Enjoying Life to The Fullest Post 155
Enjoying life to the fullest will require us to allow God in our choices. His ways avoid the roadblocks we can’t see.
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”(Psalm 16:11)
When ask God in prayer, for help in making major and minor decisions, He will show us the best way to proceed. This verse of Scripture above reveals that there will be joy and pleasures found doing life God’s way.
But we as humans want what we want- I know I do. And when we ignore that inner voice of the Holy Spirit warning us about a choice we are about to make, we ignore it wondering why God wouldn’t allow it. Many times if we can’t makes sense of God leading us away from our desire- we pursue it anyway. Remember Eve in the Garden? She couldn’t understand why God wouldn’t want her to eat the beautiful fruit so pondered the thought and then went against God. She forfeited many blessings due to her disobedience and we do too. Adam and Eve were kicked out of a life of provision and protection. A life of obedience gives us blessings and answered prayer.
The parent child analogy.
As parents, when we give our child a birthday party, we of course want them to enjoy it. Our child may be so thrilled with all of the enticements to the extent that he/she overdoes it on everything: the cake, ice cream, candy, and junk food. Most parents would place limits on their child’s consumption knowing that the child could get sick. Not to mention, it is wise to teach self control even when it’s a special day.
If we relate that to our adult lives, God would indeed like us to enjoy many things the world has to offer- but within His timing and within reason. I put a list together comparing and contrasting what we would like to do vs what God states we should do. It’s hard to choose God’s will over our own, but in the end we know in our soul that God is leading us to a well rounded life, a life abundant in every way: energy, health, lasting love, strong families, strong friendships and enjoyment of His world. Best of all He is leading us to the protected life through a relationship with Him.
Enjoying Life To The Fullest, God’s Way:
a nice glass of wine…but not to elevation (Ecc 3:12-13)
a dinner date with the opposite sex….but without fornication(Heb 13:4)
a great job with a good income…but not excessive work that cuts into family time(Prov 23:4-5)
a workout schedule… but not excessive time devoted to our physique and vanity.(1 Tim 4:8)
a wardrobe that is conducive to our lives…but not excessive clothes/jewelry/ shopping(1Peter 3:3)
time away with friends…after our family responsibilities are done. (Prov 18:24)
good food …but not excessive food that deteriorates our health and makes us tired/overweight and lacking in motivation(Deut 21:20)
time for self…but not a schedule that puts spouse and kids last(1 Cor 6:12)
The Lord states:
“If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it.”(Luke 9:24)
Enjoying life to the fullest involves giving God the go ahead to guide how we run our lives. God keeps us from overindulgence that may create future problems down the road. He guides us with his Divine order and priorities and they always lead to a blessed life. It is a struggle to hand God our life and say “okay God, not my way but yours.” In the end, the blessings are worth the sacrifice and the protective shield the Lord places around us as we walk in His ways- is priceless!
Dr. Charles Stanley recently said, “If you haven’t taken the Lord as your personal Savior, you have no hope and you are on your own. You are not protected and you will suffer from the consequences of your actions.”
This is a harsh reality. I know I’d rather follow the Lord knowing that I have the hope of a heavenly Father watching over me protecting me and not allowing my life to sink into desperation, what about you?
Food For Thought,
Lisa
