I was
thinking that this life is mostly boredom. Almost
every moment is filled with monotony and repetitive behaviors. For the
flesh, most of life is this way; intermixed with sorrow, depression,
loneliness, worry, insecurities, fears, doubt, tiredness, and pain. It is
very rare when we experience true joy and happiness (comparatively
speaking). If you looked at the amount of time in seconds and minutes,
that you actually experience joy and happiness, it is MINUSCULE compared to how
much time is spent in those other states.
(Of course
I am talking about the external flesh. The inner man is always rejoicing
and content, but until we grow in maturity and faith, that inner man is usually
drowned out by the emotions of the flesh)
There are
MOMENTS of time, where the joy of the inner man bubbles over into the flesh and
we are filled with rejoicing. But these are RARE and usually only last
for mere seconds or minutes. Think about it. You are in the car and
a worship song overwhelms you. For a few brief seconds you are caught up
in rapturous joy! But then it fades. Or you hear a sermon, and the
preacher is speaking a glorious truth that rejoices your heart! But then
it fades. Or you read a Scripture, or stumble across a thought on His
glory, and He gives you new insight into His being! Or you have an
intimate time in prayer or fellowship. But usually these fade
quickly.
So we try
to stimulate these feelings of joy with imitations and cheap knockoffs of
glory. We watch a funny show, or tell each other jokes, or try to stay
busy doing things that produce endorphin's and adrenaline. But those fade
too, and also risk the danger of addiction (true Christians know that they can
only find their joy in the Lord, not pseudo-stimuli).
Now again,
I am having a hard time putting this into words. My point is not one of
depression or despondency. It’s not even about how we find our true joy
in the Lord. My point is this: Those moments of true joy and
satisfaction are sparse and fleeting. They come and go (BUT, as we grow
in the Lord, the inner man is strengthened and those times become lengthier and
more solidified). Picture those times in your head. Picture the
times where you are briefly overwhelmed with the love and joy of the
Lord! Recognize how good those times are!
Now
consider this!! (This is the point I am trying to get at) Those moments
of pure joy are what we will experience for all eternity! No boredom,
pain, depression, or insecurities. Just the pure joy of God’s glory that
we experience every now and then here, stretched out for all eternity, never
ceasing, and in amplified abundance! That momentary experience you get
when you have the brief instance of pure worship, or God revelation, amplified
a thousand fold and continuing forever!!
That is
what our future holds!
The lost do not get this. Those
who have not been born again will only ever experience the fleeting pleasures
that this life has to offer. You, like
the born-again, also experience joys and happiness in brief flashes, in-between
long periods of dullness, depression, apathy, despair, tiredness, and pain. But unlike the born-again, that is all you
get. You don’t get to experience the
TRUE pleasures and joys of the glory of God.
It is a foreign concept to you.
All you have are the pleasures of this world (temporary and momentary as
they are), and they are ALL you will ever get.
After death comes judgment. Even
those brief momentary pleasures will be taken away from you. You will be left with only pain and despair
for all eternity. And it is JUST that
that will occur. It is a deserved fate.
BUT, there is still hope. You CAN
be part of the born again. YOU can have
your inner man (woman) renewed and restored to fellowship with God! You can have the inner joy and peace that
sustains through all the doldrums and sorrows of life. You can grow in joy and contentment. And then you can have eternal life of
abundant pleasures and riches untold!
But you MUST meet the requirements.
You MUST recognize your sinful rebellion against God and your tremendous
guilt before Him. You MUST submit to His
authority and power. You MUST be broken
and contrite before Him. You MUST plead
with Him for mercy. And then you MUST
place your trust in the atoning work of Jesus Christ! The One who suffered in our place. The One who bore the wrath of justice! The One who took upon Himself the iniquity of
us all. He suffered and died as a
substitutionary sacrifice and rose from the dead, showing that the price had
been paid and the debt cleared! You MUST
believe on Him with ALL your heart and confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus
Christ and you will be saved!
#unlessyerepentandbelievetheGospel
