Do right decisions create joy?
Published by Jake Allen July 15th, 2005 in Uncategorized’cause moderation in wrong decisions seems to be achieve similar results.
Is moderation the new righteousness?
Do Christians really have to be supermen? Where’s the gray area of Grace?
Socially Bookmark Do right decisions create joy? 
Yes, they do create joy, but not necessarily happiness. Sometimes being honest hurts, but at least our souls are at peace.
So . . . guilt relief then?
Let me rework the question . . . do puritans have better lives than more tolerant Christians?
Does anyone else watch their freinds live less decently and wonder why I should continue restraint?
Calling all cars . . .
I used to feel jealous “watching freinds live less decently,” but recently I have been contemplating the notion of Freedom. I have found it to be much more freeing to live such a life where I don’t have things to hide or be ashamed of as when I did. Those things I am ashamed of I have confessed. I am certain there are more things, but God will quicken my mind to them.
As Erik and my relationship has progressed we have become MORE chaste rather than less. Things are a million-bazillion times better than they were before. Our communication and respect for one another has improved a hundred-fold. Were some of those things we permitted fun? In some more liberal minds we were behaving chastely, I mean we weren’t sleeping together or even spending the night over at one another’s houses. Yeah, sure, but we decided that “not even a hint” meant business.
My point: yeah life is better, but not because of the “rules” we enacted. It is better because God’s grace sustains us rather than our own strong wills to stop at a certain point. We just don’t even start now.
Ahhh, Freedom :O)
PS
If you mean by “Puritan” legalistic Pharasese, then NO they are in bondage.
If you mean by “tolerant” as liberal lets-just-love-one-another, then NO they are blind.
If you mean Christians who live lives not as slaves to the flesh and not under the law, then YES they live better lives!
Sexuality is one area where the New Testament gives a lot of guidance. It therefore makes sense that chastity begets freedom begets joy et al.
What about something less clear . . . say, serving the poor or socially distressed. Is visiting a widow once a week more joyful than visiting her once a month? If I pursue fun (even just TV watching) those other three afternoons a month, is my joy decreased?
Calling all cars . . .
. . . also, the word of the day is: million-bazillion.