Following Christ English

Q: I’ve worked hard to find happiness and have been successful, but my marriage has failed and my career is eating me up. The idea of happiness seems to me to be very deceitful. A: From the writings of the Rev. Billy Graham King Solomon was convinced he knew how to find happiness—and because he had vast resources at his command, he was able to pursue it. Wealth, fame, pleasure, power, lavish houses, a reputation for wisdom—you name it, King Solomon achieved it. And yet after gaining everything he had ever wanted, he reluctantly concluded that his life was still empty and without meaning. His search for lasting happiness had failed, and his soul was still empty. This is a common story. Many people are in danger of making the same mistake King Solomon made—convinced that the things of this world will bring happiness and peace and pursuing them with vigor. Don’t be deceived; they never will. And the reason is because we were made to know God. Later, King Solomon realized this.

My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God. Psalm 84:2 Loneliness is one of the greatest problems people face today. It is a leading cause of suicide-that is now the third greatest killer of students in the United States. People feel various kinds of loneliness. One of the most common is the loneliness of solitude. Or there is the loneliness of suffering. Many people experience loneliness in society, or there is the loneliness of sorrow, guilt, and judgment. All of us feel at times a loneliness for God. Someone has called it cosmic loneliness. We don’t know what it is. It makes us restless. You see, man was made for God; and without God, he is lonely. But Jesus is knocking at the door of our heart, saying, “I want to come in. Let me in.” He doesn’t push His way through that door. We have to open it and invite Him in; when we do, He comes in to live forever and we are never lonely again.

  During your darkest hour you can be sure that the devil will try and make you believe that you are all alone, you don’t matter, and no one would miss you if you were gone. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, because no matter how discouraged, depressed, or despondent you are . . . . you are never alone! Jesus loves you more than you could possibly comprehend and He is right there beside you eagerly waiting for you to lean on Him. He has the answers that you seek, the help that you need, and the truth to set you free. It’s important to always stay close to Him because God alone is your strength, and the source of power to fight the enemy. The Bible says in John 15:4, “Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.” In other words, when Jesus says, “Remain in me,” He is asking you to stay close to Him, because He wants to protect you. Over and over again in G

You love God, go to church and even pray every day, but have you learned the real joy of dwelling in God’s presence? Do you desire to spend alone time with your Creator - or when push comes to shove, the busyness of your day takes precedence, and there’s simply no time to give God? If you want a vibrant life with Jesus, you can’t afford “not” to take time for Him. Change your life by implementing the three Ds: 1. “Decide” daily to begin your day with personal devotions - praise and worship to your Lord and Savior.  2. “Determine” in your heart to make this special time with God your highest priority.  3. “Discipline” yourself to be persistent and diligent, letting nothing interfere or distract you from this alone time with your heavenly Father. It won’t be long before you’ll experience the true joy of knowing Jesus as your best Friend and your time with Him will be a joyful delight that satisfies your soul more than you could have possibly imagined. The Bible says in Psalm

Our relationship with God is dependent on a number of things. Our first connection to God is through His Word. There is no more direct way to connect with God than through the pages of the Bible. We also connect with God through prayer, worship, and in service to others. Below is a collection of blog posts that will offer suggestions to help develop your relationship with God. I encourage you to scan through this list and pick a post that resonates with your heart. Spend a few minutes reading the devotional blog post of your choice and then spend the rest of the day meditating on the thoughts God brought to your mind during your study. I pray that you will find something here that speaks to you in a meaningful way. May you be greatly blessed by your time spent developing your relationship with God. Play to Win . Our relationship with God is something that needs to be constantly developed, practiced, and improved. We need to play to win. Reconnecting with God. Your

Every year we say we're going to make our Christmas more spiritual. But then we get caught up in the sales and the parties and everything, and by the time Christmas rolls around we've lost sight of its true meaning. How can we avoid this? Answers  Christmas celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ over 2,000 years ago—and yet you’re right: all too often today we lose sight of its true significance. The angel’s announcement on that first Christmas gets drowned out: “I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. … A Savior has been born to you” (Luke 2:10-11). How can you and your family restore the true meaning of Christmas this year? First, by taking some things away. Write down all the things you usually do around Christmas—the shopping, the activities, the decorating, the parties, and so forth. Then ask yourself: Which of these can we omit this year? Which can we reduce? Which can we organize more efficiently? Second, restore the true meaning of

Question I know you'd probably say we ought to be honest and always tell the truth, but in my experience no one really gets ahead if they act like that all the time. You have to cut a few corners if you're going to be successful, no matter what the Ten Commandments say. Answer  You’ve probably looked around you and seen people who appeared to be getting ahead by being less than honest—and in the short term perhaps they were. But at what cost? In the long term they are on a dead-end road—and so will you be, if you decide to follow their example. You see, eventually what they are doing will catch up with them. People they cheat will eventually realize what has happened—and stop doing business with them or even wanting their friendship. Instead of being liked, they’ll end up being mistrusted and even hated. Do you honestly want this to happen to you? The Bible warns, “One whose heart is corrupt does not prosper; one whose tongue is perverse falls into trouble” (Proverb