Happiness - Pt. 5

 

Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13 ESV).

 

The Apostle Paul writes our reading today from a Roman prison. A prison would surely seem more like a cage than a classroom. But some of God’s faithful servants landed in prison, and they learned precious lessons from their time in captivity. The apostle Paul, for example, waited in a Roman prison for two years to appeal his case to Caesar. And during that time he was able to share the good news of Jesus with many people who visited him (cf. Acts 28:16-31). Paul had been through many trials and hardships—all related to sharing the gospel of Christ. And he gave thanks that even “the whole palace guard” had learned why he was in chains (Philippians 1:13). Instead of allowing bitterness to fill his heart, Paul wrote, “I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.”

 

Happiness is not a reality that is outside of us; it is an attitude that flows from within us. There are people who seem to have everything—and yet they have nothing. There are rich poor and poor rich. Though a person may be in chains, their heart can live in paradise. Others may tread on velvet carpets, but their soul can be in the torment of hell. Happiness is not automatic; it involves a learning process. We are happy when our source of pleasure is in our relationship with God and others.  If it is in material things, it will never produce happiness. It is only when our soul delights in the provider and not in the provisions. God is the source of our happiness, not things!

 

What a great time of the year to reflect on the real things to give thanks for. Use the time this year to focus on the blessings of God. After all, it cost Him everything to give us such a great gift… eternal life and a relationship that can never be taken away!

 

Happiness - Pt. 4

 

Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. (Psalm 119:89-93 ESV).

 

When I was in the Corps at Texas A&M we would often practice in formation. It was not long until we all learned how to march in columns and lines without any deviation. The picture I’ve attached with today’s devotional pictures the precision of the Cadet Corps and the Aggie Band at halftime of the game last Saturday. That Block T required over 2,500 men and women precisely lined up in their positions. Reliance on your fellow cadets is essential. This principle is at the heart of finding happiness in our lives. Happiness is not just about avoiding the way of wickedness and folly. And it’s not about staying away from people. The life of the monk or the hermit is not the ideal of the Christian faith, as some early Christians believed. Christianity is distinguished by a lifestyle in tune with the will of God. He is the One we can get our “columns and lines” straight. And, that produces happiness.

 

Psalm 1:1-2 answers, “Blessed is the one . . . whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night.” The Word of God is our source of joy and happiness. We are encouraged to meditate on it daily. We must fill our minds with God's truth. We must feed our hearts with the promises that come from the Word of God. His Word is better than refined gold and sweeter than honey. God’s Word restores the soul and gives wisdom to the simple. This is what walking in His steps looks like.

 

In this time when so much misinformation circulates on the internet and other media, the Word is bread that nourishes and water that purifies. Through it we keep our hearts pure, and we triumph over the enemy. Today and every day, remember to feed on God’s Word and to enjoy the nourishment that sustains us, heart and soul, on the way to full life.

 

Happiness - Pt. 3

 

I waited patiently for the Lord; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man who makes the Lord his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who do astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O Lord my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. (Psalm 40:1-5 ESV).

 

If you read yesterday’s devotional you may have come away with the impression that being happy is a matter of doing good things. Nothing could be further from the truth. While doing good things is a privilege we have been given because of our gift of eternal life in Christ, one of the most comforting truths for our lives is the providence of God. The Lord Almighty takes care of us. The same God who created us also sustains us. In this comfort we live and move and have our being.

 

God is the one who gives us breath and everything we need. God gives life to the seeds and plants we need for food. God gives us our daily bread and good health to enjoy. He even gives flavor to our food so that we can savor it. God is the one who preserves our life and delivers us from evil. The Lord God is our creator, provider, protector, redeemer, and comforter.

 

The apostle Paul asks, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (Romans 8:32). Our life does not drift at random, at the mercy of mere circumstances. We are in the hands of the one who controls the universe.

 

How comforting it is to know that the God who rules the world is in control of our lives! It is a great assurance to troubled souls and burdened hearts to know that God cares for them. He is thinking about you right now and has not forgotten your pain and need. Knowing this, everyone who seeks the Lord can be filled with joy.

 

Happiness - Pt. 2

 

But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:5-10 ESV).

 

The first step in learning to be happy is to understand who we are and why we are here. Maybe you have asked or heard these questions before. These are philosophical questions that have kept some of the brightest people busy. The Bible teaches that we are created by God and made in his image. “We are God’s handiwork,” and he sent Jesus to redeem and renew us so that we can have eternal life with him. God renews us so that we can do good, and this is our purpose in life. With the new life that God makes possible for us in Christ, we seek to live God’s way and to do good so that we can show others the way to know God.

 

We find true happiness in being created by God for an extraordinary purpose. We are not a adrift in the sea of life, floating aimlessly through the ocean. We are not like a loose leaf carried by the wind. Life has a truly meaningful purpose. We are created by God to have full life with God and to shine the light of his love to others. God is the source and the destiny of our life.

 

The very meaning of eternal life is to know God and his Son, Jesus Christ, through the life-giving work of his Holy Spirit. This creates value in who we are and why we are here. Through God’s grace we are chosen for this wonderful purpose of helping others to recognize their calling into eternal life. That’s the beginning of our greatest and most complete happiness.

 

Happiness - Pt. 1

 

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel; in the night also my heart instructs me. I have set the Lord always before me; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption. You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:7-11 ESV).

 

I am often surprised by the number of people who believe that God desires us to experience pain over pleasure, or grief over happiness. God created us to enjoy the greatest of happiness: communion with him. We experience true happiness by loving God and enjoying intimacy with him. In the presence of God there is fullness of joy. Today we are beginning a series in the discovery of happiness in our lives. My prayer is that you will see the purpose of God to bring joy into your experience.

 

The best gifts in life come from God. It is tragic that so many people prefer to look elsewhere. Many seek happiness in possessions, power, or fame. People also seek happiness in pleasures, or they follow their dreams of success, hoping to find fulfillment in their lives. But in the end, they discover that those things offer only a mirage and not true happiness.

 

Happiness is a legitimate desire. Many people look for it eagerly every day of their lives, but they end up empty-handed. The source of happiness is not in things or in our own selfish pursuits, but in God. The best things of this world cannot make us happy, but God can, because he created us, calls us by name, and makes us his own. We become truly happy only when we know God and love him with all our heart and soul.

 

In the coming days we will see some of the genuine paths that lead to happiness. Know where you’re going and choose the route carefully. Genuine happiness is only found in Jesus.

 

Responding with Gratitude - Pt. 12

 

And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:30-32 ESV).

 

I have found that retribution never ends well. The Scripture teaches this truth clearly, though often we tend to ignore it in favor of “getting even.” We have even developed a few common proverbs to describe this principle: “I don’t get even; I get ahead”; or “to the victor belongs the spoils.” There are many others, however, the teaching of the bible is clear. “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God forgave you” (v. 32).

 

The life of Nelson Mandela provides a great illustration. He courageously fought against apartheid in South Africa. His actions led to wrongful convictions and time in prison because of political enemies. As he was leaving prison, he was quoted as saying, “As I stand at the door of my freedom, I realize that if I don't leave my pain, anger, and bitterness behind, I will always be in prison.”

 

Self-imprisonment is worse than the imprisonment that is imposed on us. Many people suffer from self-imposed prisons by refusing to forgive. But the inner walls of anger and resentment do not make us strong; instead, they make us bitter and miserable. When Nelson Mandela later came to power as the president of his country, he did not establish the law of the victor. Rather than seeking revenge against his political enemies, he showed forgiveness to all.

 

Jesus teaches us to love our enemies, and he even died for his enemies—that is, all of us. Christ's compassion for us is incomprehensible; he showed it by forgiving us all and dying for us. This love also moves us to forgive others for their faults against us. The Lord can help us to forgive everything.

 

Perhaps you have fallen into the temptation that it is acceptable to hate others for their differences. We are closing in on the season of Thanksgiving. Use this time to reevaluate your attitude toward others. Get rid of all bitterness and practice forgiveness.

 

Responding with Gratitude - Pt. 11

 

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. (1 John 4:7-12 ESV).

 

John teaches that “God is love.” One of the clearest ways God has shown his love to us has been through sending Jesus to us. And it’s important to note when God did this: “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

 

God wants us to reflect the love he has shown to us as we interact with the people around us. As John puts it, “Since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Likewise, Paul calls us to “follow God’s example” by showing love to all people. This is the response we should have in gratitude for His grace and mercy.

 

In some ways, love is what makes Christianity special. Other religions seem to focus more on obedience or a system of rewards for certain actions. And human reason cannot make sense of the focus on love. Loving actions that reflect the love of God can be so contrary to corrupt human reason. Our hearts are used to a quid pro quo—I’ll do this because you did that. Following that system, love is merely earned and not a gift.

 

But if God's love had to be earned, none of us could ever be loved. Christian love is free; it is expensive for the one who offers it, but not for the one who receives it. Take care to cover all your actions in the same kind of love God has shown to us.