Years ago, I was at a mall in Oklahoma City, watching my three-year-old son lean on the railing above the food court. He looked down with wide-eyed wonder at the busy people below.
It was safer to be here than to take him to the nearby store where my wife and daughter were shopping. I felt joy as I watched him.
I wondered what he was thinking as he watched people ordering, eating, and talking about their lives. I did not think about it for long because he suddenly shouted loudly. His voice echoed through the food court.
“Follow Jesus! Follow Jesus! No turning back!”
Everyone heard the loud shout of his young voice. Some people likely choked on their sandwiches or strained their necks trying to find out where the bold declaration came from.
It remains the best sermon I have ever heard, brief and to the point.
Allow me to be brief and to the point.
DIRECTION MATTERS IN LIFE. FOLLOW JESUS.
Do not be led astray from that simple truth. The path for your life is set. God’s Word lights the way for each daily step.
One of the most influential preachers of early Americana was Jonathan Edwards. He emphasized this great Biblical truth. “The enjoyment of God is the only happiness with which our souls can be satisfied.”
This truth captures the Bible’s message. It highlights the beauty of Paradise granted to Adam and Eve and the loss from their failure. This truth and resulting tragedy impact everyone throughout their earthly journey.
The restoration of that godly enjoyment is at the heart of why Jesus came, died, and rose again. He came to bring us to God, our exceeding joy (Psalm 43:4).
Our souls are meant to find joy and true value in being with God as our highest pleasure and greatest treasure (Psalm 16:11).
Jonathan Edwards preached that “the most pleasant accommodations . . . fathers and mothers, husbands, wives, or children, or the company of earthly friends, are but shadows; but God is the substance. These are but scattered beams, but God is the Sun.”
GOD IS THE SUN. OTHER JOYS IN LIFE ARE JUST SHADOWS OF SOMETHING GREATER.
Note: This statement is an example. The sun is not God; it is part of God’s wonderful creation that daily reminds us of God’s glory (Psalm 19:1-2).
Without the sun, Earth would be dark and lose its gravitational pull. The consequences would be harsh and difficult.
Without God as our source of true joy, our moral compass becomes chaotic, and our search for happiness leads to despair.
God’s directional map reminds us in 2 Timothy 3:1-2 of that Hard and Harsh Reality to life.
Understand the path for those who live for themselves and follow the ways of this world:
- We are living in the last days.
- Difficult (fierce) times are coming.
- Men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, and lovers of earthly pleasures without any love for God.
- The circumstances will go from bad to worse.
- The cost will go from things…to self.
The #1 Textbook shows us another way. A better way.
Follow Jesus. No turning back.
- Pour out your life in love for God.
- Pour out Christ’s life in love for others.
- The circumstances will get harder, and the cost will get greater.
- The circumstances will go from difficult to dangerous.
- The cost will go from some…to all.
Do not be shocked by the tough realities of living in a world filled with sin and selfishness (just like we once were). No one is exempt. The path is difficult. The pain is real. But the goal is worth it.
There is enjoyment in each earthly day. Look to God to see it. There will be everlasting enjoyment in the future. Read the #1 Textbook to believe it.
Even as life’s journey takes us through difficult times, one truth stands firm: “Enjoying God is the only true happiness for our souls.”
Pay attention today, and you might hear the echo of a three-year-old’s shout as you go about your daily activities.
Follow Jesus! Follow Jesus! No turning back!
LOVE FIRST...LOVE MOST 