This is the product of my fertile thoughts. I am recreating them here and am sharing them with you, dear bloggers, for whatever benefits, if any, you could derive from them. I wish you could be more open and share with me your comments and suggestions so that I can improve on my blog. Thank you, God bless and have a nice day. Mel Avila Alarilla
Showing posts with label The Pursuit of Happiness. Show all posts
Showing posts with label The Pursuit of Happiness. Show all posts
Happiness is transitory. It is dependent on the attainment of a desired goal, a cherished dream, a long sought after quest. After the effects of its achievement fade away, it is quickly gone, replaced by another illusory quest, another obsessive goal. Thus happiness is not lasting. After the initial euphoria has died down, it is replaced by a holy discontent, an empty feeling in one's soul. Not so with joy. It is the indescribable feeling etched in one's heart and soul brought about by the certitude of God's presence in one's life. It is the feeling of security and peace that nothing will happen to a person that is not ordained by God as good. It is the inner feeling of knowing in no uncertain terms that one's final goal is union with God in His heavenly abode. Joy is never dependent on outside circumstances but on the inner feeling of oneness with God. It is the intimate relationship with God who is no longer perceived as transcendent and beyond reach by our knowledge and senses but as immanent because He is actually living inside us. Joy is knowing that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are being transformed by Him from glory to glory until we reach the whole measure of the fullness of Jesus Christ. Joy is knowing that at the end of our temporary pilgrimage on earth, we shall meet our Lord who will wipe all tears in our eyes as He beckons us to live with Him in His heavenly abode forevermore. THAT IS INDESCRIBABLE JOY.
Tags: God, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, Indescribable Joy, Happiness, Transitory, Constant, Presence of God, Being With God, Union With God, Heavenly Abode, Intimate Relationship With God, Transcendence, Immanence, Temple of The Holy Spirit, Transformation, Image of God, Eternal Life
PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS This is the most abused term nowadays. Everybody seems to be always in pursuit of happiness. Happiness is something very temporary. It is the attainment of a short term goal. It is the satisfaction of the immediate needs of man. But is the pursuit of happiness beneficial to man in the long run? Remember, the pursuit of happiness is anchored in the immediate gratification of man's wants. People call it freedom to do what they want to do, without any restrictions , without any fear. They call it freedom from fear. But where does this pursuit of happiness leads man?
To tell you the truth, it leads man to perdition and eventually, to slavery to sin. Sin is something man enjoys for it is a violation of a restriction or command, and man loves to violate every command and every restriction there is. But John 8:34 says, "Jesus replied, 'I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin." Why? Because although sin is enjoyable at the start, it becomes addictive, and without man noticing it, it eventually becomes the master of the sinful man. It attains a life of its own. Man, who used to enjoy and wallow in sin, now becomes entangled in its deadly web and is unable to disobey the harsh voice of its tyrant master and break free from its strangle hold. And man becomes more miserable than when he first started.
Not only did he veer away from the dictates of his conscience, he has chained himself to slavery under the grip of the lord of this world- Satan. And in the end, the pursuit of happiness becomes a short cut on the road to hell. The Bible warns us about this when it says, "Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it." (Matthew 7:13-14) Let us be included in the few who enters the narrow gate and eventually finds eternal life.
Tags: Pursuit of Happiness, Freedom From Restrictions, Freedom From Fear, Narrow Gate, Destruction, Eternal Life
"Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts" (Hebrews 4:7b)
DO YOU NEED HELP? ARE YOU IN THE DARK? CAN'T FIND YOUR WAY AROUND? NEED A FRIEND WHO WILL STICK WITH YOU THROUGH THICK OR THIN OR WHEN EVERYBDOY ELSE HAS DESERTED YOU?
