The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom's voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must become greater; I must become less. (John 3:29,30) John the Baptist
So many of us spend much effort in searching for joy. We entertain ourselves, stuff ourselves, starve ourselves, overindulge ourselves, and search for it in places that hold no eternal value. John the Baptist states the most basic concept for attaining true joy. He must increase, therefore I must decrease.
Jesus said obedience to his commands would bring us joy. John the Baptist became complete by setting aside his ministry and his duties to let Christ take over the helm. He could have desired to maintain his power, and desired to maintain his authority over his followers, but he just smiled and told them that Jesus must increase.
There are so many who say they would do anything for the sake of Christ, but the proof of that is not evident in the pursuit of their passions. They are not decreasing. Maybe they did decrease at one time. Maybe they had planted a beautiful garden in their heart where they walked and talked with God and spent much time and effort tending to it. It was their only hearts desire. (SOS 4:12-16, see below) But now they rarely venture into their garden, and it has become overgrown with weeds and thorns due to the lack of maintenance and attention. And they search aimlessly for joy. All the wasted hours, days, months, and years spent tending to things that have no eternal value.
It truly saddens me to see the level of apathy in our churches today. Everyone wants to be happy, but we waste our lives searching for rubbish, and rarely stop to look for God, much less search for him. What if we wasted our lives searching for God? If that concept seems ridiculous to you, then I want to ask you why?
Song of Solomon 4:12-15
12 You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits,
with henna and nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
15 You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
Beloved
16 Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.
see part 1 and more stuff @ jeremysbiblestudy.blog.com
So many of us spend much effort in searching for joy. We entertain ourselves, stuff ourselves, starve ourselves, overindulge ourselves, and search for it in places that hold no eternal value. John the Baptist states the most basic concept for attaining true joy. He must increase, therefore I must decrease.
Jesus said obedience to his commands would bring us joy. John the Baptist became complete by setting aside his ministry and his duties to let Christ take over the helm. He could have desired to maintain his power, and desired to maintain his authority over his followers, but he just smiled and told them that Jesus must increase.
There are so many who say they would do anything for the sake of Christ, but the proof of that is not evident in the pursuit of their passions. They are not decreasing. Maybe they did decrease at one time. Maybe they had planted a beautiful garden in their heart where they walked and talked with God and spent much time and effort tending to it. It was their only hearts desire. (SOS 4:12-16, see below) But now they rarely venture into their garden, and it has become overgrown with weeds and thorns due to the lack of maintenance and attention. And they search aimlessly for joy. All the wasted hours, days, months, and years spent tending to things that have no eternal value.
It truly saddens me to see the level of apathy in our churches today. Everyone wants to be happy, but we waste our lives searching for rubbish, and rarely stop to look for God, much less search for him. What if we wasted our lives searching for God? If that concept seems ridiculous to you, then I want to ask you why?
Song of Solomon 4:12-15
12 You are a garden locked up, my sister, my bride; you are a spring enclosed, a sealed fountain.
13 Your plants are an orchard of pomegranates with choice fruits,
with henna and nard,
14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon, with every kind of incense tree,
with myrrh and aloes and all the finest spices.
15 You are a garden fountain, a well of flowing water
streaming down from Lebanon.
Beloved
16 Awake, north wind, and come, south wind! Blow on my garden,
that its fragrance may spread abroad. Let my lover come into his garden
and taste its choice fruits.
see part 1 and more stuff @ jeremysbiblestudy.blog.com
