The Thrill is Gone
This life is definitely filled with ups and downs, highs and lows, as the famous Blues guitarist B. B. King sings about in his hit “The Thrill Is Gone.” Sadly, many people today, including Christians, base their happiness and contentment on the various circumstances they find themselves in physically. We place so much emphasis on material things, physical things, and emotional things that we exacerbate the highs and lows.
Is the Thrill gone?
Here is what we need to understand as Christians. We often live our lives as if joy and happiness are wrapped up in material things or people. But when the brother came to Jesus wanting Him to settle an inheritance dispute Jesus responded to the people, “Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses” (Luke 12:15). Now we know this cognitively, but it is not how we live emotionally!
The Lord does not want us to ever be without joy in our lives. In fact He said that we might have an abundant life (John 10:10). Are things going to be difficult at times? Will times get tough? Certainly, we live in a world that is sin cursed and temporal. Yet in Luke 6:22–23 Jesus said that when we are hated, excluded, and reviled, because of Him we are to rejoice and “leap for joy!” Why? Because your “reward is great in heaven.”
When we are in Christ nothing should move us! God fills us with “joy and peace in believing” (Romans 15:13). In fact one of the fruits of the Spirit produced by Christians is “joy” (Galatians 5:22). Notice the inspired words of Peter concerning living a joyful, happy life in 1 Peter 3:8–12:
Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and do good; let him seek peace and pursue it. For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.”
For the obedient, faithful Christian the thrill never goes away! But for those outside of Christ and those who are not faithful there is no hope (Ephesians 2:12). To ensure that the joy and peace that never fades away and which allows us to live a full and happy life abides within us be must hear the message that brings the Good News into our hearts (Romans 10:17), we must repent of our worldly, sinful ways (Acts 17:30), we must confess the name of Jesus (Romans 10:10), and we must be baptized into Christ (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:39). Then we must be faithful (1 Peter 3:8–12).
Is your thrill gone? Be faithful