Happiness Is To Know Christ

Many in our world are hungering for many things. Some hunger for riches, and upon accumulating them, find the need to accumulate more an all consuming passion. They finally conclude that there are not enough riches in the whole universe to satisfy man’s overwhelming desire for more affluence. At the end of the way they inevitably find the acquisition of riches is a vanity of all vanities. They find the words of our Savior about the temporal nature of riches all too apt. No matter how much a man may accumulate, when he leaves this world he leaves it all behind. Those seeking fortune always find it cannot buy the simplest joy or real happiness.

Some hunger for fame, and upon achieving it, find the fleeting fragility of fame and fortune. Just a surface survey of the recent history of popular politicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, easily confirms the illusory nature of imagined fulfilment through fame. How many spend their last days amid the ashes of decaying memories of fleeting moments spent in the fading spotlight of public popularity?

Some hunger for power as the ultimate high of human experience. Only those who have experienced power over the lives of others can really know how seducing this temptress can be. As it is said, "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts, absolutely." But one only has to consider the end of some of the most powerful men of history to realise the futility of such hungering.

Jesus said that only those who hunger for and find His righteousness will find happiness.  Only those who realize the vanity and emptiness of a life without Christ, can be happy in this world and the world to come. The basis of eternal happiness is the forgiveness of sin, the removal of guilt, the restoration of a right relationship with the Creator and the appropriation of the perfect righteousness of Jesus Christ by faith in Him. The only truly happy place in this world is at the foot of the cross where Jesus died for our sins and paid the price that we might wear the eternal robes of His perfect righteousness forever. Only when we stand upon this sure foundation can we have a real hunger for the holiness and happiness God has for us.- Pastor John White

Building Up or Tearing Down?

None of us can deny the importance of our Christian service and influence upon the world around us. Someone has said, "The best defence of Christianity is a dedicated Christian. A Christian is either a blight or blessing, but never a blank." Influence is like our shadow on a sunny day. It's always with us. We can't escape it. It follows us wherever we go. Much like the old song, "Me and My Shadow," implies, our influence is always there, affecting those around us for better or worse.

Sometimes when you walk into a crowded room notice the people around you. Each one in the room will be doing two things. Each heart will be beating, faithfully pumping life-giving blood, laden with essential oxygen and nutrients, through the miles of arteries, veins and capillaries of the circulatory system. And returning waste that would soon form deadly toxins and poisons, back through the veins to the organs that process and dispose of it. Each pair of lungs will also be faithfully performing their vital function of oxygen acquisition and carbon dioxide disposal as a basis of the oxidation processes that are the foundation of continuing life. These functions are controlled at a subconscious level of the brain. No one really sits around all the time and thinks and commands, "Beat heart!" "Breathe lungs!" It just happens naturally and automatically.  This is all part of what is called the autonomic functions of our body

It's the same with our influence. It is somewhat reflexive as well. It goes on naturally and automatically. But, unlike our heartbeat and breathing, it is not always a positive function. It is not always for the best. We can either have a good or bad influence. But we will have an influence, an effect on those around us. We will either build them up or tear them down. We will either help or hinder them on their way through life. We will either heal or hurt, encourage or discourage those we contact from day to day.

Even though our heart beat and breathing are both, to a great degree, autonomic brain functions, we do have a certain degree of control. We can breath faster to the point of hyperventilation or hold our breath for a deep dive under water. We can increase or decrease our heart rate by exercise. Some studies indicate we might even be able to consciously slow or speed up our heart through practising certain thought patterns.

By God's power we can control the positive or negative effect of our ever present influence and cast a shadow of good influence on those around us. The shadow of our influence will one day be cast all the way to the Judgement Seat of Christ. Will we then hear Him say, "Well done thy good and faithful servant...?"?    - Pastor John White