the secrets of real joy
Living in complaceny.living in the past,living without purpose that sound like a joyless existence.how can we put excitement into out lives and the same time make it meaningful and significant?Are we just going to watch the world go by on the sidelines?,or are we going to be where the action is active participants?
By virtue of our qualification as God’s people,we have entered into a race where participation is not an option but a mission.how can we run with a winning attitude as we tackle the different hurdles and still fulfill what God has purposed for our lives?
The apostle Paul has this to impart:"Not that I have already obtained it, or have already become perfect,but i press on in order that I may lay hold of that for which alaso I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus.Brethren,I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet;but one thing I do;forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead,i press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of the God in Christ Jesus.Let us therefore,as many,as are perfect,have this attitude;and if anything you have a different,God will reveal that also to you;however,let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained"(philippians 3:12-16).For practical application these should keep.
- Dont live in complacency-Get ready!-growth is essential in the Christian life.If we think being saved is all there is to Christianity,we will never graduate to higher levels of faith and be what God wants us to become.Growth begins with the realization the we need to change.And when we start measuring our progress,our standard should be Christ.Comparing ourselves with our neighbor is not hte yardstick that will tell us how far we need to go to be straightened out.Our decision to grow in spiritual maturity get us ready to start the race.Being a "lukeworm"Christian is a sign of complacency.A holy dissatisfaction over where we are now,as seen in the apostle Paul,is what we should all develop.Are we progressing in the right direction?
- Dont Live in the past-Get set!-The past is one baggage we cannot lug along as we run the race.It robs us of both the present and the future.Forgetting what lies behind is what we need yo do.Forgetting does not mean completely being rid of the memory.What it really means is to no longer be influenced of affected by the past.In other words,forgetting is to break the power of the past by living for the future.
A.Recognize the past for what it is-past,over,ended,finished,gone,and done.
B.Recognize that it’s the devils strategy to discourage or defeat us and ultimately rob us joy.
C.Recognize that although we cannot alter the past,we have the power to change the way we respond to it.
One thing that locksus to the past is the unforgiveness.Forgiving the hurts and offenses inflicted on us by people will set us free from the past.If Paul never forgave himself for his past persecutor of Christians.he probably wounldn’t have known what it’s like to have a joy in the company of trials.His epistle in the Roman prison exhorting us to rejoice would not have been written.And he would never have strained forward to become the missoinary who sparked a spiritual revival in the early church.We can make the same choice Paul made.Our choice to forget the past and reach forward to know Christ more intimately and make him known gets us set in the right direction.
- Dont live without purpose-Get going!-Are we drifters with no goals,ambitions or dreams?"Without God,life has no purpose,and without purpose,life has no meaning;without meaning,life has no significance.The greatest tragedy is not death,but life without a purpose"
Knowing our purpose motivates us.Purpose produces passion."we are Gods workmanship,created in Christ Jesus to do good works,which God prepared in advance for us to do(Ephesians 2:10).The signature of God in our lives is what makes us priceless and unique.Our commitment and dedication to fulfil our purpose to pursue Christlikeness gets us going to achieve our goal and win the prize.Our motivation is the upward call,which is to live in light of being called out to this world into presence of God.
The ending of our life is more important that the beginning.If we want to finish strong,we must play by the rules in order to finish the race and win the promised prize.
(Source.The Chronicles-)
