Friday, March 17, 2023
Monday, April 3, 2017
Church Growth-By Product
Church Growth is a By Product
Since I've led some churches that experienced significant increases in attendance, I've been asked on occasion, "What does it take to grow a church?" I think what many church leaders mean is, "How can I get more people to attend worship services." But when I think about growing THE church, I think of something entirely different. We don't grow the church, Jesus does. He said, "...I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it," (Matthew 16:18). Our job is not to build His church, it is to be disciples and make disciples.
One of my mentors in life and ministry is Dr. Stephen Harris (Steve). His disciple-making efforts around the world have resulted in hundreds of new churches. Steve sent this in an email to me recently:
A couple of thoughts about discipleship.
Our mission/commission from Jesus (the Head of the Church) is, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...," (Matthew 28:19). If a church understands what a disciple of Jesus Christ looks like, and unifies in the intentional mission of making disciples, growth and multiplication is a by product. Disciples make disciples.
A couple of thoughts about discipleship.
"Discipleship is not a ministry in the church, it is THE mission of the church." Jesus didn't command us to build a church. He said "I will build my church." He commanded us to build disciples. If you focus on building a church, you may or may not get any disciples, but if you focus on building disciples, you will get a church every time.
Our mission/commission from Jesus (the Head of the Church) is, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations...," (Matthew 28:19). If a church understands what a disciple of Jesus Christ looks like, and unifies in the intentional mission of making disciples, growth and multiplication is a by product. Disciples make disciples.
We are commissioned by Jesus to make (produce) disciples. To accomplish this, we have to begin with the end-goal in mind. My next post will focus on what a disciple of Jesus Christ looks like.
Blessings,
Tim
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Men Christ-following Women Should Avoid
Men Who Don’t Put God First
I believe this one is the most important of all. If a man doesn’t put God first in His life, then he’ll likely put you way down on his list of priorities. A man who has Jesus Christ at the center of his life will also likely hold his girlfriend or wife in high regard because men are commanded to love their wives as Christ loved the church and gave his life for her (Eph. 5:25).
Men Who Are Consumed With Hobbies
My wife loves college football and basketball and even the NFL, but she isn’t consumed with them. She would rather do things with the family and miss a game than be glued to the TV until the game is over. If a man has a compulsion with hobbies, you might end up in second place to whatever it is he is consumed with. Wouldn’t you rather have a man who is consumed with glorifying God first and then putting his wife or girlfriend next?
Men Who Mistreat Their Mothers
Any man who speaks harshly or mistreats his mother is likely to treat the other females in his life the same way. For one thing, he is breaking the Fifth Commandment to honor his father and mother. There is a strong correlation between how a man treats his mother and how he will treat his girlfriend or wife. It is a strong red flag if he is harsh or mistreats his mother.
Men Who Care Only About Themselves
I once heard about a woman who complained that her husband acted like God. He all but wanted to be worshiped. Everything had to be about him, and he wanted to always be the center of attention. God is worthy of that place in your life. No man should ever take center stage, or the woman should immediately exit stage left!
Men Who Treat Animals Harshly
Women, take a close look at how a man treats his pets or other animals. All animals are a part of God’s creation, too, and we read in the first few chapters of Genesis that God said, “And it was good.” This included the creation of animals. So if a man mistreats animals or acts with indifference in their care, then that man would be one I would avoid at all costs.
How Is He Around Children?
Another red flag is a man who doesn’t like children or even like to be around them. Children are precious to God, and if this man is a potential mate and father to your children but can’t stand being around them or has a short fuse around them, take warning because he may treat them even worse when he has his own family. You’d likely be better off without this type of man.
by Pastor Jack Wellman
Women a Christ-following Man Should Avoid
1. The Unbeliever.
In last week’s column, I reminded women that the Bible is absolutely clear on this point: Christians should not marry unbelievers. Second Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (NASB). Apart from your decision to follow Christ, marriage is the single most important decision you will ever make. Don’t blow it by ignoring the obvious. You need a wife who loves Jesus more than she loves you. Put spiritual maturity at the top of your list of qualities you want in a wife.
2. The Material Girl.
One young friend of mine was engaged to a girl from a rich family. He saved up money for months to buy a ring, but when he proposed she told him he needed to go back to the jewelry store to buy a bigger diamond. She pushed her fiance to go into debt for a ring that fit her expectations. She wanted a Tiffany’s lifestyle on his Wal-Mart budget. I warned my friend that he was stepping into serious trouble. Unless you want to live in debt for the rest of your life, do not marry a girl who has dollar signs in her eyes and eight credit cards in her Gucci purse.
3. The Diva.
Some macho guys like to throw their weight around and pretend they are superior to women. Divas are the female version of this nightmare. They think the world revolves around them, and they don’t think twice about hurting somebody else to prove their point. Their words are harsh and their finger-snapping demands are unreasonable. Some of these women might end up in leadership positions at church, but don’t be fooled by their super-spiritual talk. Real leaders are humble. If you don’t see Christlike humility in the woman you are dating, back away from her and keep looking.
4. The Delilah.
Remember Samson? He was anointed by God with superhuman strength, but he lost his power when a seductive woman figured out his secret and gave her man the world’s most famous haircut. Like Delilah, a woman who hasn’t yielded her sexuality to God will blind you with her charms, break your heart and snip your anointing off. If the “Christian” woman you met at church dresses provocatively, flirts with other guys, posts sexually inappropriate comments on Facebook or tells you she’s OK with sex before marriage, get out of that relationship before she traps you.
5. The Contentious Woman.
A young man told me recently that he dated a girl who had serious resentment in her heart because of past hurts. “Before I would propose, I told my fiancee she had to deal with this,” he explained. “It would have been a deal-breaker, but there was a powerful breakthrough and now we are engaged.” This guy realized that unresolved bitterness can ruin a marriage. Proverbs 21:9 says, “It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” If the woman you are dating is seething with anger and unforgiveness, your life together will be ruined by arguing, door-slamming and endless drama. Insist that she get prayer and counseling.
6. The Controller.
Marriage is a 50/50 partnership, and the only way it works is when both husband and wife practice mutual submission according to Ephesians 5:21. Just as some guys think they can run a marriage like a dictatorship, some women try to manipulate decisions to get their way. This is why premarital counseling is so important! You don’t want to wait until you’ve been married for two weeks to find out that your wife doesn’t trust you and wants to call all the shots.
7. The Mama’s Girl.
It’s normal for a new wife to call her mom regularly for advice and support. It is not normal for her to talk to her mother five times a day about every detail of her marriage, including her sex life. That’s weird. Yet I have counseled guys whose wives allowed their mothers (or fathers) total control of their marriages. Genesis 2:24 says a man is to leave his parents and cleave to his wife. Parents should stay in the background of their children’s marriages. If your girlfriend hasn’t cut the apron strings, proceed with caution.
8. The Addict.
So many people in the church today have not been properly discipled. Many still struggle with various types of addictions—to alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription medicines or pornography—either because we don’t confront these sins from the pulpit or we don’t offer enough compassionate support to strugglers. Jesus can completely set a person free from these habits, but you don’t want to wait until you’re married to find out your wife isn’t sober. You may still be called to be married, but it is not wise to tie the knot until your girlfriend faces her issues head-on.
Your best rule to follow in choosing a wife is found in Proverbs 31:30: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Look past the outward qualities that the world says are important, and look at the heart.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of the Mordecai Project. You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of 10 Lies Men Believe and other books.
In last week’s column, I reminded women that the Bible is absolutely clear on this point: Christians should not marry unbelievers. Second Corinthians 6:14 says, “Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness?” (NASB). Apart from your decision to follow Christ, marriage is the single most important decision you will ever make. Don’t blow it by ignoring the obvious. You need a wife who loves Jesus more than she loves you. Put spiritual maturity at the top of your list of qualities you want in a wife.
2. The Material Girl.
One young friend of mine was engaged to a girl from a rich family. He saved up money for months to buy a ring, but when he proposed she told him he needed to go back to the jewelry store to buy a bigger diamond. She pushed her fiance to go into debt for a ring that fit her expectations. She wanted a Tiffany’s lifestyle on his Wal-Mart budget. I warned my friend that he was stepping into serious trouble. Unless you want to live in debt for the rest of your life, do not marry a girl who has dollar signs in her eyes and eight credit cards in her Gucci purse.
3. The Diva.
Some macho guys like to throw their weight around and pretend they are superior to women. Divas are the female version of this nightmare. They think the world revolves around them, and they don’t think twice about hurting somebody else to prove their point. Their words are harsh and their finger-snapping demands are unreasonable. Some of these women might end up in leadership positions at church, but don’t be fooled by their super-spiritual talk. Real leaders are humble. If you don’t see Christlike humility in the woman you are dating, back away from her and keep looking.
4. The Delilah.
Remember Samson? He was anointed by God with superhuman strength, but he lost his power when a seductive woman figured out his secret and gave her man the world’s most famous haircut. Like Delilah, a woman who hasn’t yielded her sexuality to God will blind you with her charms, break your heart and snip your anointing off. If the “Christian” woman you met at church dresses provocatively, flirts with other guys, posts sexually inappropriate comments on Facebook or tells you she’s OK with sex before marriage, get out of that relationship before she traps you.
5. The Contentious Woman.
A young man told me recently that he dated a girl who had serious resentment in her heart because of past hurts. “Before I would propose, I told my fiancee she had to deal with this,” he explained. “It would have been a deal-breaker, but there was a powerful breakthrough and now we are engaged.” This guy realized that unresolved bitterness can ruin a marriage. Proverbs 21:9 says, “It is better to live in a corner of a roof than in a house shared with a contentious woman.” If the woman you are dating is seething with anger and unforgiveness, your life together will be ruined by arguing, door-slamming and endless drama. Insist that she get prayer and counseling.
6. The Controller.
Marriage is a 50/50 partnership, and the only way it works is when both husband and wife practice mutual submission according to Ephesians 5:21. Just as some guys think they can run a marriage like a dictatorship, some women try to manipulate decisions to get their way. This is why premarital counseling is so important! You don’t want to wait until you’ve been married for two weeks to find out that your wife doesn’t trust you and wants to call all the shots.
7. The Mama’s Girl.
It’s normal for a new wife to call her mom regularly for advice and support. It is not normal for her to talk to her mother five times a day about every detail of her marriage, including her sex life. That’s weird. Yet I have counseled guys whose wives allowed their mothers (or fathers) total control of their marriages. Genesis 2:24 says a man is to leave his parents and cleave to his wife. Parents should stay in the background of their children’s marriages. If your girlfriend hasn’t cut the apron strings, proceed with caution.
8. The Addict.
So many people in the church today have not been properly discipled. Many still struggle with various types of addictions—to alcohol, illegal drugs, prescription medicines or pornography—either because we don’t confront these sins from the pulpit or we don’t offer enough compassionate support to strugglers. Jesus can completely set a person free from these habits, but you don’t want to wait until you’re married to find out your wife isn’t sober. You may still be called to be married, but it is not wise to tie the knot until your girlfriend faces her issues head-on.
Your best rule to follow in choosing a wife is found in Proverbs 31:30: “Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.” Look past the outward qualities that the world says are important, and look at the heart.
J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of the Mordecai Project. You can follow him on Twitter at @leegrady. He is the author of 10 Lies Men Believe and other books.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Helping People See Jesus Better
by Jeff Vanderstelt
So what I do is I try to help people see how Jesus is the better, okay? Now, Tim Keller is brilliant at this. I'm learning a ton from him so I just thank God for him. But we were ministering to a woman that's a widow next to our home, and this was several years back. And she was having a guy who continued to take advantage of her and really hurt her.
And I remember one time we were having a conversation, she came over to our house one night and we were just talking. She was complaining quite a bit about this guy. And I pulled out a couple of glasses in front of me, and I just said, "Hey, Nicky, I just want to let you know you worship this guy." And she's like, "No, I don't." I said, "Yeah, you do.
Any time your life rises or falls on a particular thing or person, that's called worship." And so she says, "Eww, that's gross." I said, "I know. He's not a very good object of worship, is he?" She's like, "No way."
By the way, when you help people identify the things they worship, it's so easy to talk about Jesus because you just talk about how He's better. So I just started. I said, "Let me tell you about a guy. This guy, He is the most amazing man you'll ever meet. He loves you even when you're a mess. He'll never leave you or forsake you. He will be patient with you with all your shortcomings. He will be devoted to you becoming more beautiful day by day.
And even if you don't, He will still love you. And you know what? No matter what you do, that love will never change. See, He loves you so much He laid down his life for you."
She says, "Who is he?" And she was a good Catholic girl growing up. And I said, "It's Jesus." She went, "Oh, I want a man with flesh." She's a pretty spunky Mexican. You know what she's talking about. So I said, "Well, he took on flesh for you." She said, "Yeah, but I want Him here right now." I said, "He is here right now by His spirit, right now, in Jayne and I." And she said, "You know what? I want a man just like you." And that was uncomfortable at that moment. And I said, "No, you don't. No, you don't.
The truth is I'm just like this guy apart from Jesus. If you've seen me love my wife well or be patient or care for her or build her up or make her more beautiful, it's because a while ago Jesus took over my life. And He is loving my wife through me. And so if you've seen any of that, you don't want this guy. You want this guy. You want Jesus Christ."
And I said, "Here's the deal, Nicky. If you get Jesus Christ, you get the love of another kind and it allows you to forgive guys like me. It allows you to give grace to guys like me because you've received a love that can handle when you're not loved well. And until you get this, you're never going to be able to love or forgive or give grace to anybody.
That's what you're looking for. You're looking for Jesus." And a few days later, Jesus by His spirit broke into her life and led her into a night of prayer where she confessed her sin. And she started praying for the people who had hurt her, asking that God's grace would break into their life and forgive them as well.
And she came over the next day and told my wife, she said, "I just want you to know I believe what you guys said. And I prayed all night and I turned my life over to Jesus."
And Jayne, my wife, said, "Well, who is Jesus to you now?" And she said, "Well, He's my father." I came home a little later, and Jayne told me that. I said, "Oh we didn't tell her about the trinity."
And then the Spirit said, "No, no, no, no, you don't understand this. She's looking for a man who will love her like a dad and she found that man in Jesus. Because if you've seen me, you've seen the Father."
Let’s not give people something other than Jesus. I could have said, "You know what? Get rid of that jerk. He's a jerk. You don't want to find a guy like that. You got to find a different guy. Let me help you find a good guy." Right? And you start giving them all kinds of dating advice. Forget that. Until she gets Jesus, she doesn't need a man. She needs to get THE man, right?
So what I do is I try to help people see how Jesus is the better, okay? Now, Tim Keller is brilliant at this. I'm learning a ton from him so I just thank God for him. But we were ministering to a woman that's a widow next to our home, and this was several years back. And she was having a guy who continued to take advantage of her and really hurt her.
And I remember one time we were having a conversation, she came over to our house one night and we were just talking. She was complaining quite a bit about this guy. And I pulled out a couple of glasses in front of me, and I just said, "Hey, Nicky, I just want to let you know you worship this guy." And she's like, "No, I don't." I said, "Yeah, you do.
Any time your life rises or falls on a particular thing or person, that's called worship." And so she says, "Eww, that's gross." I said, "I know. He's not a very good object of worship, is he?" She's like, "No way."
By the way, when you help people identify the things they worship, it's so easy to talk about Jesus because you just talk about how He's better. So I just started. I said, "Let me tell you about a guy. This guy, He is the most amazing man you'll ever meet. He loves you even when you're a mess. He'll never leave you or forsake you. He will be patient with you with all your shortcomings. He will be devoted to you becoming more beautiful day by day.
And even if you don't, He will still love you. And you know what? No matter what you do, that love will never change. See, He loves you so much He laid down his life for you."
She says, "Who is he?" And she was a good Catholic girl growing up. And I said, "It's Jesus." She went, "Oh, I want a man with flesh." She's a pretty spunky Mexican. You know what she's talking about. So I said, "Well, he took on flesh for you." She said, "Yeah, but I want Him here right now." I said, "He is here right now by His spirit, right now, in Jayne and I." And she said, "You know what? I want a man just like you." And that was uncomfortable at that moment. And I said, "No, you don't. No, you don't.
The truth is I'm just like this guy apart from Jesus. If you've seen me love my wife well or be patient or care for her or build her up or make her more beautiful, it's because a while ago Jesus took over my life. And He is loving my wife through me. And so if you've seen any of that, you don't want this guy. You want this guy. You want Jesus Christ."
And I said, "Here's the deal, Nicky. If you get Jesus Christ, you get the love of another kind and it allows you to forgive guys like me. It allows you to give grace to guys like me because you've received a love that can handle when you're not loved well. And until you get this, you're never going to be able to love or forgive or give grace to anybody.
That's what you're looking for. You're looking for Jesus." And a few days later, Jesus by His spirit broke into her life and led her into a night of prayer where she confessed her sin. And she started praying for the people who had hurt her, asking that God's grace would break into their life and forgive them as well.
And she came over the next day and told my wife, she said, "I just want you to know I believe what you guys said. And I prayed all night and I turned my life over to Jesus."
And Jayne, my wife, said, "Well, who is Jesus to you now?" And she said, "Well, He's my father." I came home a little later, and Jayne told me that. I said, "Oh we didn't tell her about the trinity."
And then the Spirit said, "No, no, no, no, you don't understand this. She's looking for a man who will love her like a dad and she found that man in Jesus. Because if you've seen me, you've seen the Father."
Let’s not give people something other than Jesus. I could have said, "You know what? Get rid of that jerk. He's a jerk. You don't want to find a guy like that. You got to find a different guy. Let me help you find a good guy." Right? And you start giving them all kinds of dating advice. Forget that. Until she gets Jesus, she doesn't need a man. She needs to get THE man, right?
Thursday, December 3, 2015
Sung Faith
The black theologian, Howard Thurman, was asked to speak at Harvard on the subject of Negro Spirituals (songs written and sung by African-American slaves who trusted in Christ). Intellectuals scoffed at the 'other-worldly' nature of the songs. Negro Spirituals focus, almost exclusively, on heaven and Judgment Day. Howard Thurman explained that 'sung faith' was the hope of every believing slave. It gave slaves the confidence, in the midst of the horrible injustice, that a Day of Reckoning would ultimately come, justice would be served by the Almighty, and the peace of the Lord would cover the whole earth. By focusing on these promises of Jesus, they found strength for their arduous journey Home.
The hope in the biblical teaching of Judgment Day is this: God is patient, justice will ultimately be served, and a new Home awaits every Christ-trusting heart!
He will give justice to the poor
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
Matthew 25:31-46
Jesus said, “But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit upon his glorious throne.32All the nations will be gathered in his presence, and he will separate the people as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33He will place the sheep at his right hand and the goats at his left.
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,you were doing it to me!’
41“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
and make fair decisions for the exploited.
Matthew 25:31-46
34“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. 35For I was hungry, and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home.36I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.’
37“Then these righteous ones will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you? Or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38Or a stranger and show you hospitality? Or naked and give you clothing? 39When did we ever see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
40“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,you were doing it to me!’
41“Then the King will turn to those on the left and say, ‘Away with you, you cursed ones, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his demons. 42For I was hungry, and you didn’t feed me. I was thirsty, and you didn’t give me a drink. 43I was a stranger, and you didn’t invite me into your home. I was naked, and you didn’t give me clothing. I was sick and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
44“Then they will reply, ‘Lord, when did we ever see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and not help you?’
45“And he will answer, ‘I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help me.’
46“And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous will go into eternal life.”
Monday, November 30, 2015
Seriously...God Wants You To Be Happy!
These thoughts have been fueled by Jon Bloom and John Piper on the subject of Christian Hedonism.
I've heard well meaning Christians say, "Don't desire happiness. God doesn't want you to be happy...He wants you to be holy!" Um....yeah...I disagree. I think God wants you (us) to experience deep, profound, completely satisfying, and unending happiness.
I resonate with Blaise Pascal (French Genius Mathematician/Philosopher) who said, "All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves."
Warriors, pacifists, heathens, Christians, terrorists, politicians, clergy, gang-bangers, alcoholics, workaholics, hermits, etc. all seek some form of happiness.
The desire for happiness is designed by God.
To truly find God we must fuse faith with the desire for delight. Hebrews 11:6 says, "for whoever would draw near to God must believe (trust) that he exists and that he rewards (gives blessings/happiness to) those who seek him."
The Psalmist says, "Being near to God is my happiness" (Psalm 73:28) and "in your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
Why are people unhappy?
Often, we can't experience deep happiness because we treasure the wrong things. Jon Bloom said, "If something sinful gives you pleasure, it’s not a pleasure problem. It’s a treasure problem."
Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).
As Christ-followers, when we are knocked off course by some besetting sin, we don't have a pleasure problem, we have a treasure problem. We are still treasuring something that brings fleeting pleasure but soon spoils and stinks.
When we begin to treasure our relationship with God and the promises he gives, more than anything else, we wade into a reservoir of happiness without end.
God wants us to be happy now and forever. The life of a Christ-follower is the fight for delight! Pursue it with all diligence.
God help us to treasure what will bring us eternal delight. Help us treasure You.
In Jesus' Good Name,
Amen.
"God is most glorified in you, when you are most satisfied in Him."---John Piper
I've heard well meaning Christians say, "Don't desire happiness. God doesn't want you to be happy...He wants you to be holy!" Um....yeah...I disagree. I think God wants you (us) to experience deep, profound, completely satisfying, and unending happiness.
I resonate with Blaise Pascal (French Genius Mathematician/Philosopher) who said, "All men seek happiness. This is without exception. Whatever different means they employ, they all tend to this end. The cause of some going to war, and of others avoiding it, is the same desire in both, attended with different views. The will never takes the least step but to this object. This is the motive of every action of every man, even of those who hang themselves."
Warriors, pacifists, heathens, Christians, terrorists, politicians, clergy, gang-bangers, alcoholics, workaholics, hermits, etc. all seek some form of happiness.
The desire for happiness is designed by God.
To truly find God we must fuse faith with the desire for delight. Hebrews 11:6 says, "for whoever would draw near to God must believe (trust) that he exists and that he rewards (gives blessings/happiness to) those who seek him."
The Psalmist says, "Being near to God is my happiness" (Psalm 73:28) and "in your presence is fullness of joy, and at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).
Why are people unhappy?
Often, we can't experience deep happiness because we treasure the wrong things. Jon Bloom said, "If something sinful gives you pleasure, it’s not a pleasure problem. It’s a treasure problem."
Jesus said, "Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Matthew 6:21).
As Christ-followers, when we are knocked off course by some besetting sin, we don't have a pleasure problem, we have a treasure problem. We are still treasuring something that brings fleeting pleasure but soon spoils and stinks.
When we begin to treasure our relationship with God and the promises he gives, more than anything else, we wade into a reservoir of happiness without end.
God wants us to be happy now and forever. The life of a Christ-follower is the fight for delight! Pursue it with all diligence.
God help us to treasure what will bring us eternal delight. Help us treasure You.
In Jesus' Good Name,
Amen.
"God is most glorified in you, when you are most satisfied in Him."---John Piper
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