Some men never lived at all; a few lived well or ill.”
–Zane Grey (Robbers’ Roost)
“For in him we live and move and exist…”
“For in him we live and move and exist…”
–Acts 17:28 (NLT)
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How many times have I written–Life is living? Jesus wants us to live our lives to the fullest; live it abundantly. “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9-10, NKJV) To live the abundant life is to live in Christ and for Christ.
“Useful work, expanded interests, the delights of shared experience, inward spiritual resources, and a worthy purpose at life’s center–such unselfish things as these are of the very substance of a joyful and abundant life.” (H.E. Fosdick) When we give ourselves completely to the Lord Jesus Christ we find that our horizons begin to widen. We are not caught in trying to please ourselves, but to please others and most of all to please Jesus. We get so caught up in our own feelings. Depression, fear, joy, happiness, sorrow, gladness–not that they are not real but they revolve around us. Even in our worship much of the time it seems it is how we “feel” instead of focusing on the Lord.
I came across a little prayer, that if we would contemplate the depth of these words much of our selfish desires would flee from us. “O God, Author of the world’s joy, Bearer of the world’s pain, make us glad that we are men and we have inherited the earth’s burden; deliver us from the luxury of cheap melancholy; and, at the heart of our trouble and sorrow, let unconquerable gladness dwell…” (Henry S. Nash) Yes, we are in the world, we are faced with the world’s problem of sin, but as believers we are no longer of the world. Yes, we have our own burdens, but we now have One who helps us carry them. And here, I would say, do not selfishly hold on to your burdens; the Lord is more than willing to share the load.
Fosdick says, “If you wish blessedness, head for service; if you wish the crown of joy, take up the cross of sacrifice; if life is to be yours, lose your life in other lives and in causes that have won your love.” The words of Jesus ring out here, put aside self. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'” (Matthew 16:24, NKJV) Are you living life to the fullest in Jesus Christ? I remember as a youth being challenged with the above charge. But then, the preacher, stopped and solemnly spoke, “Many say they would die for the cause of Christ, but how many will be willing to live for Him? “Men find it easier to die for a cause in a crisis than to live for it in ordinary hours.” (Fosdick) They do not really believe that self-realization through self-surrender is a universal law of life. The words of Jesus should sober us–“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25, NKJV)
——————————–
How many times have I written–Life is living? Jesus wants us to live our lives to the fullest; live it abundantly. “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:9-10, NKJV) To live the abundant life is to live in Christ and for Christ.
“Useful work, expanded interests, the delights of shared experience, inward spiritual resources, and a worthy purpose at life’s center–such unselfish things as these are of the very substance of a joyful and abundant life.” (H.E. Fosdick) When we give ourselves completely to the Lord Jesus Christ we find that our horizons begin to widen. We are not caught in trying to please ourselves, but to please others and most of all to please Jesus. We get so caught up in our own feelings. Depression, fear, joy, happiness, sorrow, gladness–not that they are not real but they revolve around us. Even in our worship much of the time it seems it is how we “feel” instead of focusing on the Lord.
I came across a little prayer, that if we would contemplate the depth of these words much of our selfish desires would flee from us. “O God, Author of the world’s joy, Bearer of the world’s pain, make us glad that we are men and we have inherited the earth’s burden; deliver us from the luxury of cheap melancholy; and, at the heart of our trouble and sorrow, let unconquerable gladness dwell…” (Henry S. Nash) Yes, we are in the world, we are faced with the world’s problem of sin, but as believers we are no longer of the world. Yes, we have our own burdens, but we now have One who helps us carry them. And here, I would say, do not selfishly hold on to your burdens; the Lord is more than willing to share the load.
Fosdick says, “If you wish blessedness, head for service; if you wish the crown of joy, take up the cross of sacrifice; if life is to be yours, lose your life in other lives and in causes that have won your love.” The words of Jesus ring out here, put aside self. “Then Jesus said to His disciples, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.'” (Matthew 16:24, NKJV) Are you living life to the fullest in Jesus Christ? I remember as a youth being challenged with the above charge. But then, the preacher, stopped and solemnly spoke, “Many say they would die for the cause of Christ, but how many will be willing to live for Him? “Men find it easier to die for a cause in a crisis than to live for it in ordinary hours.” (Fosdick) They do not really believe that self-realization through self-surrender is a universal law of life. The words of Jesus should sober us–“He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (John 12:25, NKJV)