“His relationship with Christ was such that his happiness was out of the reach of his enemies.”
–eyewitness of Pastor Jonathan Edwards being fired from his church
Jonathan Edwards was a household name in New England in the mid-1700s. He was the leader of a movement history now calls “The First Great Awakening.” It was one of the largest Christian revivals in history.
Yet, Edwards’ church fired him because he wanted to stop his church’s practice of open communion.
Can you imagine the pain this would’ve caused Edwards? For years and years he had worked tirelessly for his church. For years and years God blessed their efforts together. And then his congregation turned on him for upholding what he knew to be God’s truth.
Maybe, in fact, you can imagine something like the pain he felt. When something you’ve worked towards for years falls through, or when relationships you’ve built are shattered, it can seem like your world is crashing in on itself.
Yet, an eyewitness of this whole ordeal reported that Edwards’ happiness remained untouched throughout. Edwards knew that no matter how great the results of his efforts, no matter how many the blessings God had given him, nothing was more important than his relationship with Jesus.
And that relationship could never be fired.
Your relationship is eternally secure too; you are a citizen of heaven. No matter what happens to you on this earth, untouchable happiness can be yours too.
Their mind is set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven.
–Philippians 3:19,20
For meditation:
How does my guaranteed eternal life grant perspective on my schedule today?
For prayer:
Dear Lord, There are all kinds of places that I could focus my attention today that would lead me to be unhappy. Help me to remember that you have won me a life that does not have to be brought low by such things. Give me the wisdom to face challenges today with a heavenly perspective. In your name I pray, amen.
