The Secret of Joy, Contentment and Peace

What is the secret to joy, contentment and peace?

The accumulation of wealth?  material possessions?  numerous estates?

    

The attainment of degrees?  titles?  awards?  trophies?  fame? 

Finally getting all of the "If only's" in your life (If only I had a child...a better paying job...spouse/parents/family/friends who would understand/love/support me...the winning lottery ticket...everything the one-percenters have...)?

The daily news and tabloids are full of stars, celebrities, and the ultra-rich who have achieved all of these things and more; yet they are still empty, longing, depressed, and discontent.

Our minds ask, "How can this be?"

But deep in our souls, at the very core of our beings, if we are willing to be completely honest with ourselves, we know it to be true.

So is there no hope of experiencing True and lasting joy, contentment and peace?

That depends on whether you view joy, contentment and peace as something to achieve...or something to receive.

If you continue to strive, struggle, grasp and claw after it in your own strength, by your own cleverness, ingenuity, and sheer force of will --then all you will experience will be a fleeting illusion; a counterfeit, cheap imitation of the real thing.  

I know.  Been there, done that, have the scars to prove it.

But if you are willing to humble yourself, and turn to the One who knows everything about you, who knows you better than you will ever know yourself, yet loves you so much that He willingly wrapped Himself in mortal flesh, and came to this earth as a helpless baby, knowing that he would face ridicule, rejection, betrayal, torture and death, THEN you can experience True joy, peace and contentment.

Philippians 4:4-8 puts it this way:  ⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! ⁵ Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. ⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.  ⁸ Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things (emphasis mine).

 

A dwelling is a place where we live.  This is why it is vital that we pay close attention to the things we allow our minds to dwell on.  If we let our minds dwell (live) in deceptive, ignoble, wrong, impure, unlovely, contemptible things, it WILL negatively shape, impact and direct our lives.

But if we choose to have our minds dwell on the One who is the Truth, our lives will be transformed.

This Christmas, I urge you to accept the gift of Jesus as your Savior, and receive the joy, peace and contentment that your soul so desperately longs after.  He is the only One who is the source of all that is true, noble, pure, lovely, excellent and praiseworthy.

Kevin N

Relapse Redeemed

In an endless sea of drowning,
Gasping, now break to the surface,
As the undertow of death, it grips,
And pulls me down again.

Struggle wildly to defeat
What I, in my own strength, cannot.
Now, addiction's siren song,
Convinces me to struggle not.

It whispers that if I surrender,
Peace is just one use away.
How my flesh screams to believe,
To join my once familiar friends.

Yet in the chaos of my relapse,
Gentle voice of Truth, it calls.
As I listen, Light grows brighter,
Driving back addiction's lies.

Now with strength beyond myself,
Wield I now the sword of Truth.
Breaking chains of hell's own darkness---
Truth of Christ has set me free.

Kevin E. Ness
October 4, 2011

Words from my son's heart to yours

My son had a creative writing assignment to do on any topic he chose.  I was pleased with his topic of choice, and thought he did a great job of expressing himself, so I wanted to share it.  May it touch your heart as it did mine.

 

 

No Idols in the House

Do you know why you shouldn't worship idols?  You should not worship idols because there is one God:  Yahweh!

There are a couple of reasons why you should not worship idols.  One of God's commandments is not to worship anyone but Him, Yahweh.  Idols might be pieces of wood or stone worth throwing in the lake.  Have you ever gone to the river in the fall or spring and thrown rocks or sticks in the river?  If so, you were throwing the same materials many idols are made from.  Buddha, or whatever god you worship, was probably carved out of wood or stone.

Another kind of idol is something that you spend more time on than God and His Word.  You can make your TV, computer, car, bike, or work an idol.  If you are a school teacher, school can become an idol.  You can make your friends idols by spending too much time with them.


If you want to become a Christian, just pray something like this:  "Dear Lord, please come into my heart.  I want to know You better.  Amen."  Pray something like this with faith  that Jesus is the only way to God and to Heaven.  It is your faith [and God's grace] that saves you, not the prayer.

"We, the People"

"We, the People"

Beleaguered, she stands, a tired bastion of Hope.
A guide to the nation, a pathway of Truth.
To those who hold dear all the words she contains,
She's a light in the darkness, a shelter from harm.

To those who seek pow'r as an end in itself,
She stands at the gateway, refusing their call.
They plead and cajole, they threaten and beg,
'Til at last, in deception, they find now a way.

A way to dismantle, pervert and destroy,
The will of the Fathers, who first penned the words.
Through judges supreme, they redefine Truth,
And cast out as useless, the knowledge of God.

With absolutes banished from courtrooms of law,
Licentiousness knocks, and the gate opens wide.
Our great Constitution helped give this land birth.
We must fight for her honor;
We must fight for the Truth.

©® Kevin Ness

The Builder

You can check out my latest entry for my church blog at the link below.

The Builder