Joy as the Foundation of the Christian Life

The 5 Pillars of Optimal Health

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In his book, “The Weight of Glory,” CS Lewis says something very profound:

“If we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

Many people today think that following Jesus is a matter of strict self-denial. In some sense this is true, because the bible tells us we cannot worship both God and money (Matthew 6:24), that friendship with the world is enmity with God (James 4:4) and that we are to take up our cross and deny ourselves if we choose to follow Christ (Matthew 16:24).