Saturday, July 21, 2007

happiness' price tag

i read this article last night which reinforces the mini lessons that i have learnt and observed thru the whole of this week. to begin with, the author starts by saying we are living in a selfish and self-absorbed culture. It's a tragic scenerio to see people spend buckets of money to give themselves grins. Yet material abundance hasn't made anyone happier. More stuff doesn't translate into happier people. Ironically, the more we have, the more we want. The evidence is clear in our own lives when our focus gets off the Lord.

If you really want to be happy and satisfied, one thing we can do is to die to self and live for Christ.
Jesus gives a little gardening lesson in John 12:24, " Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit."
A seed has to die before a plant grows. We don't produce godly fruit in our lives unless we die to our own goals, dreams, desires and ambitions.

You trade your list for GOD'S LIST.

My little goals for His jaw-dropping promises...

My teaspoon of dreams for His ocean of purposes...but it has got to be done His way =)

A famous missionary once said," Oh the tragedy of it. Sadder than seeing the heathen(non-believers,correct me if I'm wrong,haha.) bowing down to idols is the sight of Christian missionaries who have sacrificed so much; their country, their worldly goods,their homes, their loved ones- but have never given themselves to God."

As Jesus Christ's followers, give Him your all. Stop looking for things to give you happiness or satisfaction. When you turn it all over to Him, you will find what you've been looking for all along (James MacDonald)





Look around you and inside of you the next time you open your wallet =)
I want to live my life, in the Light of His Word everyday...also giving my all to Him, especially my financial possessions. I was unaware of the process of growing a seed until now... The Bible becomes so alive to me when God uses illustrations with nature.
I have never been a big fan of birds. Pigeons, sparrows, mynas, parrots....bleah. After reading this article, it also struck me that I should appreciate all that the Lord has made. Everything in this world.
In another passage, God said that he supplies abundantly even to sparrows. I was thinking, if God didn't create sparrows, didn't use the illustration on sparrows...would I have understood it better? Don't think so,haha. In Corrine ten Boom's book (The Hiding Place), she thanked God for the fleas that bit her in her prison cell. She understood that even though she doesn't understand why she faced such hardship and persecution, she trusts with all her heart that God knows. and He will reveal it to her in His perfect timing, "giving her her ticket, before she boards the train" After that prayer, God used those blood-sucking fleas to keep the prison officers away from them as a form of protection!

Thank you Lord, for the birds in this world. The different kinds You have made =)

everything else fades away...when u focus on Jesus.