“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other…”
--Matthew 6:24
When I was a little boy, I used to love taking a magnifying glass out in the front yard, piling a bunch of leaves together, and using the magnifying glass to focus the sunlight on those leaves and catching them on fire. And as I think back on that, I’m reminded of the power of focused energy.
You see, dry vegetation doesn’t just burst into flames when left out in the sun. Even on the hottest summer days here in Texas when the temperature gets up to 108 degrees, we don’t have a problem with spontaneous combustion of dead grass. It takes concentrated light to start a fire.
Life moves at a very fast pace for most of us today. And if we let it get to us, we’ll forget the specific purpose God has given us for our lives and end up being pulled in a hundred different directions. But if we’ll focus on the gifts we have and the outlet God’s given us to exercise those gifts, that concentrated energy can ignite a fire of the Holy Spirit in our lives and others.
Don’t allow life to pull you in too many directions. Focus on the ministry God has given you and He’ll use that concentrated energy to start something big!
FOCUS YOUR TIME AND ENERGY ON THE MINISTRY GOD HAS GIFTED YOU TO FULFILL AND HE’LL USE YOU TO IGNITE SOMETHING BIG!
The Only Source of Joy
Saturday, January 04, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.”
Psalm 16:8–11
When Ira Stanphill was pastoring a church in Fort Worth, Texas he drove home one day and on the radio heard an ad for “happy hour” at a local bar. Contrasting the pleasures offered by the world with those offered by Christ, Stanphill began composing music and lyrics for a new song even before he got home. We know the song today as “Happiness Is the Lord.”
Happiness is to know the Savior,Living a life within His favor,Having a change in my behaviorHappiness is the Lord.
Real joy is mine,No matter if the teardrops start,I’ve found the secret,It’s Jesus in my heart.
Happiness is to be forgiven,Living a life that’s worth the livin’,Taking a trip that leads to Heaven,Happiness is the Lord.
The pleasures offered by the world are at best temporary, and they come at a heavy price. Yet too often God’s people yield to the temptation to seek those pleasures rather than turning to Him for what only He can provide. It is in His presence that we find true joy. It is in the working of the Holy Spirit that we experience the blessing of joy. “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith” (Galatians 5:22). The joy that Christ brings can reach our hearts even during times of great sorrow. This is why Paul could say he was “as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing” (2 Corinthians 6:10). Rather than seeking illicit pleasures, we simply need to take advantage of the close relationship with God He offers to us as His children.
Today's Growth Principle: A Christian lacking joy is not living in the presence of God or the power of His Holy Spirit. |
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