Colors

Many people always look for happiness-but if you stay and do nothing, do you have the peace and joy from Jesus in you?

Yes, received it when I was born again. But like gerty points out, it’s a ongoing growing process.

some Christians throw the threat of hell around like it’s entertaining to them that the rest of us are ‘gonna get ours’. Is that a very Christian thing to say/feel?

I have more joy in knowing that there is no god, no devil and no heaven and hell and they are just wasting their lives believing in everything the bible tells them. But if they need invisible sky people to feel loved they must be quite empty inside. I prefer love from REAL people! But hey each to their own!

There are a lot of christians who say you will experience immediate joy after becoming a Christian, however it seems like a lot of hard work and a lot of "rules" you must follow after becoming a Christian. Is it really possible to be happier when I have a lot of things to worry about?

I think you are blurring joy and happiness. Happiness is situation conditional, while joy is not. This is why so many Christians were fed to lions, burned at the stake, hung from the gallows, all the while singing and praising God. Their current situation could not negate the joy they had, knowing that they would be in heaven.

of God’s infinite love ? That’s when all around us we see sickness suffering and death and when we know that many souls are going to be eternally lost how much happiness should we have ? Isn’t it rather selfish to rejoice in our good fortune while we know that other will perish??

God wants us to pray for those who are lost, prayer is the most powerful gift God has given us. Pray that the lost will come to know Jesus, it’d be nice if everyone would come to know Him but many reject Him.

What Joy, What Joy, What joy for those whose hope in in the name of the Lord
What peace, what peace for those whose confidence is Him alone

Those are the lyrics and I would love to find the song. Its also a Bible verse I think.

Google search for "What joy for those whose hope in in the name of the Lord" (with the quotes) turned up 9 references. Good luck.

Jehovah is “the happy God,” and he wants his servants to be happy. (1 Timothy 1:11) This fact is reflected in the following scriptures:
“The one that is good at heart has a feast constantly.”—Proverbs 15:15.

“I have come to know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good during one’s life; and also that every man should eat and indeed drink and see good for all his hard work. It is the gift of God.”—Ecclesiastes 3:12, 13.

“As regards the generous one, it is for generous things that he has given counsel; and in favor of generous things he himself will rise up.”—Isaiah 32:8.

“Come to me, all you who are toiling and loaded down, and I [Jesus] will refresh you. . . . For my yoke is kindly and my load is light.”—Matthew 11:28, 30.

“You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”—John 8:32.

“Let each one [give] just as he has resolved in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”—2 Corinthians 9:7.

“The fruitage of the spirit is love, joy, peace, . . . kindness, goodness.”—Galatians 5:22.

“The fruitage of the light consists of every sort of goodness and righteousness and truth.”—Ephesians 5:9.

You’re quite the bookworm.

Couldn’t it do that without our devotion and worship? If this god did create us, why must we go through the rigmarole that we do when it is said that this god supposedly loves so dearly?
Rev John: are we all not this god’s creation? Or just everyone except us atheists?

Because God gave us free will. He craves our love and devotion, but it must be freely given. To quote McGee, "The Word of God also tells us that God created man in this universe for fellowship. He wanted to have fellowship with mankind, and so He created him a free moral agent. God could have made a bunch of robots. God could have made mechanical men and pushed a button to make them bow down to Him. But God didn’t want that kind of a man. God wanted a man to be free to choose Him and to love Him and to serve Him. "
—J. Vernon McGee’s Thru The Bible

maybe concern for the unsaved, but why resent anyone? Yet I read so much resentment and mockery and prejudice from people claiming to be Christian on this site. Why? My poor little heart is breaking….

well sure they’re saved, but just think of the eternity they’ve locked themselves into and what they have **saved** themselves from - most can’t drink, there is no masturbation, no sex before marriage (no anal either even when you get married) and WORST of all - no three way lesbian sex.

i’d resent us too, quite honestly.

How does a christian turn sorrow into joy?
How does a atheist turn sorrow into joy?
WillRoge…If one finds God, is that not wisdom.

If one has not the understanding to turn ignorance into wisdom, how then can one turn sorrow into joy?

Christian or Atheist, does it truly matter?

There is ignorance within both.
There is understanding within both.
Both must seek, "Wisdom".
That would be a good thing!
That would be a joy, unto the Creator!
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*footnote - Without Wisdom, one will not find God!
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Peace be always with you,

My magazine is called JOY. Jesus first, Other second and Yourself last!

What are your advertising rates? I am a distributor for Mia Bella Soy Candles and would be interested in advertising in a Christian magazine.
Thanks
Lisa