Hi all! Mom had asked me to share some of my insights on her blog, so here I am, finally getting around to it. I was reading the prayer requests and the answered prayers. I just love this family - I love our childlike faith and don't we have such a great sense of humor? We are funny people! And God is good - look at how He listens!
I have been thinking a lot about happiness lately. Let me know what you think of my ideas. I think happiness is like world peace... it's not gonna happen. That doesn't mean we don't pray for it or pursue it, it just isn't possible. We have moments of happiness, maybe even days of it, but something always happens to spoil it. That's the way of the world. Then there's joy. Joy is possible in spite of circumstances. It's one of the Fruits of the Spirit, which means it is only possible with Christ. Have you ever felt happy and you wondered why you were happy? "My life is a mess!" but you were happy anyway? That's joy - that's the Spirit. That's the natural consequence of living in obedience to Christ. The other fruits are - love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self control. If you have all of these in your life, it's the evidence that you are living in sync with God's will. So whenever I feel anxious, or mean, or depressed (or any one of the opposites of the fruits) I have to ask myself in what area of my life am I not being obedient to Christ? Then (and this is the important part) I go before Him and confess what I've done, and pray for guidance to get right again. This is why I read my Bible everyday - so that I know what I am supposed to do.
OK - I could go on..... and on..... and on...... but that's enough! Thanks for listening. Love you!
8 comments:
I am so impressed by your coments and by your insight, Debbie. Your insight and wisdom are the result of your reading the Bible as you do and coming to know God on such a personal basis. There is a special place waiting for you on the "other side!!"
At first, as I read your lead-in about happiness and not being able to attain it, I thought "no, I can't agree with that. Happy is possible." But then you go on to speak of joy - as in the joy the pirit gives -- and it came clear to me that there IS a difference. And you are correct, there will ALWAYS be problems - we need to keep the Faith and lean on His everlasting love! This morning, as I read the paper, I thought how nice it would be to have a newspaper filled with nothing but good news. Then I realized that can never be. Even the Bible, which brings us the most wonderful news of all, is filled also with bad news -- man's weaknesses, wars, David's depression, Eve caving in to the devil's temptation, murder, Peter denying the One he loved more than life, etc. etc. etc. My point being, same as Debbie's, the world isn't perfect, man isn't perfect, and we need to walk with Jesus in order to find peace and strength and happiness in the eye of the storms we have and will encounter.
Thankk you so much, Debbie, for sharing your very wise and personal thoughts (FACTS!).
Yes, Debbie - Thank you! And you, too, Sharon! Great things to think about. The fruits! "You shall know them by their fruits". This was the answer to the question "How can we know the true prophets from the false prophets?" I've been trying to find that scripture, but so far I haven't found it. Does anyone know what scripture it is? And - "They'll know we are Christians by our love." Another great scripture which I cannot find right now. But, if we are filled with love and the fruits of the Spirit, we cannot also be filled with hatred and the opposite of the fruits! This takes lots of work. You are right, Debbie, we need to go to the Lord and ask His forgiveness when we fail in any of these areas. And we need to ask the forgiveness of others. When we do, we will know the forgiveness and refreshing, renewing fruits of the Spirit! Thanks for sharing, Debbie and Sharon.
Thanks, Mom and Beautiful Auntie for you input. What I was trying to say, I must have said, because your comments are right on! I do have to add a disclaimer here, however. It's a whole lot easier to write it than it is to do it. I hope I don't sound like I'm perfect and always living in obedience, because I'm not! But I do try!
Matthew 7:16, 20 "By their fruit you will recognize them." Read verses 15-20 to get the context, but that's the verse you're talking about, Mom.
"They'll know we are Christians by our love" is a song inspired from Luke 6: 27-36, and probably other verses as well. If we profess to be Christians, but don't stand out differently from "sinners" then what credit is it to us?
Food for thought! Thanks!
God knows that we fail in our pursuit of perfection. That is why he is a forgiving God. I believe that being Christian is more about the pursuit of perfection than actually achieving it. It's funny how the pursuit of something can actually be more important than actually achieving it.
Very good thought, Brian. And that is what we do, isn't it? Sometimes we fail, but we know our loving heavenly Father is right there to pick us up and put us back on the path and even holds our hand until we find the way again. Such a good thought. It's our hope, isn't it?
I enjoy yur comments Brian. The pursuit of perfection is the pursuit of eternal life in our Heavenly home, wouldn't you say? I am looking forward to listening to yu play that trombone (or a new one you'll be given) in the band up there, Brian. And just think of how unbelievably beautiful the choir will be! nd the pure joy we will know then just to be in our Savior's presence. WOW!
This is great Debbie, and so wise. I will need to mull it over a bit in my pea sized brain until I can fully grasp it.
On my 59th birthday, Debbie called to ask 8f I got her gift. I freaked out because it occurred to me that I wasn't getting any mail. Moving there was extremely stressful. Getting mail, especially on my Birthday was so important. I needed to feel a family connection in the worst way...mail was that like. So I was processing this all out loud to Debbie. She thought I was yell8ng at her. I did not have tool then to call myself down. She told me she never wanted to talk to me or see me ever again. It is 2025 and she has kept her bow. Her hate of me is sooooo traumatic. It's sad that ADD and autism is not helped . Others don't get it. So Debbie ha erased me from the family with ksy, Janet, l8nda, Brian mom and dad following.
Reading how you love God makes me sad. His dream come true is that we are ONE... read 1 john 1
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