A Different Perspective Official Podcast - Time Alone with Jesus // It's Time to Start Enjoying My Life, Part 10

If you want to enjoy someone, you have to spend time with them. It’s not rocket science, is it? So why is it that so many people believe in Jesus, want to follow Him, but they just never – well, enjoy Him?

This morning I was up a bit early, a bit tired I'd have to confess but I made myself a cup of tea and I went and sat in my favourite arm chair in my study and just spent some time with God. It's my habit to do this and what I've discovered, day after day after day is that God shows up in that place when I do that. Now I know I shouldn't be surprised but here's little old me with a cup of tea and a Bible in my study and the creator of the universe is in that place with me.

And He hears every word, He knows what I'm going to say before I say it and you know, He fills me with a joy, a joy and a peace that, well look I'm good with words but there aren't words to describe how it feels when I spend that time with Jesus in that chair in my study and it's something that, that I'm addicted to. It's not a chore, it's a wondrous thing to do and spend that time with Him each day.

Over these last couple of weeks we've been talking about the joy of the Lord. Let me ask you a question; do you want to enjoy your life, I mean really, really enjoy your life? I don't think there's a single person on planet earth that would answer, "well no, not really." Of course we want to enjoy our lives, it's a no brainer isn't it? Now I'm a pretty up beat sort of a person, people who know me would say I'm positive, I'm optimistic, I tend to see that the glass is half full not half empty, I'm adventurous, I'm just that sort of a person.

I'm not someone who feels down very often, well sometimes, maybe when I'm tired but 99 days out of 100 I'm out there to go and get it, does that make sense? And yet even though I've been blessed with that sort of a personality, let me tell you, it also has some down sides you know, no-ones perfect but even though I've got that sort of personality I spent the first three and a half decades of my life looking for joy and never finding it.

You see there's this big difference between optimism and a positive outlook on the one hand and deep joy on the other, the two are entirely different things. Optimism and a positive outlook, well sure they're great and what they do is they get you out there chasing things down and innovating and all that great stuff but joy, oh how do I put this into words, it's not easy? Joy is like a sense of peace and contentment and rest and a sweet calm delight. When I experience the joy of the Lord it's a firm and wondrous assurance that I have a relationship with God himself.

See, so often people think that Christianity is a crutch for losers, you're all washed up, life’s fallen apart, go on go get yourself a crutch called religion, head off into some spiritual fantasy land. You've got to understand something; Berni was not or is not a loser, I was successful at just about ever