Nero And Paul

Friday, August 22, 2014

In the Roman Empire, there were people called the hedonists, those who seek pleasure. They would gorge themselves, vomit, and then eat more. They lived for pleasure. Nero was one of those people. Yet he committed suicide. There is another type of people that were in the Roman Empire called disciples. They were people of discipline, sacrifice, following Messiah. They were putting pleasure on the back seat for righteousness, exemplified by Paul, the person of purpose, and often a person of discipline and self-sacrifice. Paul wound up rejoicing at the end of his life, while Nero ended up killing himself. You see, it's a paradox. You live for pleasure, you end up without it. But if you live your life with purpose seeking God and His kingdom, joy is added. Scientists did studies and found that those who were seeking pleasure resulted in being unhappy. Don't live by seeking pleasure; it's an empty and desolate road. But live rather seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you. Live for Messiah with purpose because in the end, it's not the hedonists who rejoice, but the disciples.

From Message #691 - The Six Happiness Factors