Fighting For Joy

I was at cell group this past Wednesday and we watched a dvd with a message from John Piper. The topic was "Fighting For Joy." He said some very challenging things and I jotted down some notes which I would like to share.

-I should be able to give up the "American Dream" and still be filled with joy because of Jesus....this is a tough one for me because I love to dream about the big, beautiful house that we might live in someday, traveling around the world with Jared once our kids are grown up, and retiring with lots of money, but truthfully these things won't make me any happier. Only Jesus can.

-Our happiness should not be above (more important than) God's glory; it should be IN God's glory We should be so happy in God that we forget about ourselves...I am not the center of the universe. Why do I forget this so often?

-God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him.

-Heaven won't be a hall of mirrors in which we like what we see...love that one

-God does ALL that He does to display His glory for the enjoyment of all those who embrace Jesus as their highest treasure

1 Peter 4:11 "If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ..."

-Everything in my life should shout, "God is GREAT!"...oh, how often I fall short

Isaiah 48:11 "...I will not yield my glory to another."

-What will satisfy peoples' souls is God being exalted, not me exalting myself

This is my most recent challenge. I LOVE hearing thoughts from the readers of this blog...I noticed that on my blog counter 790 people have been to my site, but I don't have that many comments. For those of you who may not know how this works, even if you don't have an account, you can still click on "Comments," leave a comment with your name in it, then click anonymous and it will be posted for me to see. Thanks for comin' out! :)