Are you Weary in Well-Doing?

This next post is tied into the last post on "Lukewarm and Loving It?" so please read the first one before beginning this next one. I hope that everyone really wrestles with the question of being lukewarm. In Revelation 3:16, the apostle John writes, "So, because you are lukewarm--neither hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth." I personally do not want to be spit out...I think neither do you. We need to spend time with God and ask Him how we can be ON FIRE for Jesus.

Our theme today for the second part of the video-blog series is "How to Live a Life of Joy when Feeling Joyless?". There are times in our life when it is hard to find joy, hard to find happiness, hard to find excitement, and hard not to be bored. However, if we let the truth of Ephesians 2:1-10 sink into our lives. I think we would come to find that our joy is not from external circumstances, not from our wants or desires, and not from our own actions. Joy comes from Christ. Paul writes in Ephesians 2:1-10 that we are made ALIVE in CHRIST, not made alive in ourselves, not made alive in our victories, not made alive in our happiness...no we are made alive in CHRIST and CHRIST ALONE:

"As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."

Pastor Martin Lloyd Jones gives a great three minute message how not giving up in well-doing. Yes, we will face hard times. Yes, we will even feel weary. But our hope is in Christ. Remember, the apostle Paul reminds us that God who is rich in mercy will seat US with HIM in the HEAVEN in CHRIST...that is our true hope of joy in this world. Please take a moment to watch this video and let the Gospel sink into your soul...that we are made ALIVE in CHRIST.