Reflective Thought

I Thessalonians 5:16-17
Rejoice Always, pray without ceasing

Let me share what I think about today's devotinal...
On chapel Tuesday, we had John Piper preaching (for you who doesn't know him, John Piper is one of a very famous Christian writer here). He preached about JOY, he said that joy that Christians have is not joy in the family, joy in a car, joy in money... but joy in Christ.

Relate to that, my devotional book also mentioned:
"The greatest source of God-given power you and I have to help us abstain from evil is to be happy in our faith. Many other things to be happy in our faith. Many other things can certainly add happiness to our lives, but they are detoxified and made safe for the beliver only when his or her primary source of happiness is faith in Jesus. Without happiness in Christ, any other source of joy can become a tool for seduction away from a sincere devotion to the Lord"

I know what things that can take out of my joy. Usually when I start to compare myself with others, I lost my joy: why people can sing better than me, why they have more friends than me, why they look more happy than me?
I realize that such kind of questions bring no benefit to me. I should have not compared myself with others, because we are just different. I guess to feel content with what you are and what you have is not easy. Yes, I am not perfect, that's why I have to learn to put my happinness on something else... yes, in God, in my faith to God.

My focus is easily distracted; I may say I have lost my joy of life a lot of time, I am trapped with my narcistic life and forget what my ultimate goal of my life.
Yet, I am not giving up, the journey still go on -- I pray that I can sensitive enough to feel God's guidance in my life.

Lord, I come to you with all of my failure and unworthyness. I long for your arms holding me tight, protect me, and hear you say, "you'll be fine my child, just rest in me" I know that you're the source of my happiness, help me not to be distracted with other things but YOU - the only HOPE, the TRUTH, and the LIFE. Amen