Steve Simms's Blog, page 215

Joyful thoughts to give you joy

Too often we let the weeds of life overrun and destroy our joy, gladness, and delight. An unhappy heart needs weeding. Joy is contagious, but you can’t catch it from unhappy people or from people who mask their heart. Life offers plenty of alternatives to joy, but why would you want one?

Too many human hearts are like fire hydrants. They are designed by God to overflow with joy, but plugged up tight. Pride sometimes has a difficult time being joyful, because joy can look so undignified (but it sure is fun). If you are a joy to others, even when you don’t feel like it, you’ll soon encounter fresh joy in your own heart.

It’s a joy to be around — simply to be alive, to exist, and to get around. If you don’t choose to be joyful, but instead wait for joy to just happen to you, you probably wont be joyful very often. Ongoing joy requires mental toughness — the refusal to allow negative thoughts and attitudes to steal your joyfulness.

Joy is a universal human language. When you see it, it needs no translation. If someone is continually unhappy, perhaps you don’t want to follow him, because he’s not going to lead you to joy.

The more you magnify your focus on good things in your life and minimize your focus on bad things, the greater your joy will be. Since joy is an internal experience of the heart that flows into daily life, if the heart is shut down, joy is deleted from life.

Joy involves learning to respond to words and events with inner peace, trust, and hope, instead of with anger, worry, fear, or panic. Too often we passively wait for life to give us joy, instead of learning to cultivate the inner joy of living. Joy flows from inside us, when we vividly recognize and deeply appreciate how fortunate we are to be alive.

Joy is an undaunted sense of well being, hope, and appreciation, even during difficult circumstances, produced by trust in God. As a noun, joy is an emotion; as a verb, it’s something that you do. Joy in the beauty you see around you today.

The more you’re aware of, focused on, and grateful for the positive things in your life, the greater your joy. Joy is much more than mere distraction from your problems. It’s blissful focus on and delightful infatuation with beauty and goodness.

Joy is much deeper than superficial pleasure. It’s the overflow of an untroubled, grateful, and delighted heart. When the heart isn’t weighed down by worries, fears, or other anxieties and troubling thoughts, joy flows from it naturally.

Joy wasn’t intended to be an occasional occurrence but an ongoing inner flow. The Bible says, “Rejoice in the Lord, always.” Perhaps a better name for “a leap of faith” in obedience to the Holy Spirit, would be “a joy jump.”

This gives me joy: Connecting with people heart-to-heart; Creative writing; Worshipping the living Jesus; Praying in tongues.

Joy is alignment with Christ. The more we submit to the risen Jesus, the greater our joy:

Jesus
Overriding
Yourself.

Check out my book, The Joy of Early Christianity @ https://www.amazon.com/Joy-Early-Christianity-Steve-Simms/dp/1689381213

Fresh & practical thoughts about love overcoming hate

Love is a better way to disagree than hate. Let’s disagree better. Persistent love can transform a foe into a friend.

Confronting evil with love is a great weapon against evil. It doesn’t escalate the evil, but exposes it in the heart of those who wield it. When hate is raging, love can overcome it with noncooperation and an ongoing assault of kindness.

It’s easy to love people we consider to be worthy of love. It’s hard to love those we believe to be unworthy of it.

If we believe someone is influenced by evil, perhaps we should respond with love and compassion, instead of with anger and hostility. People caught up in evil need love and compassion the most.

If you learn to see the image of God in people, you’ll never again look at them the same way. If you give cruel words a kind reply, the person who spoke those words will be amazed at your love. Love drives out indifference and causes you to want to know about the problems, pain, and injustice that people are going through now (or have gone through in the past).

Beware of love these wreckers: impatience, unkindness, envy, bragging, pride, rudeness, ego, anger, blame, corruption, and dishonesty. (See 1 Corinthians 13.) Hate hardens hearts. Love unfolds them like flowers opening in the sun.

Love isn’t just a feeling. It is actions of concern, kindness, compassion, and sharing. Love looks at people with an open heart that cares about them and their concerns.

Love is when concern for others eclipses concern for self. It focuses attention and caring on other people and away from self. Love deprioritizes self. You can’t control whether or not people love you, but you can train yourself to love and be kind to people.

If people don’t believe you care about them, they won’t accept your opinion, no matter how strongly you argue for it. You can be the reason someone feels loved today. Why not?

Because love isn’t based on agreement or approval, it’s able to cross the lines that divide people and release kindness, caring, and compassion. Christians are told to “overcome evil with good” (Romans 12:21) and “repay evil with blessing” (1 Peter 3:9). How are we doing with that?

God’s love isn’t narrow. It’s broad. When it gets ahold of you, it makes you love everybody (even people you don’t even like).

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Supernatural combo — the living Jesus & the Bible

Christ-followers are called to be led by the Spirit and surrendered to the rule (kingdom) of God. When Jesus is more than religions information and becomes within you, living animation, you experience supernatural transformation.

Christians are called to live and function by the power of “Christ in you,” not by our own power or ability. Church trains people to look for power in a program, a sermon, a liturgy, and even in hype. But real power comes from the living Jesus. The Bible acknowledged and preached, but never read, leaves church attendance pretty dead.

Untold millions of people have found healing, comfort, and strength thru reading the Bible with a humble heart. I’m one of them. When I read the Bible with an open heart, insights & inspiration jump off it’s pages. When I read the Bible my eyes don’t just scan ancient words. Instead I hear a living voice speaking to me.

Instead of imposing religious rules, the living Jesus changes people from the inside out. Then they want to obey Him.

Unlike ancient Israel, biblical Christianity doesn’t focus on a country, but on the living, resurrected Jesus Christ. Jesus didn’t accept the authority of the religious establishment of the time, the Pharisees and Sadducees. His authority came directly from God the Father.

Sometimes we complicate simple statements from the Bible, as an excuse not to obey them. Here’s an example: “Love your enemies.”

Search for my book: Beyond Church Ekklesia.

Diversion from self-focus is the road to happiness.

If you can use your thoughts to make yourself unhappy, you can learn to use them to make yourself happy. When your mind is focused away from yourself and on positive and enjoyable things or activities, that’s happiness. Diversion from self-focus is the road to happiness.

Happy people don’t have to work at having fun, because they spontaneously enjoy life, from the inside out. Happy people make the world a better place by carrying and spreading joy and appreciation everywhere they go. You can do that if you develop the ability to be happy from the inside out.

If you wait on something or someone to make you happy, it might take awhile. Go ahead and jump the gun. Be happy today. Harness happiness. When you have happiness flowing from the inside out, you don’t need much outward entertainment.

Happiness by design (creating an ongoing, joyful, interior environment in your mind and heart) is much more effective than hoping to stumble into happiness. Perhaps it’s better to enjoy happiness right where you are, instead of constantly pursuing it.

Nobody can make you be kind. You have to choose to be kind; the same with being happy. Happiness is more about enjoying where you are and what you have, instead of forcefully trying to get something or somewhere else.

As anger increases, happiness decreases. You can’t have both at the same time. Happy people have learned to enjoy life, even in difficult circumstances.

It’s hard to maintain a happy facade, but a heart trained to continually enjoy life, spontaneously flows with happiness. If you can find no reason or excuse to be happy, just be happy for the joy of it. Happiness is fun!

Happy people avoid negative assumptions. They don’t want to get upset for no good reason. Search for: The Joy Of Early Christianity.

Use your gazers well

When you continually graze on negative thoughts, feelings, words, and images, you crowd joy out of your life. Seeing people who disagree with you as a continual threat is a powerful way to keep yourself stressed out.

Raise your eyes beyond life’s haze of delays and gaze on things that amaze. Gaze at the goodness of God. Biblical Christianity is to continually gaze at the living Jesus, not to occasionally glance at Him. Christ-followers are called to align with the living Jesus and not with our own opinions, feelings, or political preferences.

When it comes to other people’s opinions, it’s much easier to glance and disregard them, than it is to ponder and understanding them. Perhaps God wants you to show kindness and love to people you disagree with, instead of trying to prove them wrong.

Overcome conflict with kindness, compassion, and humility. Pride isn’t a God-given right — just the opposite. “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.

If you’ll be sincerely reflective about other people’s perspective, you may not agree, but you’ll understand them better. Love listens.

Perhaps it’s time
To look at race
Thru the eyes
Of kindness.

Race was invented as an excuse
For human trafficking and other abuse.
It has no good use.

Gaze at kindness. Search for: Off the RACE Track–From Color-Blind to Color-Kind.

Looking & behaving like Christians (making faith real)

Church is too often like a car salesperson who lectures people about his vehicles, but doesn’t let anybody drive them. Many Christians have never been trained how to interact with the living Jesus thru out the week and don’t know how to do it.

Because of that we often don’t manifest the fruit of the Holy Spirit. However, that is how Christ-followers are recognized — by love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Hey, Christians, do the “one anothers.” Teach, admonish, confess your sins to, submit to, encourage, love, (etc.) one another. Politics and race shouldn’t stop Christians from obeying the Bible commands to love, submit to, serve, and encourage one another.

Biblical Christianity isn’t about a weekly religious lecture full of conjecture, but the living Jesus being your daily director. The Bible talks about “the hope of glory.” That’s not “hearing sermons” or “going to church” or “being good.” It’s “Christ in you.”

No one will ever disagree with you who God doesn’t love. “God so loved the world . . .” If we let that thought give us more understanding and goodwill, we could work together to solve problems, instead of blaming and shaming each other. Even people you disagree with, often have good intentions.

When we replace anger and divisiveness with goodwill, we improve the quality of life for us and for others. If you make someone smile from their heart, it will boomerang and make your heart smile as well. Do the Word, church, and don’t just hear it no more, no more (inspired by the song, Hit the Road Jack).

For more on making Christianity real, search for: The Joy Of Early Christianity book.

Life without a clear focus can become like a circus

Little done with focus is usually far more powerful than much done like a circus. Focus is powerful. What you continually pay attention to will mold you into its image.

We American Christians need to look beyond politics and reject demonic attitudes and accusations coming from both parties. Our politics would be more effective if it focused on working together to solve problems instead of on accusing the other party.

Any politician can accuse, but it takes an exceptional one to negotiate across the aisle and make deals for the good of the nation. Guilty people often accuse others, to deflect attention away from their own guilt. Perhaps we need leaders who don’t accuse.

Your own emotions and desires make for a fickle focus. If you stop focusing on what you don’t like, and begin to focus on how you can make things better, hope and creativity will fill your life.

People who daily focus on following the living Jesus are continually empowered and transformed by His presence. Since the living Jesus captured my focus, distractions have gradually faded away. People who follow and obey the risen Jesus have a heart connection and focus on what is much deeper than politics, race, or even family.

Anxiety is worthless; inner peace is priceless. Let the living Jesus change them out for you.

If human lives don’t matter . . .

If human lives don’t matter, nothing matters and life is meaningless. The human race does indeed matter — people of every shade of skin, from the womb to the tomb. If all lives matter to you, then the pain blacks are expressing would be heard with compassion, instead of rejected with anger and pride.

If you’re unable to see beauty in every person’s face, you’re overlooking the image of God within them. God created you in His holy image, but temptation tries to corrupt your image into ungodliness.

If you’re looking for conflict, you’ll find it. If you’re searching for ways to be kind, you’ll discover them.

When we don’t understand people, we tend to think that something’s wrong with them, instead of that something’s wrong with us. However, if your life experience matched the person you disagree with, there’s a good chance you would agree with them.

Much pain is caused because people easily trust their feelings, but are often reluctant to trust their conscience. Conscience matters.

Changing the focus on a camera alters how things appear. So does changing the focus of your heart. Let Jesus give you His focus.

Church too often causes complacency, instead of prompting people to passionately pursue the living Jesus Christ. The self-pity pit is painful, but begin to focus on the risen Jesus, and He will pull you out!

Perceiving God

Without depth perception we spend our life, caught up in shallow superficialities. The fact that you’re aware of your thoughts shows you can perceive intangibles. You can use that ability to hear the living God. Positive, helpful, and creative ideas will form in your mind if you clear the clutter, make room for them, and notice their appearing.

As humans, we have internal means of perception (we often ignore) that can perceive ideas, concepts, and God. Intangibles are powerful–hope, love, joy, encouragement–but the greatest intangible is the living God!

I’m amazed that people who deny God because they can’t logically prove Him, don’t deny their consciousness for the same reason. If people don’t demand logical proof they are conscious, but believe their experience, I can believe my experiences with God. Billions of people perceive the reality of God and there is nothing in nature to conflict with that perception.

Although we can’t see our thoughts, we continually experience them. Although I can’t see Jesus, I continually experience Him. The direct perception of the living Jesus is much more powerful than any arguments for or against His resurrection.

My paraphrase of the Beatitudes & Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5:3-20)

The kingdom (government) of God reigns in humble human hearts as they submit to and obey the risen Jesus instead of self.

The grief of pain and loss will turn into a blessing, if we allow it to draw us close to the risen Jesus and His inner comfort.

People who courageously show kindness and love to their enemies, awaken the conscience of their foes to the evil of hostility and hatred.

People who sincerely want their heart and behavior to be right, will be filled with brokenness for their sin.

People who compassionately forgive others, will be forgiven when they’ve hurt or offended someone.

It’s time for Christians to demonstrate the power God gives Christ-followers to love people that the world says we should hate.

If instead of following religious pride, we allow the living Jesus to purify our heart, we will experience God like never before!

Those who let the Holy Spirit lead them to peace with God and with people will be recognized as God’s children.

People who won’t let peer pressure, insults, bullying, or violence force them into wrong behaviors, are ruled by God’s kingdom.

False insults are a blessing to Christ-followers because they verify that we are obeying God like the prophets did.

Christ-followers are called to influence the world with demonstrations of Christ’s love and joy, but if we act like the world, we can’t.

When people are unable to see the risen Jesus living in and thru His followers, Christianity is considered a triviality.

Jesus’ love and forgiveness didn’t do away with moral standards; it made a way for Jesus to live His moral life, in and thru you!

If you humbly and compassionately, live out in your daily life, and teach God’s moral commands, you demonstrate that you’re letting the living Jesus rule you from within.

My summary: A law is an external rule, but the kingdom of God is when people let the living Jesus rule them internally. Biblical Christianity isn’t lessons that you learn thru lectures about God. It’s the living Jesus leading and guiding you from the inside out.

Pride divides but insight unites. For more insights check out my book: The Joy Of Early Christianity at this link.

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