If the joy you experience on earth directs your heart to a deeper, fuller enjoyment of God – then your earthly joy will bring you into even greater gladness rather than grief.
Is the day of Christ on your mind? Is it having any impact on how you live?
The right attitude of the Christian should never be “God shows me grace, so I can keep sinning!” Instead, the right attitude that we see here is “God shows me grace, so I can keep obeying!”
Even if we abandoned our houses and bodies and brains and our playthings, and we stooped down to take on the form of pond scum – even then, we would not have humbled ourselves as much as Jesus Christ did.
If we are to pursue wisdom, we cannot just pursue the right answer. And we also shouldn't moralistically attempt to gain better character, as an end in itself. But we are called to come to the One who is wisdom, and to know Him and to learn from him.
Very few of us need encouragement to watch out for ourselves. But to watch out and pay attention to the needs of others, just as intently – that’s a challenge. That’s not natural. Indeed, it’s divine.
Generosity is wrapped up in who God was, and is, and always will be, according to the riches of his wisdom.
Our citizenship is something to be understood, and enjoyed, and acted upon.
God himself enjoys good. And we are urged to recognize, true pleasure is not found in wicked foolishness, but in wisdom.
in Christ, life is good and productive, and death is transformed into gain. In Christ, we’re given a new commission to live for the one who died for us, and new confidence to die for the one who lives for us.