There are certain important points to understand about joy. This gift to every believer in Christ has a spiritual source — the Holy Spirit — and is produced from within by Him. Being supernatural in nature, divine joy exists independently of our circumstances. Happiness, on the other hand, comes from external causes, is earthly in character, and increases or decreases as events change. The success of a sports team, recognition by others, or completion of a project all represent sources of earthly happiness.
Friday, February 09, 2007
Thursday, February 08, 2007
Pure simple Joys
Pure, simple Joys.
Sunlight seeping through the gap between the curtains in the morning.
The sunsetting behind the stark outlines of winter trees.
The smell of hot chocolate after a walk in the countryside.
The heavenly peace of a sleeping child.
A smile from a stranger.
Crisp, clean, freshly washed bed linen.
A cool breeze on a hot sunny day.
God is expressed through the beauty of the world in so many ways!
Sunlight seeping through the gap between the curtains in the morning.
The sunsetting behind the stark outlines of winter trees.
The smell of hot chocolate after a walk in the countryside.
The heavenly peace of a sleeping child.
A smile from a stranger.
Crisp, clean, freshly washed bed linen.
A cool breeze on a hot sunny day.
God is expressed through the beauty of the world in so many ways!
Those who live in accordance with the spirit
"Those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the spirit desires."
Romans 8:5
As one has to give before they can recieve so our hearts must be tempered by our focus on God day by day, hour by hour and moment by moment.
If we keep communion with God through every breath then our deeds become a living prayer.
By giving our bodies minds and hearts to God we can find the freedom from our own desires and inadequacies.
Often our own desires have no other function than to prop up a sense of identity wrought within the imperfect framework of an imperfect world.
Faith in God replaces both the oppression of our desires and the reppression of our limited abilities with a quiet strength and a fearless peace. With Gods strength and peace we can see beyond the limited perspective of our isolated selves and the perameters of our foreshortend horizons. With faith we can find out what true fullfillment means and stretch to our full potential. With faith we may see with vision instead of just sight.
Yet by it's very definition faith must take it's first steps in the darkness before it can be illuminated. Therefore we must look towards the kingdom of God in every step we take so as not to lose our direction along the way.
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