The King Of Cool And The King Of Kings First Church Charlotte

September 13, 2020 | Pastor Nathan Elms
We live our lives with an incomplete understanding of the world... of ourselves... but we have a sense of God... of eternity... of the transcendent power of love...

I believe that God is threaded through our lives... we are marked by his presence... and his absence...

There is no escape from the nature of our creation... we are the canvas upon which God paints...

I believe that this is true whether or not we admit it. In fact, I believe that you could deny this, reject this, turn away and return to your life ... and the life you then lived would speak this truth back to you.

Here is a true thing: We almost never know what would make us happy. I’m going to list 5 things that motivate… Fame, wealth, beauty, genius, and power...

1. Fame
2. Wealth
3. Beauty
4. Genius
5. Power

So What's the Problem?

You find it everywhere, from the petty supervisor to the bitter gym coach. Small people driven to mindless, unethical behavior, drunk on just a few drops of power. They often can't make friends, their marriages end badly, they self-destruct. The world is full of these miniature, sad dictators destined for a proverbial downfall.
Wait, it gets worse...
The thing is, it's the lust for power itself that's poisonous. You find that need for power most in the type of person who hates having to obey all of society's social contracts, particularly the ones that require them to not act like jerks all day. These are the people who are only nice guys because of fear of retribution if they do otherwise, so their main goal is to become strong enough that no retribution is possible (this is why sociopaths tend to seek positions of power, by the way).
Experts have figured out that the brain has no ability to actually predict your emotional reaction to life changes that haven't happened yet. In other words, you physically do not know what you want.
What we need is transformation, not possessions...
But are you ready for a surprise? Here are three things that research shows makes people happy:
Studies show that friendships, altruism and religious practices bring happiness.
It is almost like God knows you better than you do......
Research credits: Greg Laurie, David Wong, W.S.Merwin