"... became rich by finding ways to kill people faster than ever before ..."
He noticed his name was listed in the obituary column. All the information was correct except for one thing. The person who died was his brother.
After reading that article he started taking stock in what
he had accomplished in his life and what people really thought of him.
It was
surreal. He wasn’t ready to die, yet in reality he felt he hadn’t even lived and definitely didn't want to be remembered like this. His solitary lifestyle led him into depression
even though he was famously successful.
The unsatisfied gentleman realized that his “dynamite”
life hadn’t amounted to much. He got off the road he had taken then took a new approach and direction. With a different outlook of life, in 1895 he changed his will and set up a fund that would give awards annually to individuals who had achieved great things in the sciences, medicine, literature and establishing world peace.
Alfred Nobel was his name, the inventor of dynamite. Now he had joy and found a purpose for living ... so he
thought.
Contrary to what we have been told, as believers we aren’t to be looking for earthly things that
give us a meaning for living.
It's not about leaving our footprint, but Jesus'. Our reason or purpose for living is all tied to God - to bring Him glory.When we travel down the world's road, we actually miss out on the best things that God provided for us through His promises to those who believe on Him.
Welcome new friends this week
from: Around the World!
I am so thankful for those of you who have chosen to
walk this Daily Inward Journey with me. It has kept me before the Throne of
God in prayer and seeking Him. Invite at least one person this week to join us. Continue praying for your brothers and sisters of faith following Daily Favor from around the globe.
Don’t miss out on this week’s challenge
(below). Q & A Section
How
Hungry Are You?
With all the famines that took place in the Old Testament of the Bible, it may be hard to believe there are people in this age who suffer from starvation and hunger like they did.However, I’m pretty sure there are a lot of people who can relate to the biblical account of Esau where he traded his birthright to his brother Jacob for a savory bowl of lentil stew.
How
hungry was Esau that he was willing to trade away his entire life for one bowl
of Lamb Stew for the Soul? (See Genesis 25-28)
We can’t point a finger can we? There are times we give into fleshly desires
for instant gratification, and don’t realize that we have lost something much
more valuable. The moment we submit to
our earthly yearnings, we lose Heavenly rewards that can be cashed in here and in
Heaven.
Esau gave up on his journey and Jacob took a big
detour the day they both exchanged their birthright. Have you exchanged God’s favor for something
short term along your journey? If so,
it’s not too late to get back on track.
Living
on Highway 666
So let me ask you … “What route are you taking on your journey in life?”
You don’t have to settle for the porridge from this
world when you can have manna from on High.
In discovering ourselves on this journey there are
highways or roads that we have taken; some on purpose, some by accident, some
out of desperation. They all have stolen something from us.
There is an ongoing joke that girls
often attend college to get their MRS degree, that is, to find husband.
It’s funny, but my sister was one that did
get that degree. You could say it was
her “masters” degree, because she did aim higher and achieved her goal.
That doesn’t happen for many of us though. All too often we set out with high hopes, but
when disappointment comes, we give up on those godly aspirations and settle for
less. Here’s where people take a detour and travel down the Route 666 Highway.
What’s the Route 666 road? Well I can’t speak for others, but somewhat agree with the observations of Pastor James Ford.
"Some women, they set out on their journey for an anti-christ man … they want a man
that has a chest like a 6 pack, is 6 foot tall and has a 6 figure income."
Instead of waiting for God to send the Right(eous)
man they are settling for Mr. Right Now, and are stuck on that road because
they took their own path. Don't think this pertains just to women ... men do it also.
Our
HIM Book
I’d like to make something perfectly clear
here. If you are taking this Inward
Journey and just reading your Bible, you won’t reach the end of the road.
The
Bible is the way that we draw nearer to God, but we have to reach higher for
that relationship with the Lord if our journey is to have meaning and closure.
In John 5:39 tells us that we are to search the scriptures for in them we will find
HIM. The Bible is our songbook, our Him
book to finding favor with God. It shows us how to go beyond reading and step out into doing what we've read.
Jesus grew in wisdom and favor as He fellowshipped
with God by doing the will of God. Jesus' joy was full and purpose established, because His relationship was right with the Father.
The Apostle Paul longed for that joy of fellowship with the Lord again, and said that his entire purpose in life was to “know
Him.”
No
Joy Suckers Here
With so much depressing news it’s really hard to stay in a continual state of joy.
Some people are spreaders of joy whenever they enter
a room. We love being around those kinds
of individuals. Then there are the others, the joy suckers; they spread joy when
they leave a room. Which one are you? If you aren’t drawing people to you, guess
what, you’re the second example here.
I don’t know if I shared this with you guys before,
but if so, indulge me for those who haven’t heard it, OK.
By the front door of our house there is a sign I made
that reads:
“No Joy Suckers Allowed
Here!”
When someone enters my home with less than joy (a
positive attitude) they have to step out and re-enter.
That sign has been hanging for so many years that we’ve
learned to leave negativity outside. There
have been times when it has slithered its way in and my husband will automatically
put on his hat, step out the door and come back inside with a big smile proclaiming, “Hi Honey, I’m home!”
Joy is a spirit that we are given when we receive
salvation. Sadly, Christians are having their
joy sucked out of them, because they are trying to find it through the things
of this world. They are pursuing Route
666 and not Route 66, which can be found in the 66 books of the Bible.
People of the world think they have it, but it is a
Waldo Joy (remember last week ... a red herring, falsehood to lead you astray.)
Unless you are a born again believer in Jesus, it is impossible to possess the Spirit
of Joy. It is a gift of favor bestowed on God’s children through the Holy
Spirit. (See Galatians 5:22-23)
The
Gospel of Joy
The book of Philippians is known as the Epistle of
Joy, but when Paul wrote it, he was in prison. What was there to be joyful about if you are
bound in chains in a cold dark prison, below ground?
This is what Paul knew that we may not know. Situations,
circumstances or events don’t give joy. They may cause someone to “feel” happy
or excited, but that’s not joy. We need to understand that joy is not an emotion, but an attribute we receive straight from God's spirit upon salvation.
Biblical joy has to do with the spirit man. When the
spirit has joy, the flesh (body) and soul (mind of man) benefit from it, resulting in outpourings of
happiness, elation, peace and serenity.
When will we realize that our setbacks are set-ups
to stretching our relationships with the Heavenly Father? Our stumbling blocks are merely stepping stones pushing us farther along the journey.
Philippians is such a short book with only four
chapters, yet it mentions the word “rejoice” ten times, joy is used six times,
rejoiced and rejoicing are written once.
It is so vital that Paul got the message of joy out that he wrote it 18
times!
Chapter 1: he rejoices in the service of Christ.
Chapter 2: he rejoices in the selflessness pattern to Christ.
Chapter 3: he rejoices in the suffering for Christ.
Chapter 4: he rejoices in the sufficiency of Christ’s power.
Re-Condition
Your Condition
Just how far back would you have to go to
check the condition your "condition of joy" was in on this journey?
You are no longer at the crossroad, but like Paul, are taking a new approach (A.N.A.) to the way you look at any situation.
Things aren’t falling apart my friend, believe they
are falling into place.
Stop living in your situation and begin looking at
the revelation God is showing you on this Inward journey.
While in prison, Brother Paul determined in his heart that his condition would not be the ultimate outcome to this current problem. He talked about his past and the present.
Finally, Paul took the path on his earthly journey that would lead him to purposely pursue the promises of God in his life. (Now that’s a purpose driven life wouldn’t you say?) Read Philippians 3
Without hesitation I want to encourage you that whatever
you are experiencing will be for your
good, not that it “is” good. The end
result has to fit the plan of God for your life. We already know He said it
would turn out good for those who LOVE Him, but it won't always
“feel” good at the moment.
At this point along our journey let's take a look at the
condition our "condition of joy" is resting in at this time.
With
A Joyful Heart
There
isn’t anything more inward than the center of the heart of man, and that’s
where we need to focus this week. If we are to gain ground in our relationship with Jesus we must operate in the joyful heart spirit as God’s does.
We possess it; now let's apply what we have already been given by the Holy Spirit.
This
Week’s Challenge:
Discover the
joyful heart that is hidden inside you.
Don’t let circumstances or situations stop your joyful heartbeat.
Since you are already talking, singing and now
laughing with the Lord, you know how to ask Him questions. Get to the heart of
the matter by embracing God’s joy.
Finding the inner joy in you will help you reach peace about some things you have been dealing with for ages.
Second:
Make yourself
a joy sign and display it where it is highly visible. You may need to make several.
Be creative here and make one that fits your
inner “character.” Without getting nasty, and with a joyful heart, follow it to
the letter!
“No
Joy Suckers Allowed Here!”
I’m telling you from experience, that this really
does work and your stress levels drop dramatically.
Third:
When
you find that your joy is about to be “sucked out” by someone or something, don’t
take the detour the devil has set for you.
Take the expressway to Philippians on
route 66 – the Bible.
Stay hungry for the Lord’s favor and don’t
settle for something now (a measly bowl of route 666 red herring Waldo stew). God promises that something
better is just a few miles up ahead on the Kings Highway. If you don’t know how that situation ended, let me tell you … Jacob not only got Esau’s portion, but the whole pot of blessings!
Be determined to have a change of heart, a joyful
heart … for now and forever!
Let the devil
know you won’t let him steal your joy by using people or circumstances to take you off the right road. Even if you are not quite there yet, begin to speak these words over your journey:“I have a joyful heart and God favors me! This condition is a temporary prison whose bars cannot hold my spirit of joy!”
Until next time, God will favor your joyful heart.
Maybe
you don’t know the Living God that I know, but would like to have this kind of
favor in your life also. Click on the
above tab “Tell Me” for
more information on becoming a child of the Savior.
Content and Image Copyright from Favored1. Do not copy. A.N.A. logo by J.C.Penney, Inc.
Scripture reference was taken from the New King James Bible Version provide by Bible Gateway.
Image credit: Google Images or Dreamstime Creative Common License if not specified.
Image: South sign A. Nobel Jacob/Esau Lewis Quote Never Chains/Freedom/Joy Condition Romans 8:28
