Will The Replacement Of What We Have Become Accustomed Make Us Happy?
Good Morning Friends,
I can tell you what makes people happy. Its dopamine, serotonin, and oxytocin. The best ways to produce those hormones and neurotransmitters is to exercise, eat a healthy diet with lots of different plants, pray, have purpose, do things that help other people and be in a community where you see people helping others often in healthy relationships, preferably in family, including affection like hugs and intimacy. We can also stimulate those same happy pathways by eating comfort food like carbohydrates and chocolate and thinking about things for which we are grateful, and going for a walk in the sunshine, or even liking things of importance on our mobiles. And, of course you can get similar feelings by viewing sites that perversely mimic healthy relational behavior, and by taking drugs that mimic the function of these natural feel-good chemicals, but those paths tend to be very addictive and destructive. We can get attached to these earthly things and ways, but scripture suggest that this is not a good thing for they will all rust or turn to dust. Even our places of worship will change. And that brings us to today’s question about what will happen if things change and maybe even go from bad to worse. Will The Replacement Of What We Have Become Accustomed Make Us Happy?
Scripture: When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another; all will be thrown down.” They asked him, “Teacher, when will this be, and what will be the sign that this is about to take place?” And he said, “Beware that you are not led astray; for many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and, ‘The time is near!’ Do not go after them. “When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end will not follow immediately.” Then he said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be great earthquakes, and in various places famines and plagues; and there will be dreadful portents and great signs from heaven.
Luke 21:5-11 (NRSV)
Then I looked, and there was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like the Son of Man, with a golden crown on his head, and a sharp sickle in his hand! Another angel came out of the temple, calling with a loud voice to the one who sat on the cloud, “Use your sickle and reap, for the hour to reap has come, because the harvest of the earth is fully ripe. “So the one who sat on the cloud swung his sickle over the earth, and the earth was reaped. Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. Then another angel came out from the altar, the angel who has authority over fire, and he called with a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, “Use your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for its grapes are ripe.” So the angel swung his sickle over the earth and gathered the vintage of the earth, and he threw it into the great wine press of the wrath of God.
Revelation 14:14-19 (NRSV)
Message: I suppose things could get better but there is a brick wall we can run into for not all is serene optimism or for that matter even the beauty of moral wrath. For every so often we are confronted with all the uncertainty that arises from slap up the side of the head. And even though we have had some successes, what looms has the look to be the evilest of days. One hundred years ago people wondered if the fierce battles of World War One represented the Apocalyptic Armageddon. Then came World War Two and the industrialization of war. Now we are in another century with new failures and conquests and an unleashing of terrorism where we least expect it. We think that maybe the end is near, but Jesus tells us in a reassuring voice that the timing is up to the Father. Yes, sometimes the world seems to be falling apart and somehow God pulls it back together again. Some things last and others do not. It depends on internal integrity more so than outward appearances. We need to be optimistic but honest about the future. We need to be tending the Temple in each of us. Interestingly today’s Gospel text comes right after the story of the Widow’s mite. The picture is of the corruption of the Temple from the inside out. And forty years from its first telling most of Jerusalem would be destroyed. So, Jesus paints a picture of what his disciples would have to face and it is not a pretty picture. So too we today are to be obedient to Jesus’ instruction. We are not to be anxious. We are not to look for quick fixes. We are not to become defensive. We are to be ready to witness with our words and actions and life to what God has done and who we believe Jesus to be. We are to lay a firm foundation of our faith in our belief that Jesus is who he says he is…the love of God to save the world.
Pray we take heed of Jesus’ directives in preparation for difficult times even though we hope for the best. Pray we stand in the promise of God’s love no matter what the world has laid before us. Pray we not be led astray by false promises. Pray we not be terrified in the face of difficulties. Pray we prepare our defense in advance. Pray we believe in the sovereignty of God and not be fooled by false Messiahs. Pray we not be terrified even though the future is not always bright. Pray we have words of wisdom when facing difficult times. Pray we realize that it is not always easy being a Christian. Pray we risk to improve the lot of others. Pray we realize that vengeance belongs to the Lord.
Blessings,
John Lawson
Daily Devotionals 