather than God
 Act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly

If you’re honest your answer is yes and you shouldn’t be surprised. Is this list one I just came up with in my dealings with people yesterday? No, but it could have been. This list came straight out of 2 Timothy 3 with the heading of Dangers of the Last Days. I’m not running around saying the end of the world is near, but it could be. To be true to scripture no one knows when that day will come. However the signs are there, there are indications, signs or whatever you want to call it, that the end of the world is approaching. And I can’t wait. How about you? Are you ready for the end of the world? You don’t get ready by stocking up on food, water, and guns. You get ready for the end of the world by trusting in Jesus.

Not made to wait

I was very convicted at church yesterday as it worked out the Sunday school lesson and the sermon were both pointing fingers right at me. Sunday school had to do with being a lukewarm Christian and the sermon was about sharing your faith. I was reminded of what I have done more times than I’d care to admit. I go into a situation all prepared to share my faith, talk about Jesus, to tell someone how much He means to me, then I walk away saying the opportunity never came up and I’m good with that. I should not be good with that attitude. Because Satan would be greatly pleased with that attitude and Jesus would not. Sitting around waiting for the right moment is not what we are commanded to do. In the great commission Jesus said GO not wait. There are those who would not agree but the Christian was made to play offense not defense. The opportunity never came up is one of the worst things a Christian can say because it actually shows that they hate people, by not letting them know that trusting in Jesus is how they avoid Hell. It also show how little they think of Jesus by not wanting to be identified with Him. We were not made to wait.

Be Prepared

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Luke 14:25-27  

²⁵ A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, ²⁶ “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. ²⁷ And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple.
Section from the book
And when Jesus really does come first, life becomes filled with risks. You risk the loss of family, reputation, prosperity, and more—for the world is hostile to this kind of allegiance and worship and hates the renunciation of those things the world loves to worship.

Simple thoughts

This is one of those cases when the section from the book really speaks for itself. However the key words are the first 7, and when Jesus really does come first.

If you have never lost anything for the sake of Jesus, I’m not sure you really have him first.  When you put Jesus first be prepared because the Bible is clear the world will come against you. The question is do you trust Jesus enough to take on the world?

Check your ID

 

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Romans 5: 3-5  

³ We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. ⁴ And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. ⁵ And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.

Section from the book

When the world strips away your comfort and confidence in things temporal, when friends become enemies and attack you, when in the providence of God suffering enters your life like a flash flood, you are given an opportunity to see very clearly where your ultimate dependence lies and where you find your identity.

Simple thoughts

There are two kinds of suffering and trials. One is the self inflicted kind where there are consequences for your actions. The other comes when something happens that you had no control over. The key to both kinds of suffering is knowing that God causes all things to work for good for those who love him. I really love what it says above in regards to suffering and trials. You are given an opportunity to see very clearly where your ultimate dependence lies and where you find your identity. When you come to the realization that your ultimate dependence and your identity is found in Christ. You should say thank you suffering, thank you trials. When a person’s dependence and identity is in something other than Christ they are doomed now and possibly forever unless they change and trust in Christ. The next time a trial or suffering comes upon you let it be an opportunity to check your identity.

You're UGLY

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage  John 17: 1-3
17 After saying all these things, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son so he can give glory back to you. ² For you have given him authority over everyone. He gives eternal life to each one you have given him. ³ And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Section from the book

Good theology uncovers the truth about ourselves—that we are men and women made in God’s image, who exist for his glory, but have turned inward and ugly through our own sin. Without the hope of the gospel we are objects of wrath and await destruction
Simple thoughts

Theology is an interesting word, it brings up images of really smart people. I had a pastor one time tell me that I had a theological mind, I thought to myself this guy is not to smart. However as I have come to realize that theology is not all about being really smart. I like what was said in the section above, good theology uncovers the truth about ourselves. Good theology is when you come to the realization that you are not who you were created to be and that indeed you are a sinner (you’re ugly) and the only way to fix it is to trust in God. Otherwise you are headed for wrath and destruction aka. Hell. For some theology leads to pride and for others it leads to Jesus. Make sure you practice good theology.

Trust me you need this

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 John 5:21

Little children, keep yourselves from idols.

Section from the book

The call to keep one’s self from idols is given to the church. This sounds strange, as you see yourself as a worshiper of God and not of strange deities. But there it is at the end of John’s epistle. His last words in that letter to the church are, “Keep yourselves from idols.” The warning isn’t given to them because it wasn’t a real danger or because there was an off chance someone might fall into idolatry. It was given because this is our root problem on any given day. It is what we, especially as followers of Jesus, must fight against.

Even when you know the dangers of idolatry and the command to keep yourself from idols, do you know what idols you need to keep yourself from? It is not enough to say that you will worship Christ alone and reject false gods. You must be able to recognize the form idolatry takes in your life.

Simple thoughts

I’m sure you do not have a golden calf enshrined somewhere in your house that you worship everyday. But I am sure somewhere ,you have an idol that you worship more than you even know. The funny thing about idols is that they don’t look like you’d think. They are not statues; they may not even be a physical thing. The simple definition of an idol is anything you place in front of God. To indentify your idols just look where you spend the most of your time and money, that could very well be your idol. What is it that you are the most afraid of losing? That could be your idol. Where does your mind drift off to when given the chance? That too could be your idol.  I will go out on a limb and say that the root of all your personal problems is in fact idolatry. The way to kill roots in a septic system is copper sulfate. The way to kill the roots of idolatry in your life is a fresh and renewed sense of the gospel.

Who's on your pedastal?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 Peter 5:5

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”

Section from the book

You are proud, and what makes this so dangerous is that you don’t realize just how proud you are. There are two reasons you see pride as a sin that isn’t a real problem for you. One is that you are quick to compare yourself to the worst examples of proud men and women, and this gives you a sense of self-righteousness that comforts you. Comparatively, you believe you aren’t “that bad.” This makes little of a very serious sin problem.

The second reason you think pride isn’t a serious issue for you is that you think so little of your talents and abilities. But poor self-esteem is not an indication of humility or meekness. In fact, it may be a disregarding of the gifts God has given you and a mocking of the work he is doing in your life. How does this connect to pride? Haven’t you used this excuse of no ability and no talent to clear yourself of responsibility? Isn’t it possible that you have used poor self-esteem as an excuse for doing nothing or as a means of saving face? Who could fault you when you don’t claim to be good at anything? Make no mistake about it—you are proud!

  Simple thoughts

Pride is all about elevation. Pride occurs when a person elevates themselves. Immediately when you compare yourself to someone worse than you, you just elevated yourself. That’s pride. The other side of the coin is very sneaky and one many have never thought about and that is when you try and lower yourself you are trying to manipulate others into elevating you. Either way you are putting yourself on a pedestal when Christ is the only one who deserves the top spot.

Confidence is looking in the mirror and seeing someone else

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Isaiah 44:22

I have swept away your sins like a cloud.
I have scattered your offenses like the morning mist.
Oh, return to me,
for I have paid the price to set you free.”

Section from the book

You can, and must, return to God daily. His promise is that he will receive you as you come—in faith, not in moral purity. This is what gospel confidence looks like. It is not an insincere approach to God that dismisses our corruption while presuming on his grace, but a heartfelt dependency on the grace of Christ to make us acceptable at all times. Gospel confidence is not found in our best religious performance, be it guilt-penance or law keeping, but in the merit and mercy of Jesus on our behalf.
  Simple thoughts

Gospel confidence is something we should strive for. But it is something that we can never achieve on our own. In fact the more we try to achieve it, the more distant it becomes. It is in a sense just like today’s picture, when you look into the mirror you need to see someone else, Jesus. When you can do this that is when you will have gospel confidence.

Kill it

Scripture passage Romans 8:13

For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

Section from the book

You seem to think that your sins will somehow die of old age. It’s as if you believe you can wait them out, and they will eventually grow weak and fail. But the truth is your sin ages more like an oak tree. If you aren’t chopping it down, its roots are growing deeper, and its branches are growing stronger.

In other words, your sin will not just go away. You are called to aggressively seek sin’s destruction—to kill it. But even when you understand this, it is more complicated than plotting its murder, for the act of killing sin is a slow, continuous process that runs the span of your life. And if you are not putting sin to death, then you will find that it is seeking your destruction. As John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”

Killing sin isn’t merely the cutting of branches but a striking at the root. This means you need to do more than recognize your sin of impatience; you must seek to know how this branch of sin is connected to the root of pride. From there you can get to work. But the work of killing sin is not moral improvement or personal reformation. It is the Holy Spirit empowered spiritual war against all forms of corruption that would lead you away from the gospel. Sin and temptation lead you away from the gospel by telling you that you can find greater fulfillment and satisfaction in something other than Jesus. Your sinful actions always reflect the battle within you over your allegiance.

What this means is that the true nature of spiritual warfare is a fight against indwelling sin, and that the only success you can have in that fight is through the power of God’s Spirit. And how is it that you and the Spirit can work together? How is it that the Holy Spirit has come to dwell in you? The answer is found in the gospel. God justifies the sinner, gives him the Spirit, and sanctifies him in the truth by the Spirit. Your hope in this war against sin is outside of yourself in God. In the end, you are called to kill sin because it seeks to lead you away from the hope of the gospel, and you are able to kill sin because of the hope of the gospel.

 Simple thoughts

No reason to say anything more.  

What's behind your good works?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 1 Peter 2: 24-25
He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.
²⁵ Once you were like sheep who wandered away. But now you have turned to your Shepherd, the Guardian of your souls.
Section from the book
Your progress in the faith, your sanctification, is not a result of will power or education but the consequence of Christ’s atoning work
 Simple thoughts
Did you do a good deed yesterday? Did you memorize a Bible verse? Did you have some quality time with God? If you did and your motives were pure it was only possible by the death of Jesus. Prior to that you were a slave to sin and everything you did had a selfish motive. Even today some of the good things you do still have a selfish motive, but Christ’s death has made it possible for good and pure motives. Kind of like helping an old lady across the street did you do it out of a love for her or just for street cred. Be honest with yourself and think of how many times you have done “good” things for selfish reasons. Good things don’t happen because of what you do, they happen because of what Jesus has already done.

Repentance Reaction

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage 2 Corinthians 7:10

¹⁰ For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death.

Section from the book

You will never be done with repentance—at least, not until death or Christ’s return. While it is something you should be doing frequently, it is not something you just “get used to.” Repentance requires a daily intentionality. And let’s be honest; you will have more to repent of by the end of the day than you can possibly remember. So, where should you start? The big picture is that repentance is both an attitude and an action. It is more than being sorry for sin, and it is more than cutting out a bad habit.
 Simple thoughts

I like what the book says here that repentance is more than an action. Many of us have heard the definition of repentance as turning and walking away from your sin. It needs to be much more than that. Repentance is also an attitude, true repentance is a hate for the sin you’ve committed against God and when you truly see if for what it is your response shouldn’t be much different than Kevin’s in the movie classic Home Alone.  When you understand the sin you’ve committed against God you should be repulsed, shocked, or even mortified. If you’re not you may be just sorry or just sorry they got caught. You must understand that repentance is much more than being sorry or stopping a bad habit.

Don't just sit there, Go!

 

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Matthew 28:19-20

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Section from the book

If you want to be useful to God, you will need to be the person who moves first. You have to take the initiative to move toward the people God has put into your life and the people God has sent you to. Most will not come to your church’s worship gathering, most will not seek out your advice, and most will not strike up a conversation with you. You will have to go to them.

The opportunities are always there, but they are difficult to see if you are too focused on yourself. You must take the time to be truly present where God has put you

 Simple thoughts

Imagine yourself being the second car at a stop light, the light turns green and the car in front of you does not move. How long is it before you do something? Before throwing your arms up in disgust, or honking your horn? Probably not very long, you say to yourself why do they not just go! It’s not that hard! More than likely God says the same thing about you. In Matthew 28 Jesus says go, ask yourself are you just sitting there, not moving? In sharing your Christian faith you can’t stay put and wait for people to come to you, you have to go. Your reasons for not going could be many but the root of the problem is you’re too focused on yourself just like the person sitting at the green light in front of you is focused on something other than going.  So please take your foot off the brake, hit the gas and just go.

Stop pretending

 

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Romans 1:12

¹² When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours

Section from the book

When you pretend, you lose gospel influence in two ways—inwardly and outwardly. You lose the inward influence of the gospel in that you are not honest with others and deny them the opportunity to speak into your life.
You lose outward influence of the gospel in the lives of others because you can’t offer them anything that is real. Your best resource for speaking into others’ lives is from what God is doing in you, the fruit that God is producing in you. But the fruit you want others to see is plastic. It is believable from a distance, but it nourishes no one. It is not real.

 Simple thoughts

A lot of people pretend that everything is okay even when it’s not. I think it becomes a pride thing that you don’t want anyone to know that there is something wrong in your life. Did you ever stop to think that by always being okay when someone asks may lead to three different outcomes? One may be a missed opportunity for you to share the Gospel by how God is working in your life. Another may be the missed opportunity that the person you are talking to could have possibly helped you. Or last and most likely that you come off as plastic fruit, just plain fake and when you do this you do no one any good. So don’t pretend when you interact with people especially God’s people be real.  

Tipping for poor service

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Matthew 7:1-2

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. ² For you will be treated as you treat others. The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged

Section from the book

Are you merciful, compassionate, and forgiving, or do you gravitate toward giving people what you believe they deserve? How do you receive people who are hostile to the gospel? How do you speak to or of people who are your social/political opposite? Here’s a good test for yourself—how do you tip servers at a restaurant? Not just the good servers but even the bad ones. Have you considered that tipping generously, even if the service is bad, is a demonstration of grace that is not likely to be lost on the server? Stop judging. Let the gospel compel you to live by grace and demonstrate it to those around you.

 Simple thoughts

This one hurt, I’ll be honest I never thought about tipping poor service as grace, but that is exactly what it is. I think of the poor service I gave Christ before becoming a Christian, and yet after; yet he chose and chooses to love me anyway, it humbles me. I still to this day struggle with wanting to give people what they deserve especially when it’s not good, like less of a tip for poor service. I even become self-righteous when people do something wrong or do not live up to my standards. Sometimes it makes me feel good or even superior to them. But yet again when I look at the example of Jesus and how he was perfect and sinless and how I am a sinner and don’t even come close to His standards and He still loves me anyway. That is what grace is and how I should think about it. Does a poor waitress deserver a bad tip, you bet! Do I deserve Hell, I do! Thankfully God is a great tipper. I’ll never look at tipping the same again.  

Who found who?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Psalm 73: 1-3, 17

⁵ In the same way, you younger men must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, serve each other in humility, for “God opposes the proud but favors the humble.”

Section from the book

The more robust, the more detailed your theology, the more humble you should become. Why? Because you did not figure God out; he revealed himself to you.

The proud theologian has somehow convinced himself, or at least acts as if, he discovered God. But you understand that you did not uncover the truth of God like some kind of rock star archeologist. He sought you, caught you, and gave you sight, knowledge, and life.

 Simple thoughts

What is the one thing that is everywhere and that no one has ever found? The answer God. I get a kick out of it when someone says they have found God. My gut reaction is to say I didn’t know he was lost.  The truth is the person who really has God in their life will be the first to acknowledge the fact that they had absolutely nothing to do with it. The person who has God knows they were not looking for Him but in fact they were running from Him. They know that it was God who sought and caught them. For those who tend to think they had something to do with it or even those who think by their own intellect have figured God out they are the ones who run the risk of becoming prideful and arrogant.  I have actually seen some who really, really knew the Bible and theology crash and burn because of their pride and it wasn’t pretty. The more a person knows God the more humble they should be because they realize His glory and their sinfulness. When it come to God just remember who found who.

Stop your complaining

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Psalm 73: 1-3, 17

Truly God is good to Israel, to those whose hearts are pure.² But as for me, I almost lost my footing. My feet were slipping, and I was almost gone.
³ For I envied the proud Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and I finally understood the destiny of the wicked.

Section from the book

You know that God is sovereign and good, and that should be enough to comfort and direct you. It should calm and quiet you. It should stop your complaining and start your worship even in the midst of the most painful experiences of life.
  Simple thoughts

If you realize that God is truly sovereign and good why in the world would you ever complain? Perhaps you don’t realize how sovereign and good He really is. The sooner you do the quicker you will get out of the complaint line and into the gratitude line. Just remember everything works for the good of those who love Jesus. You may not like it but whatever it is you are going through God as a purpose for it. Thank Him for it.

Not satisfied?

Note to Self by Joe Thorn is a book that I now use as a daily devotional. Each day I will share the scripture passage and an expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts as part of my blog.

Scripture passage Philippians 4:11-13

¹¹ Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. ¹² I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. ¹³ For I can do everything through Christ,^[c] who gives me strength. ¹⁴ Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty.

Section from the book

Are you satisfied? It is pretty obvious that the answer is often no. I am not saying it is wrong to want things in this life, but why do you find yourself so frustrated with the absence of those things? The problem is not that you want evil things. The things you want are generally good, or at least harmless in themselves. But more than wanting, you become frustrated by not having. You become jealous, envious, and discontented with your life. It is true; you need what you lack, but what you lack is satisfaction in Jesus.

 Simple thoughts

I could not help but use this now infamous picture of Mckayla Maroney that has went viral. I will be the first to admit I am not sure the reason behind this now famous face. I can only assume that she was not satisfied with the silver medal. The fact that she worked her whole life (like 17 years) for Olympic gold and came up short left her disappointed and frustrated. Who could blame her? Before you answer, remember what you just read in today’s scripture and the excerpt from the book. It’s really okay to want things but the problem comes when you become dissatisfied without them. When this happens you slowly become jealous, envious, and discontent. When this happens the good things you want become bad things. The reason, because you have elevated them above Jesus. My kids used to get frustrated with me when I’d to explain the differences between the wants and needs in their life. We need air, food, water, and shelter but after that most things are wants. To me the most noticeable change in my life since becoming a Christian is that my wants have dramatically decreased. As Philippians 4:11 say I have learned to be content with what I have. Now I would be lying if I said at now I never wanted anything, but hopefully when my wants start leading me to not being satisfied or discontent I will remember what I am truly lacking in is my satisfaction in Jesus. When you have Jesus silver is more than enough and gold still does not compare to the value of knowing Christ.

Do you have Him in focus?

Time to fire up the blog again, I have found a book that I think is very good, a book that besides the Bible I can use as a daily devotional. The book is Note to Self by Joe Thorn, so each day I will share the scripture passage a expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts.

Scripture passage Philippians 2: 8-11

When he appeared in human form,
⁸ he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
⁹ Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹ and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Section from the book

Take note—your view of Jesus tends to shrink over time. It is not that your theology itself drifts, but sometimes you so focus on one aspect of Jesus that you tend to forget the rest. The result is a shrinking Jesus (in your faith). And as your shrinking Jesus becomes small Jesus, he is easily eclipsed by your idols and ego.

 Simple thoughts
Stay focused on who Jesus is. Some people focus so much on the aspects of Jesus that they like or need that their overall view of Jesus becomes smaller, unfocused and distorted. Jesus has so many characteristics but for the sake of time let’s just look at two of them. Jesus is love we all know that but Jesus is also judge. So for the person who elevates His characteristic of love far above the fact that Jesus is judge can tend  not to feel the weight of their sin then never repent of it. That person may think that Jesus will let their sin slide because after all He is love. When in fact He is also the one who will judge everyone and the Bible is clear that not everyone goes to Heaven. But even for the believer we too can start to let Jesus get out of focus in our lives, let Him shrink in importance to us. When this happens Satan gains an advantage. Life for the Christian is hard enough so why give Satan more of a foot hold? We all must everyday stay focused on who Jesus is through study, prayer, meditation, and worship. Don’t forget that someday God Himself said that every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord.  So for you today focus on this Jesus is who he is not who you want Him to be.  

Happiness, not all what it’s cracked up to be

Time to fire up the blog again, I have found a book that I think is very good, a book that besides the Bible I can use as a daily devotional. The book is Note to Self by Joe Thorn, so each day I will share the scripture passage a expert from the book and a few of my own thoughts.

Scripture passage Pslam 100

Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth!
² Worship the Lord with gladness.
Come before him, singing with joy.
³ Acknowledge that the Lord is God!
He made us, and we are his.^[a]
We are his people, the sheep of his pasture.
⁴ Enter his gates with thanksgiving;
go into his courts with praise.
Give thanks to him and praise his name.
⁵ For the Lord is good.
His unfailing love continues forever,
and his faithfulness continues to each generation

Section from the book

But let’s be honest, the reason you do not experience the joy you read about in Scripture is because your heart is divided, and your interests are spread thin.

Simple thoughts

I have said it before but it is worth repeating that there is a huge difference between happiness and joy, happiness is so very temporary. Happiness is much like a drug once we get it, the more we want and it usually takes more to get the same high that you experienced before. Therefore it’s hard to stay happy. One the other hand joy is much more lasting and maybe even in a sense permanent. If the truth were to be known everyone would be searching for joy and not happiness. It is joy and not happiness that we read about in the Bible. When we are searching for happiness we miss out on joy. In most cases the happiness we seek does not contain the LORD and joy is found in the LORD. A divided heart is a vulnerable heart and a heart focused on the LORD is a joyful one.  Ask yourself is it happiness you seek or is it joy? In the face of trouble happiness runs like a coward but joy will stick with you still the very end, happiness is not all what it’s cracked up to be. If you do want to experience joy just remember you will find it in Jesus.