Talking to a friend we wind up getting wrapped up in the topic of religion.
She believes we are all in the same boat because we are all sinners. And yes…she is right and I agree 100% on that statement. What I don’t believe is that we are all in the same boat. According to the Scriptures in God’s perspective every one of us is either:
Entering through the small gate or the wide gate (Matthew 7:13-14)
Heaven called or Hell bound. (Mark 16:15-16)
It is up to us to choose. We can ask God for help. (Mathew 7:8)
My friend is a Sunday church person and it so sad to me that she is not acquainted with the truths of the bible. I pray for her with compassion; the moment she gets saved,…. I will rejoice!!
I pray that after our small discussion she might start digging into the Word.

Happiness is equated with good fortune, chance, and good happening.
But what in reality is happiness? What are the ingredients? What does happiness consist of? What is the difference between happiness and pleasure? For all these questions, here are my thoughts:

They say if you want to be happy for two hours get drunk, if you want to be happy for two weeks get married. This is a moment of worldly pleasure. But none of these will give you permanent happiness. For a permanent state of happiness we should start looking for answers in the bible. Jesus says that denying self, so as to believe and obey God is the way to life and happiness. Mathew 11:28-30. : "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn [be instructed] of me; for I am meek [teachable] and lowly in heart [humble, self-denying]: and ye shall find rest [happiness and peace] unto your souls. For my yoke is easy [it fits well] and my burden is light [is not hard to bear]".

The worldly pursuit of happiness does not work. We need to accept the fact that happiness is living a righteous life. A righteous life depends on living a spiritual life. A spiritual life offers freedom and peace. The highest good you do to others might be the happiness and the true purpose of life …for we seek it in all our actions.
Let’s turn to Jesus and forget the momentarily pleasures of life and engage in true permanent happiness that comes only through HIM who gave HIS life for our salvation.
Pleasures come and go depending upon our circumstances, mood, emotions or feelings.
True happiness comes from God and true happiness is a permanent joy.
Love and Obey John 15:10-20 Love people and you will be obeying God’s commands. Obey God’s command and your life will be full of Joy…..happiness.
Walk in the Spirit. Galatians 5:2-23 When we walk according to the Spirit in our lives, joy is a natural product. Happiness is with us to stay. It is available to those who obey God’s will.

Worldly pleasures will never be a substitute for true happiness

One thing I will always wonder when I watch all the crime news on TV -- why do so many people want to go to ”hell”???
We all know there is a way in….But according to what I read and according to what I understand there is no way out. It is a place of eternal punishment for the wicked.
There is only one door to enter. There are no exits. According to the bible is also a place of very high temperature. Revelation 21:8 describes it as a lake of fire that burns with fire and sulfur. There is not a “non-smoking” section. Once you are in prepare to roast. These circumstances might be very well deserved. I have never heard of the devil inviting any one to his place; and is kind of rude to go to a place where you are not invited.
I don’t fully understand it when all the devil can offer is eternal damnation, suffering in a blazing hellfire, and the smell of burning flesh that would never die. Thirsty??? You can have a drink from the flaming spring.

Jesus extends an invitation to everyone. HE offers joy and abundant life. HE offers to lift off the burdens of those who come to him “Come to me all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28-30 HE says “come to me and drink” John 7:37
“Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst; the water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” John 4:14

The whole world is searching for some kind of satisfaction, for fulfillment and purpose in life. Accepting Jesus invitation means that you get all and everlasting life. But not everyone will accept HIS invitation. When HE looked over Jerusalem HE expressed great grief saying: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem….How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not” Matthew 23:37
Why don’t people come to Jesus? One answer is that they refuse the invitation.. It is a matter of free choice to accept HIS invitation for abundant and prosperous life or go uninvited to an eternal swimming party on a lake of fire on “hell avenue”.

Christ is the head of this house
The unseen guest at every meal
The silent listener to every conversation.

Author is unknown but every bookstore in town has a plaque with those words engraved in different decorated frames and they can’t keep it on the shelf. I almost bought one that I thought was a beautiful work of art until I saw the contradiction in the words. Can you see it??? Have you read the words carefully???
Now…how can the head of the house be a guest??? Or, can a guest ever be the head of the house?? One is either the head of the house or a guest, he cannot be both.
We are used to treat God as a guest in every prayer at meal time. But what is wrong at having Him as a guest…? You may ask. For one thing a guest is not in charge of the house. A guest is not suppose to be in control of the home. He is not even suppose to an opinion much less a criticism. He is there only for a short time and he does not provide the meal. He is a guest. He’s been invited.

The bible picture Christ as a host which is far better than being a guest. As a host Christ invites you to dinner in His home. And we are not invited as guests, we are invited to His house as family members forever. As the host of the house God provides the best food for His family. He has an open invitation to anybody who wants to join His dinner party.
The best picture of God as the host is presented in Psalm 23. It presents God as the Shepherd who gives peace, provision, safety, and security. He provides the calm assurance of His love and care as we trust Him in all situations of life.
But very few people think of the other picture that is there. In Verse 5 the picture changes. Here God is not the Shepherd, but a Host. “He prepares a table”. The creator of the Universe wants to have dinner with you and He Himself is serving you and keeps filling your cup until it overflows.
He is the host and we are the guests.
The plaque in its contradiction can also be a wake up call. Do we want Christ as a guest just for a short time or do we want Him to be in charge of our home forever? As for me I want HIM to be in charge of my house forever. I need the protection, peace, love and abundance that only Him can supply.

If I was only a one hour Sunday Christian, should I be demanding healing when affliction and sickness strikes? Should I be asking for an abundant and prosperous life, when I don't take an extra five minutes of my life to acknowledge or thank my Creator?
Spending time with God is making deposits that we can withdraw from when calamity or tragedy strikes.
From the bank of life we can only withdraw what we put it in. Whether good or bad it does accumulate interest.
So, don’t get tired of doing what is good. Every good deed is a good deposit that we can withdraw from without limits. We can ask for as many blessings as necessary and it will be granted. Is a legal promise.
But first we must set our priorities in our life and fully surrender to Our LORD, becoming a full time Christian,... only then we can expect HIM to be faithful to us.