Happiness - God: Not an Empty Thing

Happiness. This is an emotion associated with peace of mind, contentment, satisfaction, or just the ability to be at ease with life itself. When we can't find it, we try all sorts of things to get it. The writer of Ecclesiastes recorded a journal of observations on things he sought to try to find happiness and though he was able to find accomplishment, pride and other things, happiness was always a fleeting thing. He phrased many things as empty and trying to grasp wind.  Often that is how we feel about happiness. Will I ever be happy? Will I ever be content and just be able to enjoy life? Why can't I feel happy all the time?  In the journal of Ecclesiastes, in chapter three, he tells us that there is a time and place for things, and everything has a season. What people fail to understand a lot of times, is that happiness is not something that you can have all the time. Life has its cycles and so do emotions. There isn't a pill for it, we can't find it in a bottle, its not something we can eat. 

Perhaps one of the reasons that happiness is so fleeting in our lives, is that we are inwardly seeking the one thing that is inside of us that can't be put there by human means. Eccl.3:11 states, "He has put a sense of eternity in people's minds." What does this mean? It means that  there is nothing on this earth that can give us peace within our souls and spirits - without God.  At best, everything in life is temporary and does not last. It is only with God, that we can find true happiness and come to know the  "peace that passes all understanding (Ph'p.4:7)."  We can spit at this, we can get mad and throw a tantrum. Yet, the truth of it is self evident just by looking at people and life around you. The news abundant with stories of people that maim, kill and destroy - all over bits of land, money, mineral rights, oil, and other things. They do this because they believe that getting these will bring peace of mind and happiness. Yet, they do not. Another comes along and takes away what one fights for. It is an empty struggle. We see people chasing money on a daily basis, some making thousands - even millions of dollars in a day. Yet, there is no happiness, and life for them is always a fight about who is going to get what they have. People try to find happiness in getting high, drunk, inebriated in some way, yet the altered state of reality it offers is only fleeting and the problems are always there when we come back to reality. There is no satisfaction because the one thing that we have in our hearts (Eccl.3:11) that we seek is not there --- God!  Why do you think the writer of Ecclesiastes comes to the conclusion he does in the end of his journal? 

We all want that state of happiness, and we all want to be trusted in life. Yet, we pursue the things in life that make us unstable, unreliable and not able to be trusted. Proverbs 25:13 says, “Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in sweltering heat — refreshing!”  Learning to live in integrity and keeping your promises will show others that you can be trusted and will in turn make you a much happier person. And when God is in your life - and you're not chasing after things that make life empty, you don't have to lie to yourself and others about your life, and trustworthiness is something that becomes part of you. Why? Because you are no long chasing after fleeting things and you learn that life with godliness brings contentment that many cannot understand. Why can't they understand? Maybe it is because they haven't found the one thing in their life that is missing --- God!

Jim

Spiritual Gifts - Not What You Think :-)

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of service, but the same Lord and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.”

1 Cor.12:4-6

What is a spiritual gift? Everyone wants to ooohhh and ahhhhhh over mystical and flashy abilities. This was true even in the day of the apostles. In Acts 8, this is why Simon sought to by the gifts of God, because he wanted to use them to attract attention to himself. Have you ever considered that this is why when the scriptures were completed, that we do not see the more amazing gifts that the apostles had? They could be entrusted with them, but others coming after would abuse them for their own purposes. Yet, God has not left us bereft of the things that we need in order to accomplish His will. We have the written word of God, that supplies the majority of what we need. And, He will endow us with the spiritual gifts and the equipment to do what he asks you to do. God will never have you to do something He doesn’t give you the ability to do.

The minute we obey the gospel (Acts 2:38) we receive the gift of God's spirit, salvation, and the abilities to accomplish what God wants us to do. Some of these will take time, some will take learning, some will require failure and the need to start over again. At some point someone will be brought into our lives, that need the special something that we have to encourage them onto God. Sometimes, people are brought into our lives to awaken a gift within us, so that we can use it for God's purpose. The interesting thing is that the ability God uses, is often not the ability that we think we have. You don’t earn your gift, and it is not a right of passage. It’s also not for your benefit. Your spiritual gifts are given to you to help other people. And other people in God's kingdom are given their gifts to help you. We have and are given the abilities that we have so that we can be a blessing to others, helping them on their path on and to God. When you use your spiritual gift, the people you encounter get blessed. It’s like a puzzle. If you have one jigsaw piece missing, what’s the first thing you notice? The one missing piece.

The challenge here is that if you don’t develop and use your spiritual gifts, then we all get cheated. So someone asks, “Well, what is my gift?” Answer – I don't know...I didn't give it to you. God does, ask Him! All I can encourage you to think about is to not look for the flashy, attention getting stuff. Study God's word, ask God to show you what you can do, ask yourself how YOU can glorify God in and by your life. Then....let God work. Don't hasten it, rush it, poke it or prod it. Let it come naturally and in the time and place that God wants. Then...it is truly God working in you. Become active, encourage, inspire, be the one to do. It's not just song leading, praying, announcing, preaching that is needed. Many times we need simply someone to lean on. We need people who are willing to understand that others need to be taught and someone needs to teach them. We need MEN willing to teach and share experiences with younger men on issues of life. We need WOMEN who are willing to help and teach the younger women about motherhood, serving God and more. We need young men and women who are willing to teach teens about issues of life that they will face. We need people who are willing to make mistakes so that they can learn how to serve God better.

In short – WE NEED YOU!!!

Jim

Shema‘ Yisrael: Monotheistic Jewish Amulet Discovered Near Carnuntum – Biblical Archaeology Society

Shema‘ Yisrael: Monotheistic Jewish Amulet Discovered Near Carnuntum – Biblical Archaeology Society: "The Shema‘ Yisrael

Monotheistic Jewish Amulet Discovered Near Carnuntum

Noah Wiener   •  04/12/2013


According to a recent article in Biblical Archaeology Review, the Shema‘ Yisrael on this Jewish amulet discovered near Carnuntum is one of the earliest monotheistic readings of Deuteronomy.
The Shema‘ Yisrael from Deuteronomy 6:4 (“Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one”) is Judaism’s holiest confession. Today, we understand the passage as a monotheistic declaration. However, in the Second Temple period, the Shema‘ Yisrael text in Deuteronomy would have been read “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone.” The Shema‘ Yisrael was originally a monolatric statement; it stated that Israel had an exclusive relationship with its God, but it did not deny the existence of other national deities for other peoples.

When did Deuteronomy’s Shema‘ Yisrael become a monotheistic statement? When did Jews begin to recognize their deity as the only deity existing in the universe? In the May/June 2013 issue of Biblical Archaeology Review, Armin Lange and Esther Eshel discuss the discovery of a Jewish amulet near the city of Carnuntum that “marks an early pinnacle of this monotheistic interpretation of the Shema‘ Yisrael in Deuteronomy 6:4.”

The Jewish amulet was discovered in a third-century C.E. child’s grave near the Roman frontier city Carnuntum (close to modern Halbturn, Austria). The amulet is formed out of a silver capsule and small gold leaf, inscribed with a Hebrew Shema‘ Yisrael written in Greek letters. Lange and Eshel state that “the Jewish amulet reads the last clause of the Shema‘ Yisrael as ΑΔΩΝ Α ‘the Lord is 1.’ That is, it replaces the Hebrew word אחד, which meant originally ‘alone,’ with ‘one’ (a Greek A). The letter in ancient Greek represents the numeral 1.”
 
 
In the groundbreaking book The Birth of Monotheism: The Rise and Disappearance of Yahwism, André Lemaire, a world-renowned expert on the ancient world, explores the development of perhaps the most important idea in the history of mankind: the concept of a single, universal God.
 
 
What is an early monotheistic Shema‘ Yisrael doing near Carnuntum? Lange and Eshel illustrate that Carnuntum had a well-integrated Jewish population that stated their religion openly. The Jewish population would have known how to recite the Shema‘ Yisrael, but most likely did not know how to write in Hebrew.
Lange and Eshel conclude that

To our knowledge the Halbturn amulet is the first text that renders the Hebrew word ehad (אחד) with the number “1.” This numerical representation of the final word of the Shema‘leaves no doubt about how the Jewish craftsman who made the Halbturn amulet understood the Shema‘ Yisrael —as a monotheistic statement! Only the Lord is God; there is no other God. Though the Jews of Carnuntum were open to the multi-religious culture of their city, this openness clearly had defined limits. For them, no other god existed but the Lord.

Armin Lange and Esther Eshel’s full article “The Lord Is One”: How Its Meaning Changed explores the Jewish amulet and its Shema‘ Yisrael inscription in light of ancient Jewish magic, the evolution of monotheism and the local Jewish population.
 
 



BAS Library Members: Read the full article “The Lord Is One”: How Its Meaning Changed as it appears in the May/June 2013 issue of BAR.
Not a BAS Library member yet? Sign up today.
 
 
Related Content in the BAS Library

Fredricksen, Paula. Gods and the One God. Bible Review, Feb 2003.

The BAS Library now includes the full book Aspects of Monotheism: How God Is One, edited by Hershel Shanks and Jack Meinhardt, featuring chapters written by Donald B. Redford, William G. Dever, P. Kyle McCarter Jr. and John J. Collins.

Not a BAS Library member yet?



Sign up today.

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Paul’s First Missionary Journey through Perga and Pisidian Antioch – Biblical Archaeology Society

Paul’s First Missionary Journey through Perga and Pisidian Antioch – Biblical Archaeology Society: "Paul’s First Missionary Journey through Perga and Pisidian Antioch

Explore the route with a web-exclusive slideshow

Noah Wiener   •  11/01/2013
Paul’s first missionary journey took him from Cyprus into the heart of Anatolia. Why did Paul and Barnabas choose the treacherous path through Perga to Pisidian Antioch? In “Why Perga? Paul’s Perilous Passage through Pisidia” in the November/December 2013 issue of BAR, Mark R. Fairchild explores archaeological evidence of the likely presence of Jewish communities on the way.

Take a closer look at Paul’s first missionary journey through Turkey in this web-exclusive slideshow of photographs by BAR author Mark R. Fairchild. Click the arrow in the bottom right corner of the slideshow to view in full screen.


Click the arrow in the bottom right corner to view in full screen.
Hover cursor over image to read caption.
All photos courtesy of Mark R. Fairchild

After sailing from Cyprus to the Turkish coast, Paul and Barnabas visit the city of Perga before traveling to Pisidian Antioch and other cities on the Anatolian interior. When they head back to the coast, the travelers follow the same route. Why did they choose such a treacherous route for Paul’s first missionary journey? Mark R. Fairchild explores unexcavated sites along the Kestros River Valley, exposing evidence of Jewish populations en route. Acts indicates that Paul deliberately traveled to cities with Jewish populations. Perga was a major city, and the presence of a Jewish community there made it an ideal base for Paul’s first missionary journey through Anatolia. Fairchild argues that Paul and Barnabas could have taken an easy but roundabout path along established Roman roads, but opted to travel along the rugged Kestros Valley because of the hospitality of local Jewish communities.


Paul and Barnabas would have sailed from Cyprus to one of these ports on the Turkish coast before traveling to Perga.

Mark R. Fairchild suggests that Paul traveled from Perga up the Kestros River Valley to Pisidian Antioch, the route indicated in green.
BAS Library Members: Read “Why Perga? Paul’s Perilous Passage through Pisidia” by Mark R. Fairchild as it appears in the November/December issue of BAR.

Not a BAS Library member yet? Sign up today.
 
 
In the free eBook Paul: Jewish Law and Early Christianity, learn about the cultural contexts for the theology of Paul and how Jewish traditions and law extended into early Christianity through Paul’s dual roles as a Christian missionary and a Pharisee.
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I Can't Be Happy Because They Won't Let Me!

Happiness. A fickle emotion at times, coming and going with circumstances. So many times, we let personal happiness depend on approval by others. In essence, we let them control us, our moods, and our attitudes and at worst our lives. This is nothing new. People tried to manipulate and intimidate Jesus. He was told that he couldn't teach certain things or do certain things. When this didn't work, his character was maligned and when this didn't work people started to resort to doing physical harm. Yet, Jesus kept on. These things had their effect on Him, but ultimately, He did not need anyone's approval. He had His Father's and that was enough.

Even Paul had his antagonists. Ph'p.1:15-18 is a good example of this. It is sad, that there were those who were teaching Christ, not because they believed, but simply because they wanted to make more trouble for Paul while he was in prison. Already a place of despair, they sought to make Paul's life more miserable and robbed of happiness. What was Paul's sentiment about this?  Php 1:18  "But that doesn't matter. All that matters is that people are telling about Christ, whether they are sincere or not. That is what makes me glad. I will keep on being glad..."

You can be happy no matter what happens in your life if you don’t let others control your attitude.

You don’t need other people’s approval to be happy. The truth? If you haven’t got someone’s approval now, you’re probably not going to get it. If we try to live for the approval of everybody else it is we who will end up miserable. Why do you think you need a person’s approval? If we are doing what is right, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks or does. All that matters is what God thinks. Paul writes in Php 1:28, "Be brave when you face your enemies. Your courage will show them that they are going to be destroyed, and it will show you that you will be saved. God will make all of this happen..."  Paul says it is a privilege to suffer when you’re doing the right thing because that is when you’re most like Jesus - when somebody’s nailing you to a cross and trying to get at you.

Have you stopped to consider, that when you feel attacked or criticized, that God might be working in you and through you? For your benefit as well as for another's?

Jim