Category: Purpose

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Cadence

Cadence: balanced, rhythmic flow, the measure or beat of movement, as in dancing.

When I return from overseas and being with the great people God puts in front of me, I get melancholy. I see these great people, their futures yet to be unveiled; I remember when I was them. I was bulletproof and invisible. At that point in my life, no one had ever taught me I could not overcome. It took time and life to teach me that lesson. I became wiser, picking my battles and focusing on what God had planned for me, not what I planned for myself. With that thought in mind my brain, that incredible computer between our ears, took me back to running.

Hebrews 10:36, "For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what is promised."

RUNNING

I used to run a lot. I loved it when my body synchronized on a cadence. My heartbeat would regulate at 120 beats per minute, two beats per second. Breathing became steady; inhale step one, exhale step two, inhale step one, exhale step two, and on and on. My brain locked into this cadence, shutting down any extra thoughts. I would pound on mile after mile lost in that experience. Sometimes the cadence was accompanied by the drum beat of a song; mostly, it was quiet introspection. Only when something interrupted my cadence did I come back to consciously thinking about running. Until that interruption, I was flying, lost in the euphoria of endorphins. It was the best time of the day. I loved it. Later, my cardiologist informed me I was a drug addict hooked on endorphins. Well, maybe; you have your truth; I have mine.

I’m over seventy now and gave up running some time ago. My pacemaker kicked the addiction, and I lost the euphoria. I still ran for over two more decades, but I never got that feeling back. But my brain remembers. Periodically it takes me back to the good old days. And with sadness, I remember when I could fly.

FLYING

The challenge for all of us is how we become lost in the cadence of our spirituality, living off the euphoria of God’s love. How do we become addicted to the feeling of total submission that brings on tranquility, peace, and joy? It took years of hard work and pain to get to the level of running I had at my peak. It took sacrifice and commitment. The same is true of our faith in Christ. There are hills to climb and pain to power through. There are disappointments that lead to setbacks, but there is also the thrill of overcoming. Eventually, there are moments, etched in our brains, when God picked us up and showed us how to fly.

Galatians 5:7, "You were running a good race. Who cut in on you to keep you from obeying the truth?"

Human nature is about failure. We naturally gravitate to what we could have done better, or maybe, not at all; dwelling on improvement, not success. We somehow minimize what God has done in our lives because we spend too much time thinking about what we want Him to do next.

When I used to think about the upcoming hill, I would have to consciously command my legs to take one step at a time. I knew from experience that the hill would crest and running would get easier. It was that experience that gave me the fortitude to keep going. We draw on the same experiences when we remember all that God has done in the past, which will give us the strength to trust Him with what needs to be done in the future. Every hill has a crest; nothing goes on forever except God’s love.

Psalms 119:32, "I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding."

ADDICTION IS NOT A BAD WORD

“Many Christians estimate difficulties in the light of their own resources, and thus attempt little and often fail in the little they attempt. All God’s giants have been weak men who did great things for God because they reckoned on His power and presence with them.”- Hudson Taylor.

Maybe I was hooked on endorphins; it could be worse. I could have been hooked on alcohol, drugs, or porn. My life could be a meaningless existence with no real purpose. I could have been marking time until the eventual end.

Running was good; I enjoyed it: even without the endorphin rush. But like all things temporal, it came to an end. God’s love, on the other hand, lasts forever. Getting into a cadence takes effort and practice. It also takes a level of tenacity when hard times come our way. With cadence comes addiction. Getting addicted to God’s love lasts forever.

Becoming like Christ is a long, slow process of growth.- Rick Warren

Cadence with God is walking in synchrony with His will over ours. It is an investment worth making. Read, pray, and immerse yourselves in God’s word. Make it part of who you are. Make it as natural as breathing.

Philippians 3:13-14 "Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."
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Sinking Ship

Being on a sinking ship in the middle of the ocean, with no land in sight, might be one of the most terrifying experiences a person can endure. While it doesn’t take forever, drowning can be extremely painful. To begin with, a drowning person usually panics, leading to hyperventilation. But instead of air, the person will breathe in water. This reaction will lead to a vocal cord spasm known as laryngospasm. But what causes the most pain is breathing in the water. Even for those who survive, their lungs remain in pain for some time. Recently I accidentally inhaled some water while drinking. The next ten to twenty seconds could have been a lifetime as I struggled to breathe. The laryngospasm experience stayed with me for days.

Taking on Water

This planet is a sinking ship, and its people are in danger of drowning. We know that from Revelations. Eventually, it will be gone. But the great news is that God will replace it with a new world without sin, pain, and death. But who will survive the sinking?

Matthew 8:27, “The men were amazed and asked, “What kind of man is this? Even the winds and the waves obey him!”

“Ships don’t sink because of the water around them. Ships sink because of the water that gets in them. Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside you.” -AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Our challenge, as Christians, is focus. In our current age of Post-Modern thinking, we are bombarded by social media, expounding every conceivable idea and opinion known to man. There seems to be no end to the variation and depth of discourse. I don’t care what you believe; you can find a group of people who agree. During many dinner conversations, I am amazed at how two people with diametrically opposed opinions are convinced they are right; both having the facts and figures to back up their position.

James 3:4, “Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.”

The sinking ship we live on is about what is around us that can’t be allowed to get in us. Salvation is not about what you achieve here on earth but what you store in heaven. Don’t get so engrossed in the temporal that you lose sight of the eternal. Make Christ your Pilot.

Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will also be.”

Unsinkable

God has created you for great things. How can you achieve this lofty ambition in a dysfunctional world? Again, the answer is focus. God created us for His great pleasure.

Isaiah 43:21, “the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.”

What was God’s plan for us to demonstrate His worthiness? It was for us to do good and live well on the land. Jesus set out the parameters of living well succinctly. He didn’t mince words or provide alternatives. He said it as plainly as He could.

Matthew 22:37-40, “And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Do not let the outside influence of the world start to dictate your thoughts. The future belongs to God and God alone. His foundation is not worldly but eternal, grounded in love.

1 Corinthians 13, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”

We have a ship stocked with everything we need to survive and prosper. God’s provision for us is eternal. Troubles will come and go; opinions will rise and fall, but God’s love will endure forever.

There’s a strange sense of pleasure in being beaten to hell by a storm when you’re on a ship that will not sink. — Jimmy Buffett

Climb aboard the ship that will not sink.

Isaiah 43:2, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.”
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The Haves and the Have Nots

The world is made up of haves and have nots. It has always been this way. The world rates humanity on a bell-shaped curve; to the far right are the haves, and to the far left are the have nots. Raising the standard of living across the globe would shift the values but not the distribution. We often think of poverty in terms of material values or geographic locations. It is hard to think of poverty in terms of lost potential.

1 Samuel 2:8, "He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, placing them in seats of honor. For all the earth is the Lord's, and he has set the world in order."

“Global poverty is one of the most pressing problems that the world faces today. The poorest in the world are often undernourished, without access to basic services such as electricity and safe drinking water; they have less access to education, and suffer from much poorer health.” – Poverty, by Joe Hasell, Max Roser, Esteban Ortiz-Ospina and Pablo Arriagada.

Haves and Have Nots

“In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of; in a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.” — Confucius

The front end of the haves and have nots are the haves. In a wealthy country like the United States, the poverty rate is almost 18%. How does that happen? How does a country with the largest defense budget in the world still have poverty? World Population Review provides these numbers. The United States Defense Budget equals the next nine largest countries combined. This statement is not to shame the United States; it could be said the same for India, Russia, Great Britain, France, Spain, or any number of other countries.

Psalm 9:18, "But God will never forget the needy; the hope of the afflicted will never perish."

The other end of the haves and have nots; are the have nots. The poverty rate of underdeveloped countries is staggering. Here are some examples: DR Cong (64%), South Sudan (76%), Guatemala (60%), Kenya (36%), and South Africa (56%). I’ll bet that there are neighborhoods around you that mirror these numbers.

Alleviating poverty isn’t about giving handouts. Some may need a handout initially, but handouts only enslave the receiver. To truly alleviate poverty, we must invest in human potential, which is not easy. What holds down individual potential is systemic, meaning its root cause is deep within society. Solving it will not happen in a single election cycle; politicians won’t touch it. They will vote to raise the minimum wage because it’s good optics, it drives votes, but they will not attempt to tackle the root cause because it is generational. They will be too old to serve when the results are in.

Lost Potential

“Overcoming poverty is not a gesture of charity. It is an act of justice. It is the protection of a fundamental human right, the right to dignity and a decent life.”— Nelson Mandela

2 Corinthians 6:10, "Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything."

Why is this on my mind? It’s simple. I spend time in these environments trying to help people rise above poverty. I understand that I can only help one person at a time. What brings me to tears is the incredible young people I meet that have the potential to change the world but are lost to poverty. I find one or two each visit; not everyone has the fight and tenancy to prevail. These young people are the ones who could lead their communities out of poverty if they were allowed to achieve their potential. I fall in love with these young Titans. I want everything for them. My heart aches every time I think of one of them.

As we grow older, we learn to deal with disappointment. I watch my grandchildren grow up knowing that disappointment will come, and they must learn to deal with it. They need to toughen up. So many of the young people I meet are born tough. They never think about storing up for tomorrow; they are happy to make it through today. What God has given them that no man can take away are dreams. Their dreams shrink with time as disappointments build, but they still have them. They dream about never going without food or living in safety. They don’t dream about changing the world.

God’s Challenge to You

Luke 3:11, "John answered, "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same."

Here is what I’m going to ask each one of you. Please find one of these incredible human beings and invest in them. It will be hard because they need so much; it can be overwhelming. More than material things, they need someone who believes in them. But we are the only people that can do this. We are God’s chosen; you are blessed so that you can bless others. Give them a fish if they need it, but teach them to fish so that they can teach others. Make your efforts viral in the communities you touch; long after you are gone, it will pay dividends.

Proverbs 28:27, "Those who give to the poor will lack nothing, but those who close their eyes to them receive many curses."

When poverty has a face, it becomes personal. I’m not talking about a slick PR initiative to raise donations. I’m talking about looking into the eyes of a child. If you can not go, send someone with the compassion to change a life. The idea is to teach a skill that translates into meaningful change.

I Will Not Refuse to do Something

“I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.” – Edward Everett Hale

We cannot change the world, poverty will always be with us, but we can change a life. And that life can change other lives. The generational change that grew poverty can be the exact one that alleviates it.

Proverbs 19:17, "Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward them for what they have done."
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Believer or Follower

Are you a believer or a follower? You see the intricacy of nature, and you believe. Yet, how does a butterfly know how to paint its wings? How does a chameleon change its color? What lies in the deep of the ocean? You see the vastness of the universe, every expanding, but expanding into what? Billions of stars spread out over a seemingly endless space, and you believe, but do you follow?

Are you a believer or a follower? You touch a newborn child’s small, delicate hands and believe. In the dark of the night, you lay still, listen to your heartbeat, and believe. You see, hear, smell, feel, and believe. But do you follow? God’s creation is all around you, so you believe, but do you follow?

Colossians 1:16, “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.”

It is easy to believe because the mile markers are all around you. You don’t have to attend church to believe; even Satin believes.

Believing

Mark 16:16, “The one who believes and is baptized will be saved, but the one who does not believe will be condemned.”

Believing is the easy part. God created in us the desire to search for our maker. We can not rest until we find the answer to “What am I here for?” How did I get here? Our lives depend on meaning and purpose. Without it, we wander in the darkness, looking for light. The light we seek is direction, purpose, and value. Once we understand God’s true nature as the author of everything, we understand our place.

Mark 9:21, “Immediately the boy’s father cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!”

We start to see a pattern and logic to man’s existence. But do we believe God knows and cares about us as individuals? It is one thing to try to grasp the enormity of creation and realize we can’t understand. It is another to grasp the enormity of God’s love for us; one is tangible, tactile, and rich in sensory feedback, and the other is a feeling that wells up inside us. It is a visceral reaction to an invisible power. Are you a believer or a follower?

Having Faith

The question becomes, who am I here for, not what am I here for? Our drive should be who I serve, not what I am to do. Knowing there is a God is not enough. Believing there is a God answers the what question. The bigger question is the who question. An unimpassioned God who spun the universe out in the ether to see what would happen is not the same God that would send His son to die for you.

This revelation is where the visible work of God becomes the invisible. First, we see the splendor of His creation; now, we must feel the love of His compassion for us. Do you believe that Christ died for your sins? If you do, what does that actually mean?

Salvation is by grace, not works, so that no man might boast. Christ’s death broke the barrier between God and us. His death on the cross opened the door to salvation. It is an invitation to spend eternity with the creator of the universe. Faith is about believing in something you can not prove. Faith invites the Holy Spirit into your daily life as a guide, companion, and comforter.

James 2:22, “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.”

Faith is the next logical step. It is when you decide you are not big enough alone. Faith is accepting help to overcome the challenges of a broken world. Faith knows Christ loves you unconditionally and will fight for you.

James 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

“You find that the things you let go of while following Jesus were the things that were going to destroy you in the end.” – Francis Chan

Following

Matthew 16:24, “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.”

Now the hard part. Doing is a by-product of following. Doing in and of itself serves only the doer. Not all good deeds are works of the spirit. Good works driven by the Holy Spirit are the only ones that matter. Following is about obedience to God’s call. Following is about doing God’s will, not our own.

“Great moves of God are usually preceded by simple acts of obedience.” – Steven Furtick

James 2:14, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?”

Following God is about setting ourselves aside and doing what God had predestined for us long before He formed the universe. Following God is about achieving the fullness of God’s creation in us. That fullness does not conform to worldly standards. It doesn’t promise worldly prosperity or life without challenges. What it does promise is an eternity greater than anything you could imagine.

Jesus says, “I want you to follow me so fully, so intensely, so enduringly that all other attachments in your life look weak by comparison.” – Timothy Keller

Being a follower is the true sign of being a Christian. Live the life God has always wanted for you. Be a follower.

Titus 3:8, “This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.”
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Being a Pencil in the Hand of God

I started to think about the significance of being a pencil in the hand of God. It started with this quote from Mother Teresa.

“I am a little pencil in God’s hands. He does the thinking. He does the writing. He does everything, and sometimes it is really hard because it is a broken pencil and He has to sharpen it a little more.” ― Mother Teresa, The Joy in Loving: A Guide to Daily Living

Once we start to understand that we are the pencil in the hand of God, we start to understand our position in life. Christ is the author of all stories, the writer, producer, financial backer, and hero of every story. We are His instrument. When we start to understand we are a pencil in the hand of God, we start to appreciate all that we can be.

Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us. But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.”

Authoring Your Story

Many of us go through life thinking that we write the story of our lives. We are the hero who saves the day. On the other hand, some of us see ourselves as the victim tossed by the waves of life. In either case, we are the central character that the story encircles. We assume the role of the one in control when we are actually an instrument of the creator.

Psalm 37:23-24, “The Lord makes firm the steps of the one who delights in him, though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

When we get to Heaven, if we get to Heaven, what will be God’s response? Will God look at His assortment of writing utensils and say I’ve never written anything with you? Will he see you and say that He remembers a story, but it was a short story once, or twice?

Will God beam with joy, grab you up and hold you close, remembering all the incredible adventures of your life? Will He laugh and cry with every turn of a phrase embodying a triumph or tragedy from your relationship? Will He weep because there will be no more new stories to delight Himself?

Jeremiah 10:23, “Lord, I know that people’s lives are not their own; it is not for them to direct their steps.”

Wasting Your Time

You are wasting your life if you are not an instrument of God’s story. There is no kinder way to say it; any good deed, or honorable act, that the Spirit does not drive is a wasted effort. All who flit from activity to activity in busy, misdirected lives are not building a legacy; you are passing the time. Forty or eighty years after our passing, others will faintly remember us, no matter our skill, intelligence, or accomplishment. But, there will be no eternal implication echoing through time, no great stories to be relived.

Proverbs 3:5-6, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”

Even the great statesmen, who emboss their names in history, are just that, a name. We don’t know them; we might know of them. They are a name, a face, and a place, real only within the context of a subject. It is in Heaven that relationships last forever. It is in Heaven that angles relived, rejoiced, and regaled over God’s stories

Luke 15:10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Refocus Your Storytelling

We spend too much time making our mark here, where time erases because another will supersede every earthly accomplishment. Our wealth will be left behind. The great stories about adventure, tragedy, victory, and love not written by God will fade away like a mist in the morning sun. Yet, those stories driven by the Holy Spirit will prevail. They ripple for generations as angles rejoice at their retelling.

“Seeking to perpetuate one’s name on earth is like writing on the sand by the seashore; to be perpetual, it must be written on eternal shores.” D.L. Moody

Don’t waste your life by doing good for the sake of doing good, thinking the story you write has merit. Anyone can do good and be kind; it’s called being human. Being Godly is to let God write your stories and guide your path. Remember, live your life so that when you meet Christ face-to-face, He will cry. He will cry joyfully at your meeting and sorrowfully that He will not write any new stories with you.

“The mere fact itself that God’s will is irresistible and irreversible fills me with fear, but once I realize that God wills only that which is good, my heart is made to rejoice.” – A. W. Pink

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That’s My King, Do you know Him?

That’s my King, do you know Him? On this Good Friday, we should take a moment to understand just who went to the cross for our sins.

Dr. S.M. Lockridge (1913-2000) was the pastor of Calvary Baptist Church in San Diego, CA from 1952-1993. This African American minister participated in the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s and was a prominent speaker and Baptist leader.

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Job or Naomi, You Pick

Job or Naomi, you pick the one closest to yourself. This decision is not a question of gender but temperament and faith. It might be easy for some to let gender play too big a role in this comparison, but that would be a mistake. How we approach God in times of trouble is not dictated by gender, environment, or ethnic background but by faith.

It is essential to realize that gender does play a role in Naomi’s situation, as she is both an immigrant and a woman. It does add to her suffering, but she does not suffer from Job’s physical condition. So they somewhat offset each other. I do not believe the Bible means for these two stories to distinguish between male and female suffering but to contrast their approaches to suffering. So, are you Job or Naomi?

Job

Job 1:20-22, “At this, Job got up and tore his robe and shaved his head. Then he fell to the ground in worship and said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; may the name of the Lord be praised.” In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.”

Job devastatingly lost everything. God took everything Job loved and cherished. He still had his wife, although her assessment was, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!” ( Job 2:9). Not exactly the type of support one would expect. Job’s friends took the time to give him bad advice. They assured him that he brought on his problems through his poor behavior. Job did not see anything in his possession as his, but God’s to do with what He pleased.

Job 3:25, “What I feared has come upon me; what I dreaded has happened to me.”

Job feared suffering. He did not understand why God would let him suffer instead of taking his life. Job did not understand. But, through everything, Job stood with God. He would not blame God for his misfortune. He was not a victim. 

Naomi

Ruth 1:20-21, “Don’t call me Naomi, [pleasant],” she told them. “Call me Mara, [bitter] because the Almighty has made my life very bitter. I went away full, but the Lord has brought me back empty. Why call me Naomi? The Lord has afflicted me; the Almighty has brought misfortune upon me.”

Naomi also lost everything. She lost her husband and sons, which was her ability to care for herself. Unlike Job, thieves did not rob her; the death of her husband and sons robbed her of her ability to create income. Also, unlike Job, she was a foreigner, an immigrant. Therefore, she had no standing in the community.  

Naomi, as opposed to Job, assumed her suffering was of God. She felt that God had chosen her for suffering. Naomi hints at the idea that what was hers was hers, and God just took it away. Naomi sees herself as a victim.

Restoration

God, in His compassion and wisdom, rescues both. God restored Job.

Job 42:10-11, “After Job had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and gave him twice as much as he had before. All his brothers and sisters and everyone who had known him before came and ate with him in his house. They comforted and consoled him over all the trouble the Lord had brought on him, and each one gave him a piece of silver and a gold ring.”

God redeemed Naomi through Boaz.

Ruth 4:9-10, “Then Boaz announced to the elders and all the people, “Today you are witnesses that I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelek, Kilion, and Mahlon. I have also acquired Ruth the Moabite, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife.”

You

Matthew 5:45, “that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Often, we endure trials seeking God’s deliverance from them. Suffering is painful for us to endure or to see those we love endure. While our instinct is to flee trials, remember that even in the midst of suffering, God’s will is being done. – Paul Chappell

Are you Job or Naomi? Which do you choose; what is your approach? In this broken world where bad things happen to good people, do you praise God in your affliction, or do you see yourself as a victim of God’s judgment? Do you think that as a dedicated Christian, God should rescue you from the world around you, or do you look for ways to glorify God within your circumstances?

My dad used to say, “Life is unfair; get over it.” We serve a loving God who will take us through the darkest times. We need to cling to that promise. 

Isaiah 54:10, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken, nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.”
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Pursuit of Happiness

The Pursuit of happiness is one of the most cherished possessions of all United States citizens. The pursuit of happiness is so cherished it is in the first sentence of our Declaration of Independence, signed in 1776. The right to the pursuit of happiness is considered unalienable; unalienable rights are rights that can never be forfeited. They’re fundamental parts of humanity, the basis for moral interactions between people, and are irrevocable.

Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776 “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.”

“Every man, whatsoever his condition, desires to be happy.” —Saint Augustine

Unalienable Rights

Thomas Jefferson, the primary drafter of the Declaration of Independence, described unalienable rights as, “We human beings are born on this planet with these rights, and so these are our birthright. These great virtues keep us separate from other living species and protect human dignity. These rights are like God’s gift to the human race.”

Ecclesiastes 3:13, "Also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God's gift to man."

Over 130 national constitutions recognize happiness or well-being as a constitutional value worthy of protection. However, this is high praise for a concept so pure yet so misunderstood. We all crave a world where we are free to chase what makes us happy. We freely endorse that all people have the right to be happy. The problem comes into play when we start to define happiness. Some things that might make one person happy infringe on another’s happiness. Many things that might bring us happiness at the moment are short-lived and harmful in the long term. Almost every perception of human happiness concerns the here and now.

Misapplied Happiness

Most people pursue happiness at their peril. The list of things people do to pursue happiness makes the sins described in Second Timothy sound like a shopping list. Somehow we seem to gravitate toward things opposed to God.

2 Timothy 3:1-5, "But understand this, that in the last days, there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power."

“There is no man upon the earth who isn’t earnestly seeking after happiness, and it appears abundantly by the variety of ways they so vigorously seek it; they will twist and turn every way, ply all instruments, to make themselves happy men.” —Jonathan Edwards

Happiness becomes self-centered. Happiness becomes about having, being, or controlling rather than giving, loving, and accepting. The pursuit of worldly happiness makes us more unhappy. We become insecure about what we have. We become possessive of our happiness over others’ happiness; slaves to the very things we are pursuing.

True Happiness

Happiness is untested delight. Joy is delight tested.- Jack Hyles

Galatians 5:22-23, "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things, there is no law."

Happiness is situational; joy is a decision. God did give us the unalienable right to Joy. Pursuing it does not lead us to gain something but to give up something. Once we give up our right to be joyful and start helping and loving others, we find we have joy. God has built this joyful quotient into us that the more you give, the more you get. We chase happiness like an animated object trying to allude us. Joy is stationary, waiting for us to apply the Gospel to our everyday lives and reap the rewards promised by God.

Ecclesiastes 3:12, "I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live."

Happiness is a valent concept that would lead us to praise it as if it was an object to be worshipped. But, in fact, it is a by-product of our condition. On the other hand, we get joy when we give up on everything worldly. It is the peace that comes from knowing God is with us.

John 15:11, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full."

The world is spiraling downward toward the end predicted in Revelations; those who do not cling to the God of the universe will eventually suffer significantly from it. Accordingly, happiness is about serving; not about others serving us.

“It is a Christian duty . . . for everyone to be as happy as he can.” —C.S. Lewis

Philippians 4:11-13, “Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance, and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.”

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Swimming with Jesus

Ever wonder what it would be like to go swimming with Jesus? Are you holding on to the side of the pool for safety? Maybe you can swim with Jesus, but only in the shallow end of the pool. You know, where the water is shallow enough to touch the bottom when things get rough. How many of us venture into deep water with only Jesus to protect us?

1 John 5:14, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us."

Intimacy with Jesus takes the same courage and practice as swimming when we were children. When we were children, we relied on our parents or a swimming instructor to guide us through learning to swim. In the beginning, we spent most of our time either hanging onto the side of the pool or wading into the shallow end, where we knew we were safe. Only after much encouragement and practice did we even think about going to the deep end. But, unfortunately, the pool’s deep end did not provide the safety we needed.

Prayer is like swimming; we tend to cling to the edge and not let go. We want to trust in Jesus enough to set our worries aside, but we aren’t that sure. In time we feel more comfortable trusting Him with some things, but we want the security of taking control if it is not going how we want. If we are to mature in our prayer life, we must be able to swim in deep water and turn everything over to the one who loves us unconditionally. We must learn to trust Him even when we do not see His plan.

Hanging on to the Edge

1 John 5:15, "And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him."

When we first started to learn about Christ, we probably did not understand the power of prayer. Prayer was more about asking for what we needed and then hanging on until it arrived. We felt we lacked faith if it didn’t arrive or God didn’t hear us. We certainly didn’t live as though we thought God would answer our prayers. It was more of a fallback position than looking for an answer.

Hebrews 4:16, "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

We didn’t approach prayer confidently. Who were we to expect God to care? God is busy; surely,  other prayers are more important than mine. My need isn’t as great as other people’s needs. Satan doesn’t like us to pray. He will do what he can to get us to stop. If he can’t convince us that our need is too big for God to resolve, he will convince us our need is too small for God to care.

Psalm 18:6, "In my distress, I called to the Lord; I cried to my God for help. From his temple, he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears."

Wading In

James 1:6, " But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind."

As we grow closer to God, we become emboldened, asking what is on our hearts without restraint. The problem is that we still don’t fully trust God to answer our prayers how we want them answered. Somehow, we have come to believe in answered prayer, but not that God’s answer is the best. We want to stay in shallow water where we can stand on our own if the need arises.

Mark 11:24, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

The shallow end is where most Christians spend their lives—praying but doubting the power of prayer. Because of this, they never see God’s hand in their life. It is a spiral that leads them to become more skeptical of prayer’s power. They find themselves standing in shallow water, thinking they can swim.

Swimming with Jesus

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

For the advanced open water diver, the Marriott Gold Coast in Australia has a private saltwater lagoon with an artificial reef visitors could use to prepare for diving on the Great Barrier Reef. Open-water divers are the ultimate swimmers. They are diving fifty to a hundred feet under the water, miles from shore, with only their scuba gear to sustain them. They are literally emersed in the experience, totally dependent.

That is the experience God wants for us when we pray. He wants continuous communication with an expectation that He will meet our needs. God wants us to be totally dependent on Him. Not so that He can control our lives, but so He can show us the power of His grace and compassion. God has a great life planned for each of us. God wants us to experience what He created in us.

Ephesians 6:18, " And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people."

Be a deep-water diver of prayer, swimming far from shore, deep under the surface, and completely secure in what God has in store for you.

Philippians 4:6-7, "Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, 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."
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A Sobering Thought

I was reminded of a sobering thought today. I was looking through old documents I had written to see if there was something that God would use to speak to me. But instead, I found an MP3 audio file from a few years ago. I very seldom record my thoughts. I used to, but I learned that God wanted me to write them out while they were fresh in my mind. I have a big file of Letters to Myself. So I listened to the recording to see what was so important that I recorded it.

Psalms 36:7, “How priceless is your unfailing love, O God! People take refuge in the shadow of your wings.”

It is hard to describe the enormity of God’s love for us. The fact is he wants all of us to spend eternity with Him. God demonstrates this through His relentless passion for us by constantly pursuing us despite our condition. We can never become so degenerate or lowly that He will stop loving us.

1 John 4:9-10. “This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

In the Dark of the Night

I recorded that message at four o’clock in the morning on an IMED trip while in Kyrgyzstan. It started to be about Andrey. Andrey was a student looking to expand his small construction business. Andrey has spent time in a Russian prison. His relationship with God was of the tough love type. God loved him unconditionally, but God had rules, just like everyone. In Andrey’s life, anything that came easy wasn’t worth having. He had spent his life overcoming. There was something about that man I loved. But he dropped out of the program because he couldn’t understand why we had to know so much about him. His leaving deflated me because we could have done so much for him, and his testimony was incredible.

2 Timothy 1:9, “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.”

I sometimes get off subject and have to serpentine my way back, I‘m told; here is the tie-in. In this recording, talking about Andrey made me think more about myself. I had built this narrative around my life that had to do with God loving me so much that He saved me so I could help others. I didn’t die in the Emergency Room because God had a plan for me. It was a plan to serve others and expand His Kingdom. Andrey taught me that it was a faults narrative. It wasn’t about High Tech Ministries, Champions for Life, International Mission Connection, or Roswell Day of Hope. All of that would have been just as effective without me.

The Sobering Thought

The sobering thought was this, had I died that night, I would have spent eternity separated from God. I would be in Hell. God could do everything I have done since then without me. He did not need me; I needed Him. I just didn’t realize it yet. It was several years before I fully understood that I needed Him. I spent the immediate years after getting my pacemaker lamenting my loss of invincibility. Before that night, I was bulletproof and invisible. There was nothing I could not achieve. Now I was battery operated.

1 John 3:1, “See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.”

Andrey reminded me that he survived a Russian prison so that he could be saved. He didn’t see himself as the next Martin Luther. Instead, he saw himself as a child of God trying to please his Father. As Christians, we sometimes become arrogant in our beliefs. We start to think that we are one of the critical gears in God’s machinery. We can’t seem to accept that we exist because He loves us. Sure, He wants us to spread the Gospel, but His primary motivation is love for us.

1 John 4:16, “And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.”

We all have an expiration date. Unfortunately, we don’t know when that is. Sharing God’s story is so that others may be saved before it is too late. We don’t know when that is. We don’t know when that is for ourselves, our family, co-workers, and friends. God can do everything you have accomplished and more without you. We can not change His plan, but we can decide to be part of it.

Ecclesiastes 9:1, “So I reflected on all this and concluded that the righteous and the wise and what they do are in God’s hands, but no one knows whether love or hate awaits them.”

Living is about getting to salvation and finding our way home and helping others find their way home. God loves us unconditionally; He wants to be with us for eternity. And that, folks, is a sobering thought.

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