Tag: joy

  • Our Quest – A holy calling

    Northern lights - aurora Borealis -they brought to mind tour quest, a holy calling

    Our old friend, the sun, is experiencing a massive  gravitational/magnetic storm. That means the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Northern Lights, are putting on brilliant displays.

    Yesterday evening, my social media pages were awash with pictures of the lights. That included people from Northern Canada, where the borealis is a common sight, to Northern Florida, where they have never been seen before. Today’s image is from a friend in Colorado.

    Many of the lights were pink. Pink is an uncommon color that is only visible during periods of highly intense activity. I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve seen pink, where I have seen the blues and greens perhaps thousands of times.

    Kathy and I spontaneously got out of our comfy evening spots, jumped in the car, and went on a quest to see them. Unfortunately, between the urban light pollution and cloud cover, we struck out. Still, it was nice to take a nighttime drive.

    Non-believers are on a quest to find something to fill the void in their lives. They try many things, including material goods, power, substance abuse, sex, and other religions. All of those will fail them. Their only hope is to turn to Jesus.

    Believers are on a quest as well. It is a two-fronted quest. We strive to be more like Jesus, and we take the gospel into a world of lost and hurting people. We will never fully fulfill either in our lifetime, but God is on the throne. He will bring all that are His to himself. We will have finished our journey to become all He created us to be once we reach glory.

    That doesn’t mean that our quest is futile. Every person who comes to Christ causes a celebration in heaven.

    In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents. Luke 15:10

    Similarly, God is pleased and glorified when we grow more like the Son.

    “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22

    “In fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.” – 1 John 5:3

    “If you love me, keep my commands.” – John 14:15

    Our quest is challenging. We may have disappointments along the way, but through Him we have the victory.

    Press on, dear friends, press on.

    Be blessed, 

    Kevin

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  • Chubby Cheeks

    Life lessons from a chipmunk

    Chipmunk

    This little chipmunk was obviously very used to people feeding him.  Even though I had no food, he had no qualms about approaching me. When he realized I had nothing for him to eat, he moved away,

    A little way down the trail, he came across a pile of sunflower seeds that someone had left for him. He stuffed his cheeks so full that they ballooned out and disappeared back into the woods. It wasn’t long before he was back, repeating the process until all the seeds were gone.

    I tried but couldn’t get a decent shot of his chubby chipmunk cheeks. He resembled something out of a cartoon.

    Chipmunks stash all the food they can find, so they have plenty for autumn when they are preparing to hibernate. I’m sure that they are like squirrels and forget at least some of what they have stashed, which allows the seed to grow in new places.

    While people don’t have chipmunk cheeks, with the exception perhaps of some trumpet players, sometimes our habits resemble theirs.

    We can’t get enough. We lust for the newest, fanciest, fastest, sexiest whiz-bang gizmo, as the old saying goes, “It’s good for everything, and if that isn’t enough, it’s good for nothing too!”

    Advertisers are aware of our tendency to be unsatisfied. Billions are spent every year to cause us to buy more things. They appeal to our vanity, our lust, our loneliness, and more. Buy our product and we promise you will be satisfied, well, at least until we have another one to sell you.

    We all fall for it. Chipmunks do it to survive, we do it out of emptiness and dissatisfaction.

    We spend money we don’t have to buy things to impress people who don’t care. It’s a problem as old as humanity.  We find ourselves trapped in prisons of debt, with stuff we didn’t really want or need, and still hungering for more. 

    It’s a problem as old as fallen humanity.

    Sheol and Abaddon are never satisfied, and never satisfied are the eyes of man. Proverbs 27:20 NIV

    For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. 1 John 2:16 NIV

    Our true satisfaction can never come from chasing the things of the world.

    You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Psalm 16:11 NIV

    Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Hebrews 13:5 NIV

    Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied. Matthew 5:6 NIV

    But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33 NIV

    Seek fulfillment where it is to be. Find contentment in the Lord.

    Let me close today with a prayer from Paul. May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. 

    Kevin

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