Choose Jesus

My advice to anyone would be to choose life, choose hope, choose joy, choose peace, choose contentment, choose to have a positive outlook, choose to be an overcomer…….Choose Jesus.

Source: Abide In Gods Word

I was sitting pondering the events of last year that had gone on in our lives. Some of them were good, some not so good and others were extremely difficult. Yet I couldn’t help but think that even the most difficult things when compared with other people’s situations, weren’t as bad as they might have seemed. How you look at a situation can determine if it’s good or bad and how it will affect you. For example, in America at the beginning of 2019 the President, Donald Trump, closed down the Government which resulted in Government employees having to work for no pay and eventually forcing them to use food banks as they were running out of money and food. This for them was considered to be a bad situation and caused discontentment and a lot of grumbling. However, if you’re in a part of the world where you constantly have little to no food, then being able to go to a food bank would seem like all your Christmas’s had come together and I’m sure there would be much rejoicing. Same situation but different outlooks.

Our attitude towards life and others can often determine how we see and feel about ourselves. If we’re constantly running others down or only see the negative things in people, then we’re eventually going to feel miserable with ourselves. If we keep looking at what others have and desire it for ourselves, then we become discontented and jealous and we will never find peace. Luke 12:15 tells us – ‘Then he (Jesus) said to them, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions’. Desiring things we can’t have can lead us down a miserable and destructive path. The other side of the coin of course is also true. If we constantly try to build others up and do our best to see the good in people and are content with what we have, then we will generally have a positive outlook on life and can be happy and more content. That’s not to say we’ll never feel down at times, but if we look to help others with their problems, quite often our problems fade away or become less of an issue; Ephesians 4:29 (TPT) says: ‘And never let ugly or hateful words come from your mouth, but instead let your words become beautiful gifts that encourage others; do this by speaking words of grace to help them’. Whether we’re happy or not then it generally shows on our face; Proverbs 15:13 ‘A happy heart makes the face cheerful, but heartache crushes the spirit’ and Ecclesiastes 3:12 ‘I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live’. Whether you believe in the Bible or not these scriptures are true, and these feelings are experienced by both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Source: Designs By JuJu

Being a Christian doesn’t protect us from the pressures and stress of life, it doesn’t stop us becoming ill or from suffering, but it does give us hope and a knowledge of the One who is able to lift us up in the most desperate of situations. The Bible tells us that God has promised to provide all our needs, which my wife and I have experienced on many occasions in our lives. God is true to His promises. 2 Corinthians 1:20 ’For no matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ. And so through him the ‘Amen’ is spoken by us to the glory of God’. But more than this is the hope we have in our relationship with Jesus. As I said at the beginning of this article my wife and I went through some very difficult times last year, even life threatening in one instance. Yet it was our hope in Jesus and His Provision of Grace that got us through, when other people in our situation were falling apart, His Peace that passes all understanding flooded our hearts and kept us strong; Philippians 4:6-7 ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’. It certainly did.

So my advice to anyone would be to choose life, choose hope, choose joy, choose peace, choose contentment, choose to have a positive outlook, choose to be an overcomer……. Choose Jesus. The only Saviour the Light of the world and the Hope for the Nations. As a Christian or not, what you choose could change your life: Romans 15:13 (TPT) ‘Now may God, the inspiration and fountain of hope, fill you to overflowing with un-containable joy and perfect peace as you trust in him. And may the power of the Holy Spirit continually surround your life with his super-abundance until you radiate with hope’!

Let me leave you with one last piece of advice from scripture:

Hebrews 12:1-3 ‘Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart’.

May God bless you and give you wisdom.

Author: Pastor Kevin Hunt 

May God bless and enrich your life

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