winning true happiness…

what pleases us as pastors and teachers even more than a comment or compliment is when somebody says they will put it into practice and use it.  they say they will do the sermon this week.  “let’s not deceive ourselves,” james says.

james 1.25 (ph), the man who puts the law into practice wins true happiness.  JESUS, in matthew 7, tells the story of the wise and the foolish builder.  he says the foolish builder builds on sand.  he is like the guy who hears the word of GOD but doesn’t do what it says.  the wise man is the one who hears it and then goes out and makes an honest attempt to put it into his life.  practice it.

JESUS said in john 13.17 (niv), now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.  i think the simplest definition of maturity is to be a doer of the word.  that’s what it means to be mature.  you do what the bible says.  we must not only read the word, we must heed the word.  every single one of us knows more spiritual truth than we’re putting into practice right now.  you don’t need to know more, you already know enough.  it’s not the matter that we need to know more.  we just need to put into practice what we already know.  i just need to practice what i already know to do, not learn anything new.  be a doer of the word.

just a thought from the front porch…

life, happiness and approval…

no matter who rejects me, GOD never will.  psalm 27.10 (niv), even if my mother and father forsake me, the LORD will receive me.  even those who brought me into this world, even if they reject me, the LORD won't. 

some of you may still be trying to win your parents' approval. you never could get it growing up.  let me say, if your parents rejected you growing up, it wasn't your problem, it was their problem.  parents are not to reject their kids.  so it's not your problem, it's their problem.  maybe it was because they were rejected and they're just turning it on somebody else.  many of you, even as adults, are still trying to win your parents' approval in many and varied different ways.  the truth is, if you haven't got it by now you may never get it.  you probably won't. some of you have had parents who've died and there's no way they can give you their approval. 

i’d say, you won't get it but it doesn't matter.  you don't need it.  you don't need it to be happy.  it says, even if my mother and father forsake me, the LORD will receive me. your happiness does not depend on other people. 

have you been looking to other people to meet a need that only GOD can satisfy?  watch out!  you're headed for trouble.  are you looking to others to meet a need that only GOD can satisfy?  have you been living to please the wrong person?  GOD wants to be your light and your salvation.  HE knows everything about you and HE still loves you.  JESUS CHRIST paid for your sins so you can be acceptable to GOD. you can be forgiven.  i would encourage you to simplify your life by saying, “i’m going to concentrate on GOD’s approval.  that’s what counts.  i’m going to concentrate on GOD’s approval.  i want my life to be pleasing to HIM.  i want to stand at the end of my life and hear him say, well done, thou good and faithful servant.”

how do i get GOD’s approval?  there is only one way.  there are not many ways.  there is only one way the bible says to get GOD’s approval.  hebrews 11.2 says it is by faith we win GOD’s approval.  we accept HIS love and what HE’s done for us.  we trust our lives to HIM.  if you’ve never done that, would you do that right now?  would you say, “GOD, i want to switch the focus of my life starting here from living for the approval of other people – boyfriend, boss, husband, wife, family, kids, popular people, people next door – and i want to focus on YOUr approval and i want to have YOUr approval by putting my faith in YOU and trusting what JESUS CHRIST has done for me.  i want to give my life to YOU.” say that in your heart.  “yes, LORD, i want to trust YOU and commit myself to YOU.”

just a thought from the front porch…

perfectionism and happiness…

perfectionism destroys your happiness.

you have the constant feeling that you never quite measure up. you go through life giving life your best shot and always coming up short and always feeling like, no matter how hard you try, your best is not good enough and you feel like a failure. that's depressing, discouraging. you start thinking, “what's the use?” “it's frustrating. why do i even try? if GOD demands that i be perfect, why even try?”

this is why most people avoid GOD because of their misconception of GOD. paul says in galatians 5.1 (niv), it's for freedom that CHRIST has set us free. HE set you free, not loaded you down. stand firm then and don't let yourselves be burdened again by the yoke of slavery.

everybody has a mental picture of their ideal self. it's what you really think you want to be or what you'd like everybody else to think you are. your ideal self shows up two ways: one, when you're filling out a job application. two, on your first date. you're always trying to impress people with what you think, you think everybody wants you to be. but it's not really you.

the problem is, your real self and your ideal self never really match. they start warring with each other in your life and you get under a burden.

nobody likes a nag. everybody feels like nags are a bother in life but our worst nag lives inside our skins. we subject ourselves to a relentless self judgment program. we remind ourselves of all the past failures and how we blew it. we criticize our present actions. we pressure ourselves about the future. we're always telling ourselves how we've blown it. “you'll never change.” that's perfectionism. that's the burden of trying to gain GOD's approval by being perfect.

GOD says, “that's not the way i intend you to live.” paul says, “don't be under the burden of slavery. don't go back and try to prove your worth by the law.”

just a thought from the front porch…