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Tag: contentment

Joy to the World!

December 11, 2019 / / 0 Comments

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First the Kingdom, part 29, Joy to the World!

Romans 14:17:
…for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
NASU

Every year in December the story is told in many parts of the world about the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem 2 thousand years ago. This story has been identified with many inspirational songs, stories and traditions in both secular and religious settings. I believe it draws on some of the deepest longings in our hearts and touches us on more levels than we realize.

Just as in the days of Joseph and Mary, the world goes on around us as always, and yet there are those who will take the time out to reflect on the promise of this Child who would be known as the Savior of the world. For at least a few weeks out of the year people begin to believe in kindness and mercy again. Gifts are sent to underpriviledged children and adults and the grace of Christ can be seen in ordinary human beings.

Also, just as in the days of Joseph and Mary, the message of hope in this story faces opposion. While the rulers in Jerusalem tried to put the Christ child to death, forces today are at work to divert our attention to the hatred and violence that continues to this day. In 1863 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote this in his poem, “Christmas Bells,”

And in despair I bowed my head;
 “There is no peace on earth,” I said;

“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song

Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Sometimes we feel like Longfellow and we must fight to resist despair. For me, the best defense against such despair is the Word of God. I am learning to never take for granted the Christmas Story simply because it is told every year out of tradition. I need to hear it again and again! I need to remember the powerful promise that has gripped humanity since it was first given!

Most of us have heard about the shepherds who were nearby when Jesus was born, and the angel said unto them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people!” (Luke 2:10).

Anyone who has lived as long as some of us have realized that the “all people” to whom this good news was given must include more than a few undeserving folks. If we are honest with ourselves, we would admit that we are among those undeserving ones. But does that change the message? Jesus would later say that He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance! This is the Good News, that God cares about us all!

The older translations have left us with this wonderful and powerful statement after the shepherds were told about the child:

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:13-14 KJV)

By the end of the poem Longfellow re-affirmed his hope to see peace on earth, good will to men. I believe if we take these verses to heart, along will all of the other passages relating to the Gospel of the Kingdom, we can stand stronger in our faith, and can live in His Joy today!

Growing up in my early years I heard and sang songs in church about the joy of living in Christ. And yet it wasn’t until I was about 21 years old that I fully understood and experienced this joy. For some time I had been struggling to make a living and take care of my family when my wife left me and my son and moved to another state. It was this crisis that brought me to a level of humility and sorrow for my sins and a level of submission to Christ that I had not known before.

The morning after crying out to God for forgiveness was like the first day of a new life! Every thing seemed brand new to me. I felt a new kind of joy that churned up from deep within and burst forth almost uncontrollably. Most people I talked to could not understand me, but when I remembered the believers at my mom’s church, I was thrilled to find after all that they knew this very same joy!

With all my heart I believe that this joy is for everyone. I cannot give specific instructions on how to receive it for yourself. I can only bear witness that it is real and hope you will believe. I can tell what happened to me and show in the Bible where others were also lifted up by Christ in the Holy Spirit! I can also continue to show from the Scripture how this is what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. It is not always easy. In fact there are times when it is most difficult. Yet, there can be and should be a deep abiding joy that is not dependent upon circumstances. That joy comes from knowing Christ but also from knowing what He is doing and will do in this earth as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords!

Why Suicide Bombing?

July 20, 2015 / / 0 Comments

It has always been difficult for me to understand the impulse to end one’s life. Today, we hear a lot about how religious beliefs can lead a person to suicide. We are told that those who kill innocent people in the name of their religion are promised a place in the afterlife of eternal bliss if their own life is also sacrificed.

There must be more to it than that. For one thing, no one can prove this promise to be true and certainly fulfilled. Given the natural instinct for survival, I believe there must be multiple factors involved.

One of the most pessimistic books ever to be written is the biblical Ecclesiastes. In it, the man who calls himself the Preacher declares that all things under the sun are vain and meaningless. The reason he could say this confidently is that he claims to have tried it all. While most people spend their lives in pursuit of pleasure, material wealth, fame, etc., he had it all from the beginning.

In the end, he learned that real meaning can only be found in a relationship with God Who created us all, and that all human activities can be satisfying as we find wholeness, completeness in Him.

Where are you in this journey? Are you still believing that if you get this particular job, find this perfect mate, fulfill this special dream some day that you will finally be satisfied and content? Thankfully, many of us have the opportunity to better our situation, and that is a good thing. But according to the Preacher, all will be disappointed if and when they reach their chosen destination apart from God.

People who delight in killing themselves and others as terrorists often are those who have already discovered the vanity of their existence. Not having the opportunities of a free society, they not only develop a hatred for the wealthy and free, but also a longing to escape their own misery.

Only the affluent cultures can continue longer in the illusion that there is happiness to be found, for like the carrot before the horse, it yet dangles before them. We in the West in our smug superiority do not really know how we would respond to the dark reality that people around the world experience every day.

Those who in despair turn to Christ and His mercy can endure the vanity and seeming hopelessness of the world around them. Their desire is not to destroy life but to share it with others. Their hope is not in this life alone, but this life most certainly has meaning, comfort, love, joy, peace and purpose because of Him.

Let us pray that Christ will be seen and received by potential terrorists in oppressed societies, as well as by the street gangs, the drug lords, the corporate pirates, the educated and elite, the working class, and the homeless in our communities. In Him we can find the true nobility of humanity, that was created by God to reflect His very beauty, glory, wisdom, grace and love!

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