Van Harden

Trying so hard to make things go our way in this world, doing so much leaning, is exhausting. I am convinced that is exactly what Jesus had in mind when he said, __ome to me all you who are weary and heavy-laden and I will give you rest_ (Matthew 11:28 NASB).

[God] wants your adoration. He wants your confessions. He wants your thankfulness. He wants your requests. But most of all, He wants you and your love for Him with all your heart, strength, mind, and soul. What a joy it is to be so wanted by the Creator of everything.

We are not perfect in ourselves, but in Him we are. In the red circle of this world, there is no hope. However, because you__e living in the purple wedge, there is always His hope, power, and joy.

If [you] are [a Christian] _ you should feel secure and honored that God loves you so much! That knowledge is a joy and a privilege. No one can ever take that from you because no one can ever take you from God!

What a joy it is to look at loved ones, flowers, trees, the sky, bird, mountains, babies, and sunsets, to mention a very few things, and know how special they really are. What a joy it is to see the hand of God around you constantly, even in a troubled world.

The best times we__e had on earth are usually with those we love.

[Salvation] is a life-changing experience when it happens, and if our life isn__ changed by it, then it either didn__ happen at all or we are so caught up in this world, spending so much time, effort, and emotion on the red circle, that we are ignoring the permanent, eternal, gigantic, blue part of the map in which we will forever be.

We are stuck on the obvious of this world, and it so fills our minds and our beings that there is little room for anything else, even if that "obvious" is merely a small part of what is real.

If there is a __his world,_ there must be a __hat world!_ There must be another world!

I__e heard it said many times when talking about going to heaven, __ou can__ take it with you._ It__ true that you cannot take with you your house, car, money, or other things you have valued here on earth, but how about your husband, wife, parents, children, friends, and acquaintances? You personally will never be able to get someone into heaven, but God certainly can use you as a tool to spread the good news as He brings more people to Himself.

Personally, I__ choosing to dwell upon the glory of the kingdom of which I am a part, even though I__ still a witness and sometimes a victim of the junk in __his_ world.

When you became a Christian, you were still susceptible to living the way you learned to live before. Your brain was not wiped clean. That conflicts with this new life to which you gave yourself. Is it easy being a Christian in this world today? No! You are living in two contrary worlds at the same time. The two worlds have collided!

I had treated my temporary earthly problems so emotionally and seriously that they became major energy zappers, brain drains, and heart breakers. I knew I was a Christian living in this world, but things didn__ really sink in until the concept of the purple wedge made me __ee_ it and put things into perspective.

Remember, as a believer, you are already in God__ kingdom, even if you are still standing on this earth.

If you are a Christian, especially if you are unhappy or frustrated, remind yourself frequently of the purple wedge in which you live.

If, in Him all things hold together, why would anyone ever want to be apart from Him?

You have both feet in both worlds at the same time, at least for now. An understanding of this may or may not change what happens to you in this world, but it will definitely change how you see, react to, and handle things, especially if you keep in mind the new knowledge you have of where you are.

As we Christians strive to be more influenced by God__ kingdom than by this world, we__e reminded we will sometimes slip, but __f we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness_ (1 John 1:9).