A Joyful Life

Recently I took the opportunity to re-evaluate my life and where I spent my time. I must say that I got caught up in the election process and was thoroughly disappointed with the outcome. But after much prayer time, what I had to realize was that my allegiance is with God the almighty and not with the government, no matter who is president.

My life and my business decisions will ultimately be governed by my beliefs. God is number one in my life and I need my life to reflect that fact.  I had to decide what actions I needed to take to confirm that outcome and consider it my responsibility as a Christian.

The most stunning revelation was that I had let myself be drawn into the cesspool of politics and the evil that dwells in that arena. I know by the signs indicated in the Bible that we are, in fact, experiencing the end times. I also believe that we are under judgment as a nation. The majority of people that dwell in the US are no longer allowing God to lead them but have succumbed to greed, sins of the flesh and laziness.

It is so easy to get swept up into these things when the culture celebrates immorality, selfishness and wastefulness. It becomes more difficult to remain in God’s values thereby achieving happiness. The culture teaches that having more, bigger, better or newest gadget brings happiness. They seduce our children and teens with television ads that tell them being skinny and dressing provocatively makes them desirable, as if they aren't desirable or interesting in modest clothing. They teach having the newest coolest things gets us the attention we want and brings happiness.  If that was the case why are so many Americans on anti-depression medication?

So, what really makes us happy? What brings a joyful life? I think the answer is TIME. It seems to be the one thing we cannot buy, replace, or store up for later use. We only have so much allotted to each of us. What we do with it is what determines if we can ever be happy.

If it was up to the government we would all be running to work every hour we could and spending it making money to buy all the things we think we fancy. A nice car, new clothes, gourmet food, the latest electronic gadget, a night on the town, an exotic vacation and a big house in a coveted neighborhood, then we could be happy. If we just had these things or maybe a job making even more money, we would be even happier.

God tells us a different story. Jesus walked the earth; he didn't drive or fly anywhere. He spent his time with common men and women, teaching God’s truth to the masses. He worked in his father’s carpenter shop as he grew up. He spent time on a fishing boat to get away from the crowds. He often went into the desert or the garden to pray to God for direction. He never owned a house, yet he loved his friends and spent time with them often. He sent his disciples out to teach and spread the gospel without as much as a change of clothes or shoes. God provided all they needed everywhere they went.

You don’t read about healthcare plans, pensions or retirement in the Bible. He tells us we are more valuable than the sparrow in the field and yet they are taken care of. They don’t want for food or water and are clothed in gorgeous colored feathers. But we spend our entire lives building false security in houses, land or storing up of money.

The times we live in reflect the insecurity we have here on earth. A stock portfolio can be worth less in economic declines and can be totally wiped out quickly if we don’t know when to sell. The housing crisis of 2008 cost people thousands of dollars as the prices dropped they lost equity and sometimes their entire home and savings.

So, where do we spend our time that would be most beneficial to us? We must sow seed to bear fruit, we must build our treasure in heaven and not on earth where it can be wiped out with the fluctuations of the economy or destroyed in a natural disaster or war.

We must ask ourselves, what do we really need to survive? Air to breathe, water to drink, a little food to eat, a place to rest our tired bodies and someone to love, those are the necessities in life. How hard is it to obtain those things? It’s really not that hard. But we don’t stop there. We pursue comfort and convenience most of the time. We are always looking for an easier way to do everything. We, as a culture, have exaggerated our needs to reflect our extravagant wants. Why? Because we were sold a bill of lies, that we can buy happiness. But chasing money inevitably costs us our happiness. We must put God first and all of the necessities of life will be given to us. It is God's promise and the way to a joyful life.

Living a simple life can provide us with all the things we require without taking all of our time. If we downsize our homes, stop buying all the newest gadgets, turn off the television set and spend time with the ones we love, doing things together and doing things for others brings the satisfaction that will ultimately make us happy. We just have to take the time to stop. Stop running, we are so busy we have no time to reflect or to think about what we are doing or why. We feel like we have to fill every hour of everyday with activity or entertainment. How much time do you spend in reflection and quiet thought? How much time do you spend with God?

Time is a gift from God but strangely we don’t know how much time any of us has so, we should not waste our time chasing after the luxuries of this world. We were not created or put on earth for the purpose of acquiring things but to acquire the knowledge of who our creator is and pass that message on to others. It is imperative for us to know our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ, if we are to return to him and spend eternity with him. There is no way to our creator except through Jesus Christ our Lord. When was the last time you spoke to someone about him or shared the message of salvation? When was the last time you listened for his voice? When was the last time you asked for his guidance?

I encourage you to re-evaluate your life to see just where most of your time is being spent. Is it chasing a dream lifestyle of comfort and luxury here on earth or are you investing your time here on earth to build treasures in heaven by feeding the hungry, clothing the downtrodden, bringing comfort to those less fortunate? Are you spending time in God’s word to acquire the wisdom to spread God’s message to others? These are questions we should all be asking ourselves as we move into Thanksgiving and begin the holiday season. We need to remind ourselves what is really important instead of putting on our boxing gloves to go shopping on Black Friday.