Enjoying Life Part 1

This newest series of messages on Internet Pastor is called “Enjoying Life”. I almost called it “SMELBORP – Learning to enjoy life by turning your problems around!” but I think Enjoying Life works better.

There are a lot of sayings about life. One of the most famous is probably Forrest Gump’s…Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you are going to get.

I did a search on the Internet for life sayings. Here is a partial list:

Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards.
- Soren Kierkegaard

If you really want something in this life, you have to work for it – Now quiet, they’re about to announce the lottery numbers!
- Homer Simpson

Life is an endless struggle full of frustrations and challenges, but eventually you find a hair stylist you like. ~Author Unknown

Life is like a taxi. The meter just keeps a-ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still. — Lou Erickso

Life is a long process of getting tired. ~Samuel Butler

Life is like a ten-speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use. ~Charles Schulz

Life is a grindstone. Whether it grinds us down or polishes us up depends on us. — Thomas L. Holdcroft

Life… is like a box of chocolates – a cheap, thoughtless, perfunctory gift that no one ever asks for, un-returnable because all you get back is another box of chocolates. So, you’re stuck with mostly un-definable whipped mint stuff, mindlessly wolfed down when there’s nothing else to eat while you’re watching the game. Sure, once is a while you get a peanut butter cup or an English toffee but it’s gone too fast and the taste is fleeting. In the end, you are left with nothing but broken bits filled with hardened jelly and teeth-shattering nuts, which, if you are desperate enough to eat, leaves nothing but an empty box of useless brown paper. ~The X-Files

Here is my life saying for this series:

Life is a Prize

I have developed it from James 1:12

James 1:12 (NIV)
12 Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.

The word for crown denotes a badge of royalty or a symbol of honor or a prize in the public games. Life is a prize that God has promised to those who love Him. It is more than eternal life. It is the promise of a fullness of life here and now.

Do you believe that life is a prize? A gift? A joy? A blessing? A wonder? An adventure? Or is it to you somehow more of a punishment, something to be endured, until something better comes along? Unfortunately, most people don’t see life as a prize until something threatens it or tries to take it away.

Life is a prize and it is a prize worth winning. How do we get to the prize? We stand the test and persevere under trial (problems). We learn to turn our problems around.

James 1:2

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds…”

The Truth about Trials (Problems)

I want to introduce to you my new little acrostic about truth.

To
Really
Understand
Truth
Hurts/heals

The word of God is truth

John 17:17b (NIV)
your word is truth.

and it is a two edged sword

Hebrews 4:12 (NIV)
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.

Truth hurts and heals.

True that or “true dat” – we tend to think that things we agree with are true and things we don’t agree with are false…what if we are wrong?

Is it possible that some of the things we think are true aren’t?
Is it possible that some the things we think are false aren’t?

We have this underlying idea that life should be easy. It is one of the false beliefs that most of us hang on to. Life should be easy; everything should work out the way I want it to. The truth is that life is difficult. Instead of embracing the truth that life is difficult, we choose to complain about our problems, as if they represent some unique kind of affliction that is only visited upon us or our families. Life is difficult. We live in a fallen world on a broken planet. Life in a fallen world presents us with a series of problems. Sometimes we think that experiencing problems means we are being punished. God isn’t happy with us and therefore He is causing us problems. He isn’t. He uses problems but He isn’t causing them. Problems come from living in a fallen world, from being an imperfect human being and living with other imperfect human beings, and sometimes from a very real enemy.

Here is the amazing thing, once you reject the false belief that life should be easy, and accept the truth that life is difficult, then, life is no longer difficult. Because you are no longer struggling against the false belief, the reality that life is difficult isn’t such a huge issue.

With that in mind, here is some truth about problems

1. Problems are inevitable

The Bible doesn’t say “If you encounter problems consider it joy” but when . Problems are not an elective in life. They are a required course.

2. Problems are unpredictable.

“…whenever you face problems …” The word “face” in Greek is “peripipto”. It literally means “to fall into unexpectedly”. Problems are not planned. We don’t plan to have a flat tire, or a crisis. They are unplanned and unpredictable — when we least expect them. That’s what makes a problem a problem.

3. Problems come in all shapes and sizes

Problems are never boring. There are big ones, little ones, short ones, long ones. There are a wide variety of them.

4. Problems are purposeful

1) Problems show who/what I really trust in. It is in the midst of problems that we see where we have placed our trust, our faith. Do we trust in God or are we trusting in our own man made institutions. The big three man made institutions we trust in instead of God; economics, politics, religion.

2) Problems teach us perseverance “…the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” The ability to keep on keeping on, the ability to hang in there. The Greek here is literally “the ability to stay under pressure.” We don’t like pressure and we do everything we can to avoid it. We run from it, turn to all sorts of things to avoid it, to get away from the pressure. But God uses problems in our lives to teach us how to handle pressure, how to never give up, how to persevere. How does God teach us about patience? By everything going your way and always working out? No. God teaches you patience in traffic jams, in always choosing the longest and slowest check out line at the grocery store, the times and places in life where we have to wait.

We live in a fast and convenient society. Everybody wants it now. If I can’t have it now, forget it. I won’t wait in a drive thru if the there are more than a few cars. Forget it, I can’t wait. Perseverance, today, is a rare quality.

3) Problems develop my character. They make me more like Jesus. They help me mature. They help me to grow. “The testing of your faith produces perseverance that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” God’s long range goal and plan for you is to develop your character. He wants you to mature and grow up. In this Christian walk and life, character is the bottom line. As believers, if we don’t realize that God is able to use our problems to help us grow, we will soon be overwhelmed by our problems. Our problems have purpose and therefore we can know that no matter what God will be with us. God’s ultimate purpose is to make you more like Jesus. Not a Messiah, not a Savior, but to develop the character of Jesus which displayed humanity as God intended it to be.

Do you think much about what Jesus was like? People really liked Jesus. They were drawn to Him. He lived out life as God had always intended it. He wasn’t a ruthless taskmaster. In fact, His yoke (rabbinical teaching was easy) and His burden light. He didn’t come to be served but to serve. He loved with such extravagance that people were completely caught off guard. He always made the right decisions based on what was true. This is how God intends for us to live. Selflessly and rightly.

It is often through the circumstances of life that what we read about Jesus in the Word becomes real. The words were always true, they just weren’t real yet. I know people who are convinced that because they have problems in their life, somehow God doesn’t really love them. The truth is that you are exactly where God wants you. You’re in a character course. He’s making you like Jesus. Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. The secret of Romans 8:28 is 8:29 “For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers” Why do all things work together for good? In order to make us more like Jesus.

As we work through this series together we are going to develop some attitudes we need to have to see life as a prize. That is where the SMELBORP comes in. We are going to turn our problems around by learning:

Secret of Life
Mastering Complaining
Enjoying People
Living Successfully
Beating Stress
Optimizing Expectations
Reducing Conflict
Persevering

For today, I want to leave you with what I believe is the most fundamental truth you will need to have to begin to enjoy life. This truth applies to all phases of your life, your relationships, your job, your hobbies, and your passions.

The Golden Rule

It is a little rule that goes like this:

Matthew 7:12 (NIV)
12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you.

It seems so simple, it was something we were all taught as kids, but this little rule has the power to make amazing changes in your attitude toward life. It is the foundation on which we will build all the rest of the attitudes we need to really enjoy life.

Our culture has slowly been chipping away at this rule so that now for most people it is more like:

Do one to others before they do one to you.

If that is your prevailing attitude, you will never really enjoy life.

Get ready, SMELBORP is coming. Come back often to see the latest sermons or bible studies on your Online Pastor site. We are blessed to be your Pastor Online!