A Departure from Real Life – The Way of Joy in Sorrow – Purity 1799
Purity 1799 10/28/2025 Purity 1799 Audio Podcast
Purity 1799 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of the silhouettes of trees and a pair of houses set against the backdrop of a spectacular multicolored twilight sunset sky comes to us from an unknown FB friend who shared this dazzling sight on social media back on November 13, 2020. If this magical memory is yours let me know and I will photo-credit you on the blog after the fact.
Well, it’s Tuesday and I am rejoicing this morning because I am riding the high of a single day of repentance victory and am looking forward to a day that I intend to be dedicated to seeking and serving the Lord. After overeating for the past several days, I fasted breakfast and dinner yesterday, kept the door shut on eating after 6:00 pm, and stayed “on plan” for the first day in about a week. My Fitness Pal app revealed to me that I didn’t fully document my food intake since last Monday, and I am happy to come back to the realm of self-control and higher awareness. It doesn’t take long to go astray but it’s always good to find your way back home and I am looking forward to another day of victory over my flesh.
Yesterday I had meetings with clients where I was reminded of the fact that even when we are encouraging and ministering to others, we are still vulnerable to the natural slippage towards negativity and fleshly living. I got the bad news that I have some home improvements to make, and I wasn’t happy about it. Not only did the prospect of spending thousands of dollars leave me feeling overwhelmed, but it also momentarily stole my peace with the Lord and caused me to abandon my efforts at healthy living and of course that decision resulted in negative physical and emotional consequences. But the gracious to me in my “pity party” and pulled me out of it by remembering His faithfulness in the past and motivating me to make arrangements to solve the problems before me. Now that I have a vague sense of direction and solutions figured out, I can rest and wait on the Lord to direct time and space to lead me to the other side.
One of my clients, in the midst of his own difficult season, shared his insights about the difficulty of walking in the Spirit. He said that the teachings and example of Jesus, along with the truth about our lives and identity in Christ, are a “departure from real life” – meaning that the truth of our faith is difficult to grasp and even harder to walk in when we are faced with life’s problems. I agreed of course, walking in the Spirit is a complete departure from “real life” but that’s the whole point.
“Secular real life” where there is essentially no God, no place for prayer and no considerations of the spiritual aspects of our lives – where man is virtually alone and has to figure out all of life’s problems on our own – can’t really make sense of Jesus and His way of living. That’s why we have to abandoned the world and its ways – because they are completely hopeless – and we have to intentionally choose to be disciples of Jesus Christ with the way we live. We are to draw into the truth and the hope of our salvation every day by connecting to God’s word and by speaking to God in prayer. We practice gratitude, remind ourselves of our identity in Christ, and seek to live in God’s presence as a response to “real life’s” natural tendency to lead us into sin and despair. Christianity when properly practiced is just what my client said, “a departure from real life” and an entrance into the unseen realm of the kingdom of God where God is with us and helping us to overcome the problems of life and death itself. Disciples depart a life of confusion and hopelessness and enter into the abundant life that God wants us to know, where we recognize the sorrows of life but still experience the joy of a life that has been quickened by the Holy Spirit.
Speaking of the big questions of life and death, joy and sorrow, the Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah devotion for today speaks on these things and I am sharing it on the blog today to encourage us all to find the joy in the sorrow of “real life”. David Jeremiah writes:
“JOY IN SORROW
But now he is dead; why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to me – 2 Samuel 12:23
When Jesus wept by the tomb of Lazarus, He signaled to all of us that it’s appropriate to grieve when a loved one dies (John 11:35). But Paul advises us not to “sorrow as others who have no hope” (1 Thessalonians 4:13). Our loved one has made it to heaven before us, but we’re still on earth for a little while to continue serving the Lord.
When David’s child died, he got up and ate and worshiped God because he knew he would be reunited with his child in heaven. God gives us these biblical stories so we can know of His compassion and goodness. By studying the subject of heaven in the Bible, we’re filling our hearts with the land of the living, with the home of our dear ones in Christ who have gone before.
Take time each day to spend in the Word so you might find comfort in sorrow and perseverance in your current labors.” – David Jeremiah
When a Christian, or a young child, dies, those who are left behind have to say goodbye. But the one who died is able to say hello to the Lord.
H. Norman Wright
Amen. In the midst of every life there is pain and suffering. In our busy lives there are enough problems and concerns that can seem like all we do is go from one trial to the next. The concerns and pain of living can be enough to overwhelm us. But then, if we ever think that we have more than enough on our plates from day to day, death comes in to remind us that there is a bigger story happening around us that is more than our daily grind. The people we know, and love have an expiration date. We have an expiration date…. Or so it would seem. The world tells us “Everyone dies after all…”.
But Jesus came to wake us up and to tell us something different. His teachings clarify what is good and evil and show us a higher truth than the “facts of life” taught to us by the world.
Jesus died for us on the cross but more than being a good example of someone who lived a sinless life and was wrongly killed way too soon, Jesus’ story tells us of life beyond the grave and of a kingdom that remains unseen.
Jesus’ resurrection confirmed what the Old Testament said about life, death, and God’s judgement. Those who sin and don’t repent are punished and perish. But those who put their faith in the Lord are forgiven and are welcomed into an eternal realm of peace and joy where the Lord lives.
For the believer, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord. Jesus’ resurrection confirms that there is life everlasting for those who believe.
The world’s hard truth about everybody dying isn’t the whole story. Everybody dies but those who put their faith in Jesus will never die.
While we mourn those who pass into death, we are comforted by the fact that those who believe are safe from suffering and live in peace with God. If we believe in Jesus, we will one day see other believers in eternity again.
This revelation helps us to mourn the loss of loved ones in Christ. It also gives us the courage to face all the challenges of life, including our own mortality.
So, reaffirm your faith and identity in Christ every day, because you are a citizen of heaven and knowing that God has made a way beyond death takes away our fears and gives us a hope that never dies.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling By John G. Kruis on Amazon )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Persecution.
Genesis 4:2-7 (ESV) 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”
Today’s verses are the first of two passages of scripture that falls under the second point of our counseling reference guide resource section on Persecution.
2. Cain persecuted his brother Abel because his own works were evil, while Abel’s were righteous.
Today’s Bible verses set up the story of the first person martyred for their faith: Abel. This passage of scripture tells us that Abel worshipped the Lord in the proper manner. Abel gave the Lord a sacrifice, an offering that cost him something – the lives of the firstborn of his flock – that mirrored the sacrifice the Lord made for Adam and Eve. Blood was spilled for Adam and Ever to be covered with animal skins, and Abel informed in his spirit did likewise in his attempt to worship the Lord.
Abel did well. Cain did not. And instead of taking the Lord’s lesson to heart, Cain’s heart was filled with bitterness and hatred for his brother and killed him. Cain’s story tells us of the danger of jealousy and sin, but it also shows us the hard truth that people separated from God are more likely to persecute those who do believe than to come under God’s lordship.
So, give an offering of honor, praise, and worship to the Lord but remember that those who don’t believe are just as likely to persecute you for your faith than they are to learn from your example.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 298
You have no part or share in the proclamation of this message … – Acts 8:21
How come? Because, as Peter said, “Your heart isn’t right before God.” What was wrong with Simon’s heart? He wanted to buy the power to lay hands on people in order to “give” them the Holy Spirit! He wanted this once he discovered that the apostles’ power was greater than his magic. It was all about power. Whether Simon’s request for prayer after the stinging rebuke by Peter was answered affirmatively, we don’t know. Church history claims not; he is said to have caused much trouble in the church in the days that followed. Peter told him to repent and pray. It appears that he didn’t, but asked Peter to pray for him. Did he still view the power of the apostles mechanically? Once thing is certain; the power of God cannot be bought. Not even by money spent on elaborate churches and grandiose programs. The Spirit is a Person, not a product, and must be dealt with as such.[1]
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[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 306.
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