A Truly Blessed Life

Jay Adams — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 06:00:16 +0000

There are fascinating developments in store for every true believer. Some of them occur in this life; they will occur to all Christians in the life to come. Ours is not a “dull, somber, uneventful, faith.” It is an exciting one—even now—if and when you enter into it with fullness and determination.

“What does that mean?”

It means that you don’t play Christian; you live your faith. It means that you get excited whenever you discover some new truth in the Scriptures. But, of course, that doesn’t happen if you aren’t studying them. It means that you are thrilled when a relative or a neighbor to whom you have witnessed professes faith in Christ. But, of course, that doesn’t happen unless you witness. It means that your heart is warmed to see that couple who were at each other’s throats come back together in loving care and concern because you counseled them. But, of course, that doesn’t happen unless you counsel people.

“In other words, unless we understand, believe, and do what Christians ought to know, trust Him to bless our lives, and do what He commands, there will be no joy to our faith?”

You’ve got it. If your Christian experience isn’t challenging, exciting, interesting—something’s seriously missing. So, get with it, Christian. As James says, we are “blessed in the doing”(James 1:25c).

Check out our online courses, including, Introduction to Nouthetic Counseling and The Use of Scripture in Counseling, taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to counseling others:

Competent to Counsel by Jay Adams
The Christian Counselor’s Manual by Jay Adams
How to Help People Change by Jay Adams
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The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

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Happy New Year!

Jay Adams — Wed, 27 Dec 2023 06:00:59 +0000

There are political predictions which are both positive and negative, affecting your finances and freedom. Suppose these go well during the coming year. Should that lead to a happy New Year?

On the other hand, suppose all goes sour—far more so than at the present—should that lead to an unhappy New Year for you?

If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has given you (in the long run) only heavenly perfection and eternal bliss to look forward to, should this—despite political and financial circumstances, averse medical and work conditions, and whatever else the coming your way this year—lead to anything other than a happy New Year for as many years as you have left on earth in its present conditions?

Certainly not! Despite conditions—whatever they may be—the eternal weight of glory of which Paul speaks, outweighs everything else—good or bad, pleasant or unpleasant. If you keep your eyes fixed upon that glorious future, rather than the coming year, you can only look forward to a happy new year. You will be able to look through tears to the joys of the treasures laid up in haven for you; to the time when heavenly “politics” go entirely as they should, and all pain and sorrow will have disappeared. Looking at the year this way makes every year a happy New Year, doesn’t it? Otherwise, could you ever rightly say that it could be an unhappy New Year if it is God’s kind of year for you when He has promised that all will work together for good (Romans 8:28)?

So, Christian, I want to be one of the first to wish you God’s kind of happiness during this coming year. HAPPY NEW YEAR!