Please join me at my friend’s beautiful blog as we enter the throne room of our great Creator and Father in heaven. Let’s enter the Holy of Holies and bow before our High Priest and thank Him that we are one with Him.
Thank you Linda Johnson for your commitment to proclaiming the Good News!
Love you to heaven and back!
Freedom. Freedom to be what God intended us to be. Freedom to rest in Him. Freedom to let God work. Freedom.
Lay It Down is about Gospel freedom. Lay It Down is not about performance … it’s about freedom to live abundantly in all that we were created to be … it’s about freedom to live in Christ Jesus.
Bill Tell, a leader in The Navigators for decades, writes of his walk from burnout to freedom in the Gospel. Tell had to unlearn certain beliefs he had about the Gospel, and in his reconsideration, he found the true grace of the Gospel.
He found that
… the Son of God lived and died so we could begin experiencing the glories of eternal life now and the radical life-changing freedom of the gospel today! It is a freedom that changes everything about us; it’s a change we desperately need. p. XV
Tell writes of three miracles about our relationship with God.
In Lay It Down, Tell demonstrates what Jesus told His disciples.
I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. John 15:5
Those who belong to Jesus, must lay down their performance, their independence, their shame, their ego, and let Jesus work in them.
Father, thank You, that You have completely taken care of the Good News and that there is nothing that we can do except lay down our performance, our shame, our brokenness at the foot of the cross. Thank You that You have delivered us from our sin, and You have transformed us to live in Your freedom of the Gospel. Lord, bless Bill Tell as he points people to You.
Tyndale House Publishers provided me with a complimentary copy of Lay It Down: Living in the Freedom of the Gospel for my honest review.
In The Gospel of Happiness, Christopher Kaczor writes, “I hoped to write a book that would be helpful for Christians by providing a glimpse into an exciting new development called positive psychology which can significantly enrich their lives and provide surprising new justifications for practices recommended by Jesus himself.”
In 1998, Martin Seligman, president-elect of the American Psychological Association, launched a new movement called “positive psychology.” Instead of focusing upon people’s problems, Seligman sought to focus upon what makes people happy and more resilient. For example, scientists have discovered that those who practice religion experience less depression.
Kaczor explores the principles of “positive psychology” that parallel Catholic practices and Scripture. In addition, he discusses empirical studies that support the teachings of Jesus.
Although Kaczor acknowledges that God can bring growth from negative experiences and the fact that there are unhappy Christians, he emphasizes that happiness is a natural outcome of Christian practice and that “positive psychology” can provide powerful techniques.
Kaczor points out that perfect happiness is the result of a perfect relationship with God and only possible in heaven.
Interestingly, Kaczor does not discuss the Beatitudes, Jesus’ teaching to His disciples on blessedness or happiness.
Jesus was a “man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief,” Isaiah 53:3, and yet, Jesus endured temporary unhappiness for the joy set before Him Hebrews 12:2.
Kaczor has written a practical book that blends portions of psychology with the principles of the Christian walk, and “… many of the findings of positive psychology can aid a Christian in living a Christian life by suggesting new empirically tested ways to practice forgiveness and gratitude, by providing empirically tested ways to increase happiness by forgiving those who have trespassed against us, by exploring the power of prayer, and by helping to strengthen willpower.”
First, the Gospel of Salvation, a Gospel defined as “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures; And that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures: And that He was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; 1 Corinthians 15:3-6a. Then flows the happiness or blessedness that Kaczor describes.
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for our sins and for conquering death through Your resurrection. Through Your pain and sorrow, through Your great sacrifice, we experience Your true love and blessedness. You have shown us that through all our efforts, we cannot achieve ultimate happiness. You alone give it to those who are called Your followers. Thank You for Dr. Kaczor and the practical helps he has provided. Fill him with Your perfect wisdom and guide him as he teaches others Your principles.
I received a complimentary copy of The Gospel of Happiness from Blogging for Books for my honest review.
Ever step back and question what an instructor is saying?
Ever question God’s outrageous promises?
Continue reading Possess heavenHe opened His mouth and began to teach them, saying, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:2-3
