Pursuit of Happiness

Notes I wrote down as I listened to part 2 of Journal of a Desperate Journey by Chuck Swindoll. Here are  the notes from the message from his website: click here.

Ecc 1:12-17

Ecc 2:3-10

Ecc 2:17

Psalm 16:11

Searching for meaning and living the straight life can be exhausting.

The straight life:

Carrying out daily necessary tasks.
Living other people's goals instead of his own.

Deeply committed. Carrying out responsibilities.

Feel like everyone is taking from his life, not giving.

A world of tension and boredom until you wanna pull your hair out…

Solomon was king over Israel. If paraphrased, it'd add that Solomon was up to here with being king of this nation. Life is boring. Same thing is done. Meeting others expectations versus our own. Living out commitments. Feeling like everyone is asking and taking from us versus giving. It all makes it difficult to live the straight life!

Solomon, in his midlife crisis, didn't do anything silly. He wanted to put his brains and bucks to good use and find out what it is all about. How does one pursue happiness? Would it be profitable? What gives life meaning? Found in Solomon's journal- Ecclesiastes. In this book, we have God's promised truth about life and the pursuit of happiness under the sun. The book has a lot to say about life and living the straight life. God doesn't lie. He is honest. It is through this book we can learn a lot if we would diligently seek God's face and be obedient in listening to Him!

Chuck Swindoll emphasized "feeling the full blow of living a life under the sun without turning to the back of the book" before getting the full effects- the brokenness; not rushing or pushing it away; but realizing the depth of it all.  It is the life of many who live without Christ: facing the same thing day after day, experiencing the boring, and how meaningless life can be. The meaning is only found in Christ and the things above. This is why we are called: to seek the things of God, His Kingdom, and Heaven. "Seeking the things above, not earthly things!"

It is the life of people apart from God's perspective. It is realizing where they are; helping them to come to Christ. Entering into the brokenness that they, themselves, feel.

Ecc. 1:12-14

There is no greener grass. What we may think would be greener, when we get there- it's empty. There is no green grass. What we thought would be better than what we had was a disillusionment. All of it is empty;

1:15

He goes for it-to seek meaning.

1:16-17

He goes for his pursuit. It wasn't worth the effort. It was madness.

2:3

He sought alcohol to see the meaning of life. Solomon continued to seek pleasure as he pursued happiness.

2:4-10; 2:17

Nothing brought pleasure for Solomon. Nothing. Even his projects didn't bring pleasure.  His hobbies brought no pleasure. Nothing brought pleasure to Solomon in his life. Planning for something is always more exciting than the thing itself. Looking forward to it is always much more exciting than the actual event. Whether it is going to a restaurant, vacation, or something else, looking forward to it is always much more exciting. Our hope for it is always much more than the actuality.

The satisfaction is only during the act: that goes for the collection, the vacation, the booze, extramarital affairs (remember he had 700 wives; he knew pleasure! yet nothing brought happiness and satisfaction.). Solomon withholded nothing from himself. (2:10) He didn't stop at pleasure. He hated life. (2:17) Think of life of the celebrity. Pays someone else to do things for them. No friends by their side. They still have to sleep at night, and there isn't enough medication to fix the up's and down's they endure. The stories of many can be multiplied. Their sorrows are many.

What profit is there in the whole cycle? (3:9)

None.

Outside of Christ, we will never find pleasure.

What are we looking for pleasure in?

Are we still seeking the world? Or, are we seeking Christ?

Psalm 16:11 states:

You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

We will never find the pleasures that bring happiness if we don't start looking in the right place. Are we choosing to allow Christ to be our pleasure? Or, are we still trying to find that pleasure in other things? Only God can fill us up, and give us joy!

"Happiness is a by-product of walking with God. It is not our focus." Holiness should be our focus. Seeking Christ. Seeking His holiness. Seeking to walk in His ways and seek Him with all that we are.

What are we searching for?

My notes from Chuck Swindoll's message: Journal of a Desperate Journey, Part 1

Ecc 1:1-11

Ecc 6:10-12

Ecc12:13-14

On Ecclesiastes: Ecclesiastes is where we find Solomon on a journey for satisfaction. We read his findings. Solomon learned that nothing under the sun is worthwhile, everything is futile.

Ecc 1:1-11- No matter how much we see or hear, we are never satisfied. We are never content. Ecc. 6:10-12- God has already planned who we are. God knows who we are, and our destiny- He knows it all. Who are we to contend with God? He is greater and mightier! (See Isaiah 40) Ecc 12:13-14- Fear God and obey His commands. God will judge us justly.

What dreams do you have that you haven't lived out?

What do you think about when no one else is around?

Ecclesiastes is the journal of Solomon's journey to find happiness and purpose when everything else seemed boring and empty. He longed for that fulfillment. Deep within us is an irresponsible itch where we want to forsake our responsibilities, flee everything, and pursue dreams. If only, we would see the other side and the meaninglessness of those dreams. Solomon had all the money and brains to pull it off. But, what would he find?

Dreams send Solomon to find something.

What does he find? "Nothingness, nothingness…" is what his pursuits fostered.

He wasn't given the satisfaction he hoped for.

What's it all about? It's empty… It's futile.

Until we are there at the end (Ecc 12:13-14), we feel the emptiness.

"One of the reasons we are so boring as people, as Christians, because we read our immortality message into every scene that's also the reason we don't have too many real answers to our real problems. We're too quick with the ultimate answers to fill ourselves with the horrific pain." Before mentioning following God or obeying God, he throws his hands in the air! Nothing brings satisfaction.

Brokenness comes before finding what we need!

We have to see this book using the natural, human mind. If we don't, we will throw this book out of the window. It is about seeing things from the human mindset. Under the sun. Seeking satisfaction from things under the sun. It is the brokenness that comes from realizing that nothing under the sun could ever satisfy. The brokenness that leads us to none other than Jesus Christ!

The more we read Ecclesiastes, the less shocked we are with the world. The brokeness of this world. Others giving up. Others committing suicide.  We will enter that understanding of what others face. Remember: The purposelessness of this world, of life. The futility. The meaningless. It is only found through Jesus Christ. Without Christ, we have nothing. He has a purpose for us. He has a great love for us! Let us remember what we experienced without Christ, enter into the brokenness, have compassion for others, and share the love of Christ!

Now why: Why is it so meaningless? (1:4)

It's a boring place to be; it's the pits. The eye is never satisfied with seeing; the ear is never satisfied with hearing. There's always something else. The appetite is never filled. Even with money, there is nothing satisfying. Nothing will ever satisfy!

"Can you imagine launching a child under the sun? Nothing new. Nothing of meaning."

Are we ready to move beyond the sun? Allowing Jesus Christ into our lives. Him and His holy is what our souls are longing for. It is only as we move past the brokenness and realizing our need for Him that we finally see what we have needed all along. His holiness is serious. He is holy. He is supreme, above all others. He is God, creator of Heaven and Earth! He came to give us abundant life, life far beyond what we can experience in this world!

Is what we are seeking meaningful?
Is it soul satisfying?
Is it leading us closer to Christ? Or, drawing us away from Him?
Are we seeking after the eternal or things that will not last?

*Seek Christ*. Only He can satisfy! Nothing in this world can ever satisfy except Christ and Him alone.

Are we digging into the Word of God? Spending time reading the Bible? In prayer?

Holiness,Holiness, is what I long for!

Month 1 of Chronological Bible Reading Plan

Month One--January!


It may have taken me a bit more time, but I made it. I just finished reading Genesis. I finished the book of Job a couple weeks ago. I must say it has been an amazing journey, and I am so glad that I chose to do it and continue on even where there are days when it just feels a bit difficult to continue to read. There were many days where the reading did not happen. There are days when I binge read, because I cannot get enough. All in all, I think I am about 3 days off track. I am hoping to catch up this week, and definitely stay caught up. I need to rediscover a routine, as I resume my daily bible reading plan. It is easy for me to get busy or distracted. I need to make a continuous effort to be in the Word more this month!

Some highlight of this journey so far:

• The Life of Job. 
• Nothing is hidden, but all is seen in his struggles. He is seen complaining and arguing with God. He is rebuked for his ways in the end. For me, it has been an asset to see how Job handled his struggles. Many would do much worse. His faith carried him through his struggles, even on the hardest moments. Seeing Job's struggle has helped me with my own struggle. I have not given up. I keep fighting. It is knowing that others have walked the road of hardship that gives me strength. I find strength in reading about Job's struggle.
• The Life of Abraham
• His faith is tested by taking his son to the mountain to possibly sacrifice him. Instead, God removes the need for the sacrificing of his son. It was a test of his faith. The test of our faith brings us to our knees, and makes us realize which we love more: Family or God. There are moments when Abraham was asked to leave his family behind, and he took his nephew with him. What would have happened if he had left Lot at home? Would he have a wife who ended up looking back at the past so to speak, and turn into a grain of salt? Probably not..
• The Life of Jacob
• Jacob is seen stealing his brother's blessing from his father. He ends up on the road to hopefully avoid the sword of his brother Esau. Once he finally comes into contact with Esau after many years apart, his brother embraces him. Our problems may not be so easily solved, but they are solvable. We do not have to run to avoid facing them and risk facing greater dangers.
• The Life of Joseph
• Joseph handled his struggles with grace. His brothers threw him in a well, and he managed to get out. They sold him to Egyptians, and God enabled him to succeed as a servant of his master's house. His master's wife screams rape, and God uses his time in jail to help others' know the meaning of their dreams. The Pharaoh gets his dream interpreted by Joseph, and he is put in a high position of helping others fight againest a world wide famine. He reunites with his brothers and does no harm to them---instead he chooses to bless them continually!

I am looking forward to seeing what Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers  has in store for this month's journey! To read more about what I am reading and learning, click here

2012 Goals

Spiritual

·         I want to be in the Word daily! I joined a youversion bible study tonight, which is going through the Bible in a chronological order to keep me a bit more engaged. I realize that I will need to spice up my time in the word. Originally I wanted to go through the Bible in 90 days, but that is a really unrealistic goal for me to make… So, I have deicded to “try” to go through the Bible in a year using the chronological Bible to keep things interesting. =)

o   Methods: Audio Bible; Reading the three chapters a piece at a time; Reading the chapters preferably in the morning to give me time to digest what I am reading..

o   I want to try to blog about what I am reading/learning as I go through this reading plan. I may end up using the “note” feature on Youversion..Or, I may end up using my blogger account for that.

·        I want to be better at realizing that God is constantly present in my daily life, and learn how to unceasingly pray and commune with Him as I go through daily tasks. I want to learn how to show my love for God through doing tasks versus putting off tasks, because after all—it is tasks God has given me to do.. so, why put it off?

·         I want to READ more in general, particularly in my books on Christian Living.. I want to read more than just textbooks this year, despite the fact I am entering grad school..Shooting for the moon, I know =)

Logged Out

I have officially logged out of facebook, which never happens. I just need a break. A time to just disengage and be present in whatever is going on in my life. This week is going to be crazy between reading a book for class, turn in reflection, writing a pretty big final paper, attending class, and getting everything ready for Saturday's early morning drive to Fresno for my graduation. Seems like a good time to retune myself into blogging, which is a spiritual discipline that I have been lacking lately.

Instead of gaming on facebook, I can play a game with my nephew. Instead of socializing with my friends (whom I dearly love), I can *hopefully* spend more time in prayer and diligently seeking God. Facebook is great, but when it isn't done with self-control---it isn't all that great.

Signing off facebook for a while may just be my way of coping with life, and it's crazy way of feeling the full roller coaster effect.

Disengaging and finding some sort of solitude is what I seek. It may be found through music, quiet walks with the Father, or through taking silent moments to blog and write what is happening in the now..but it is solitude I seek..
To quote Thomas Merton, who was a monk who knew a thing or two about contemplative living and the pursuit of solitude..
Merton said:
"Solitude is not something you must hope for in the future. Rather, it is a deepening of the present, and unless you look for it in the present you will never find it.”

Unless we look for it, we will never find it! What if we are too "busy" with facebook or something else, and we miss solitude...and the inner peace it gives us.

Temptations

I really appreciated today's verse. I definitely needed this particular reminder.
There is NO temptation that can overcome me.
I have a choice to make....
I choose to rely on God's strength.
Or, I can try to rely on my own strength and fail.

The scriptures says:

1 Corinthians 10:13
Easy-to-Read Version (ERV)
The only temptations that you have are the same temptations that all people have. But you can trust God. He will not let you be tempted more than you can bear. But when you are tempted, God will also give you a way to escape that temptation. Then you will be able to endure it.

There is a key point to this verse... We have to TRUST God. We have to RELY upon God. If we do not rely on Him, we will not know the way of escape..We need strength to endure it! Our strength is not enough. We need God's strength!

The definition of temptation is the act of tempting. Tempting has a couple of different definitions such as:
A. to entice or allure to do something often regarded as unwise, wrong, or immoral.
B. to attract, appeal strongly to, or invite: The offer tempts me.
C. Provoke

Temptations take many forms. If it was spending money, one might not go to the mall. If it is junk food, one might not store junk food at home. If the temptation is watching tv, someone may get rid of cable or unplug their tv. Temptations may take many shapes and forms..

I have been praying that if I am doing something to make myself stumble that God would show me. This is exactly what He did today. I know, I have fallen prey and found myself in tough spots that I thought were something I could handle on my own. There are temptations that I did not even recognize as a temptation. It was just something that was bugging me in a sense, I suppose.

More than ever, I am realizing just how much I need to be on my guard. I have been caught unguarded, and am experiencing temptations, because I was not well guarded. Luckily now that God has revealed this area to me, I know that I can just keep praying over it and giving it to Him. I need to continue in His Word, and let it continue to build me up and draw me closer to Him!

God is definitely still in the business of restoring broken people, which excites me. Even though I have areas where I have given into temptations time and time again, God is still FULL of Grace and Everlasting Love and Truth.. There is nothing too big for God to handle..

The key is keep on Trusting Him, and praying about this area of my life with God.

In closing today's thoughts, I would like to include the points from the devotional. In today's devotion, Joyce Meyer gave five things that make a difference in dealing with our temptations:

1. Be wise about your decisions. Think about your actions and what kind of reactions they will make.

2.Believe you can resist the temptation

3. think of facing temptation as normal life. If you're expecting a fight, you'll always be ready.

4. avoid areas of weaknesses

5.Recognize that you are going to struggle with a temptation. Do not give yourself too much credit, and assume it will not be a trouble area because you have stumbled before. That will make you an easy target.

Dreams and This Week's Challenge

I started doing a devotional by a well known speaker the other day, and I thought I’d write a little bit about that today. In their devotional, it was centered on one thing: “God gives all of us dreams.” God does give all of us dreams. He plants
desires in our hearts.

Using the Word of God, we need to be wrestling with God to find out what He is calling us to do. He is calling each of us to do something, because we have a greater purpose. Each circumstance has a greater purpose. It is not about where we are in the moment, but it is about looking forward to where we can be. There is a balance between contentment and ambition that we need to be striking here. We need to learn to enjoy the seasons we are placed in. Right now, life may be very difficult... This may not be a life-long season. We are constantly meeting new challenges and we have to keep our goal in front of us at all times. God has called us to something. What that something is----this is what we should be discovering. One thing I really want to learn is this.. I want to learn to live the dream despite the circumstances.

The concept itself is talking about God giving us dreams, but I think there is way more to the verse than simply God giving us dreams. It makes it look all happy and comfortable. But, what I got from the verse was something totally different.

Here is the verse in two different translation:

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he. (KJV)

Where there is no word from God, people are uncontrolled, but those who obey what they have been taught are happy (NCV). –Proverb 29:18

Notice the difference.
Big difference, isn’t it?

Instead of “the vision”, we see what the verse actually means. This is why I thoroughly enjoy using the Bible resources within my reach.. I love to use www.biblegateway.com and www.youversion.com which both use a number of different translations to help me grasp the verse.

Without God’s guidance or the Word of God as our guide, we become uncontrolled people with messy lives. The verse itself takes about how we need God’s Word and guidance in our lives. We cannot lead ourselves. Without God’s guidance, law and order disappear. In one translation, it states that the people run wild without His guidance. We see it all around us. When people do not follow God, chaos erupts!

I am going to connect the dots as I wrestle with “dreams” and “God’s guidance” as my study continues. When we read God’s Word does He give us guidance for our lives? Yes! Does His guidance turn into revealing what He is calling us to do? Absolutely.

Without God’s vision for our lives, we will “run wild” as one translation states. I do not know about you, but living a chaotic life does not exactly thrill me. I like a calm life with as little drama or stress as possible. According to Proverbs 29:18, I can only have this by following the guidance of God. God’s guidance can only be heard when I combine two things: Time in the Word (Bible) and spend time in prayer---talking with and listening to my Abba Father.

My Challenge..

I want to seek His guidance for my life more and more. My time in the Word and Prayer are not always what they seem. I stumble and fall. I neglect my time with my Lord Jesus, just like everyone else. I have a resolution or challenge for myself this week: I want to spend 15 minutes daily in the Word and praying about what I am reading. This does not sound like a lot to most of you. Maybe, some are thinking “that’s it!”.

I am in this for the long haul, and it is about forming habits that have an eternal value. I am hoping to blog daily about what I am reading, contemplating, and wrestling with in my quiet time, but it will just depend on a variety of things. I am hoping to write something about what I am learning even if it is a quick paragraph about each day.. And if I fail to do it, I will admit it. It is about having accountability.

I invite anyone who is willing to join me in my challenge, as I grow in God's Word and develop a more consistent prayer life. I firmly believe that committing to God's Word for 15 minutes a day and spending time to pray and wrestle with what we are being taught will grow us leaps and bounds.