"Have you been in really good physical shape at some point in your life? If you aren't at that same level of fitness today, you probably know that it didn't "just happen"' you didn't loose your six-pack or your ability to run eight miles overnight. You sopped running regularly, or you quit lifting weights three times a week, or you started adding a couple of extra scoops of ice cream to your bowl. There are reasons that we are where we are and who were are, and they aren't random.
It is the same way with joy in our lives. We tend to think of joy as something that ebbs and flows depending on life's circumstances. but we don't just lose joy, as though one day we have it and the next it's gone, oh darn. Joy is something that we have to chose and then work for. Like the ability to run for an hour, it doesn't come automatically. It needs cultivation.
When life gets painful or doesn't go as we hoped, it's okay if a little of our joy seeps away. The Bible teaches that true joy is formed in the midst of the difficult seasons of life.
A person who is obsessed with Jesus is more concerned with his or her character than comfort.
Obsessed people know that true joy doesn't depend on circumstances or environment; it is a gift that must be chosen and cultivated, a gift that ultimately comes from God (James 1:2-4)"
[Francis Chan-Crazy Love p.146]
1 comment:
this is good stuff! thanks
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