They come together hand in hand. Its so sad. If you dont believe that, or if you go to God for any other reason, you do not please God. One of the things she said was that her fears gave way to joy as she was being pursued by "The Hound of Heaven". (Philippians 1:2021). Listen to Deuteronomy 28:47-48, where God warns Israel that if they do not obey him with joy, they will be cursed: Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of You magnify Christ. Theres just so many people who arent saved who think theyre saved, because they made some choice, which has nothing to do with their gut, heart, and reality. over 40 books,study guides, booklets, and tracts, www.epm.org/about/staff-board/randy-alcorn/. Sometimes sorrow and joy do battle; sometimes they coexist, but when our hearts and minds are on Christ, joy is never far away: You changed my sorrow into dancing. Gods not a trough waiting for the bucket of your service. It has to be this way if he is God. It is shocking. We might want him to love like humans love, by making others central; but he cant do that and still be God. Weve seen our teenage kids through some incredibly difficult teenage years. Jesus said, Freely you have received, freely give (Matt. "God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy." The heroes of this book are Jesus Christ, who "endured the cross for the joy that was set before him"; and St. Paul, who was "sorrowful, yet always rejoicing"; and Jonathan Edwards, who deeply savored the sweet sovereignty of God; and 2. But by Gods grace, Im more supernaturally happy in Christ now than Ive ever been. Its a command. Little by little the objections come. I want Christ to be magnified in my body, even if I die, for to die is gain. If you try to make yourself the center of grace, it ceases to be grace. And what did he tell me to do? God knows you need somewhere to go when you feel unsure. Does the Bible diagnose the world that way, that its problem is not that it wants to be happy, but that it is far too easily pleased and it is not nearly jealous enough, zealous enough, passionate enough for its own joy? And then there are those who have also had the miracle happen of, No matter what, Jesus is everything to me! Those are radically different human beings, which is why the pursuit of that is so serious. You serve God. God finds them guilty of "iniquity" and "treachery," which are symptoms of an . 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Now, this is perhaps the most counterintuitive of all. My problem in life, and your problem in life, is not that you are pursuing your pleasure when you ought to be doing your duty. No difference at all, just like the world, but they signed the card. Jesus says in John 6:35, I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. So what does believe mean in that verse? Listen to this word from Hebrews 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him. Paul followed verse 4 with this encouragement: The Lord is at hand, which itself is a reason to rejoice. Most people in the world have no experience of lasting joy in their lives. My delight is not in God making me the center of the universe. So coming to eat and believing are parallel. Do you understand? I believe in the self-denial that the rich young ruler couldnt understand but that Jesus taught in that moment: Go sell everything youve got young man and come follow me, and youll have treasure in heaven (Mark 10:21). 5 Questions About Heaven: Asked and Answered! You dont have an option. That really piqued my interest. Got some life on life. Jeremy Taylor once said, God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy. I thought it was clever when I first heard it. 1991 - 2023 Eternal Perspective MinistriesAll Rights Reserved. This is a prayer God is always eager to answer. In your presence is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore (Psalm 16:11). Can Heaven Be Heaven If We Are Aware of Events on Earth? This is not icing on the cake. At least two times in [the book] Desiring God the statement is made, "God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy" (pages 9, 289). There is no ultimate self-denial, nor did Jesus ever mean it that way. Or take a text like Mark 10:45: The Son of Man came not to be served but to give his life as a ransom for many. He came not to be served. This is partly due to my personality type and emotional makeup (and perhaps genetics), while some is triggered by my long-term physical illness (insulin-dependent diabetes), and some is the result of adverse circumstances. And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. But Scripture supports it. It cant really be a command. Wrong! "O God from my youth you have taught me, and I still proclaim your wondrous deeds" (verse 17). By friendship you mean the greatest love, the greatest usefulness, the most open communication, the noblest sufferings, the severest truth, the heartiest counsel, and the . God is so very patient and He has forgiven us of all things, yet still, if we will not enter into His joy by keeping His commands, eventually our lives will become quite terrible . You took away my clothes of sadness, and clothed me in happiness (Psalm 30:11, NCV). He is author of. This is a prayer God is always eager to answer. Watch out! It was calling me to a quest to maximize and grow this thing, so that you will not be satisfied with inferior pleasures. In this two-minutevideo, I talk about Deuteronomy 28:47, which says, Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, When someone says, as many have, Happiness isnt in the Bible, its not even slightly true. Paul said, His glorious power will make you patient and strong enough to endure anything, and you will be truly happy (Colossians 1:11, CEV). And when you stare that in the face, the loss of everything youve known and enjoyed here, and all you get is Jesus, and you say, Gain, then who looks good at that moment? Im well aware that some readers of this blog may be experiencing deep suffering and sorrow, whether through the loss of a loved one, a debilitating disease, a difficult season of depression, or other painful life circumstances. God magnifies God. We are just glad to have you here! Its over. For example, Hebrews 11:6: Without faith it is impossible to please God, for he who would draw near to God must believe that he is and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him. If you would please God, you must have faith. Believing this can bring us great happiness even today. Its easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven. Then the disciples were absolutely stunned, and they said, Who then can be saved? And Jesus said, With men it is impossible. Take a child on Christmas morning who gets a present from grandma, and its black socks! Verse Concepts. My mouth will tell of your righteous acts, of your deeds of salvation all the day, for their number is past my knowledge (verse 15). Since God repeatedly commands His people to be happy, our happiness is a measure of our obedience. I was engaged. My dad taught me 1 Corinthians 10:31: Whatever you do, Johnny, in word or deed, or whatever you do, whether you eat or drink, do all to the glory of God. I knew God meant to be glorified, and I felt like I want to be happy, but can they go together? I wasnt married yet. The Bible never pretends that happiness is easy or constant. We are far too easily pleased. They overlap. Save your life! They feel like alternatives, you can either be serious or you can be happy. Randyresides in Gresham, Oregon with his wife, Nanci, and their golden retriever, Maggie. So you dont have to be the happiest person at the party to still enjoy God and find greater happiness in Him than youve ever known. If you try to stop pursuing joy, you cant worship God. Some of you could very well die this year. I believe in denying myself everything that would stand in the way of me being satisfied fully in God, and thats how I understand what the Bible means by self-denial. Thats the way it works, which is why I say Christ is most magnified in me in my dying when in my dying I am more satisfied in Christ than I am with everything on the planet, even what is most dear to me. Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death. I was thinking yesterday that theres an infinite qualitative chasm between those who are glad, happy, and joyful that theyre not going to hell, and those that are glad, happy, and joyful that theyre also going to be with Jesus forever. You talk about pursuing your joy and your pleasure. I didnt think in those categories of being happy and God. Delight yourself in the Lord, rejoice in the Lord, serve the Lord with gladness. We are commanded to feel hope: Hope in God (Psalm 42:5). So no, we wont constantly be bubbling over with gleeful happiness every moment of every day. What is Jesuss logic in those verses? broken cisterns that can hold no water. Paul called himself the servant of the Lord in every letter almost. Consider this statement: God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy. Ill bet that got your attention. (Philippians 4:4, CEB), Delight yourselves in God, yes, find your joy in him at all times. Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord. Ill just treat it very briefly because we could spend the whole half hour on Philippians 1, but I want you to see this because this is really crucial. I think Im reinstating them from where a decisionistic, commitment-laden, willpower American we-can-do-it religion dropped them because theyre out of our control. EPM exists to meet the needs of the unreached, unfed, unborn, uneducated, unreconciled and unsupported people around the world. The problem with the world, the problem with me, is not that I want to be happy, but that I dont want nearly enough to be happy. He threatens terrible things if we will not be happy. What is the good service? Several of you have said to me that you feel like your world is being turned by this conference. In you, O LORD, I take refuge (verse 1). 10:8). The permanence of the Holy Spirits indwelling in our lives allows us to continually access a supernatural happiness even now. Didnt Jesus say in Mark 8:34, Whoever would come after me let him deny himself and take up his cross. The cross is a place where you die, a place of execution. Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice (Philippians 4:4). Now, if your normal temperament lands you on a happiness scale of 2-3 out of 10, maybe the work of Gods Spirit wont take you to a 10 but to a 6-7. www.epm.org/blogwww.facebook.com/randyalcornwww.twitter.com/randyalcornRead more: www.epm.org/about/staff-board/randy-alcorn/, [ivory-search id="86" title="Default Search Form"]. So argument number two: God commands it. It elevates man, the virtuous one who does his duty without any view to God to satisfy his soul. All of our resources exist to guide you toward everlasting joy in Jesus Christ. Lewis is right, that your problem is not that you want to be happy, but that your capacity for happiness has shrunk to the point where you think that your maximum happiness is found elsewhere than in God. Your mind spins with how to make the shrewd investment, how to find the best deal, how to invest where its low so that itll go high, and youre consumed with how to benefit from money, because money is your source. You serve money by posturing your life relentlessly, with all of your energy and time and effort, to benefit from money. You submit to God. One Life: Enjoy It. Or you could say, Joy: The Most Serious Pursuit in the World.. But even at low tide, its still there, poised to move in again. He is not a master who cares only that His servants do what theyre told, but a Father who cares deeply about His childrens love for Him and the heartfelt emotional gladness we find in Him as we obey. Genesis 1:1-31 ESV / 2 helpful votesNot Helpful. In fact, for the follower of Jesus, delight is the duty as Christ is most magnified in His people when they are most satisfied in Him. Youve got to find a way to worship, type papers, listen to lectures, drive a car, change a diaper, preach a sermon in such a way that you are always the receiver. We are commanded to feel zeal: Be aglow [literally boil] in the Spirit, never flag in zeal (Romans 12:11). We have settled for such small, short-lived, inadequate, non-satisfying pleasures that our capacities for joy have so shriveled up to the point that we have made joyless duty the essence of virtue so as to conceal our untransformed hearts that cannot be moved by God. Of course, we have no way to know if hell is real, or if God sends people there, unless God reveals that to us. But if youve found our resources to be helpful, we invite you to consider making a one-time or recurring gift to help fund our eternity-shaping work. So theres a chasm between people who are scared to death of hell and want out and sign on for salvation. There is a self that should be crucified: the self that loves the world. That may sound harsh, but Im convinced its true, and actually hope-giving. This is what Moses said in Deuteronomy 28:47: "Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joy and a glad heart therefore you shall serve your enemies." The point is plain: serving God is a receiving and a blessing and a joy and a . It sounds to me like youre maneuvering and manipulating biblical language just to make yourself central. That would be the most devastating criticism of all, wouldnt it? Ive experienced seasons of depression, both before and since coming to faith in Christ. The good service is 1 Peter 4:11: Let him who serves serve in the strength that God supplies, that in everything God may get the glory. God is not served by human hands as though he needed anything. You are familiar with what Ive written about, You understand the importance of walking in Gods revealed will in Scripture, and not seeking so-called happiness through sin and whatever makes me feel good.. But we must remember that this rejoicing is centered not in a passing circumstance but in a constant realityChrist. (Since Im not naturally chipper or bouncy, but more melancholic, this isnt my personality speaking!) Topics: Happiness: A pure mind in a chaste body is the mother of wisdom and deliberation; sober counsels and ingenuous actions; open deportment and sweet carriage; sincere principles and unprejudiced understanding; love of God and self-denial; peace and confidence; holy prayers and . God says, Be shocked, galaxies. It is shocking. Im not always happy, any more than Im always holy. It just doesnt sound the same as service dutiful, rising to the challenge of performing the will of God when its hard. And so the thought of going along a road toward joy, going along a road toward happiness, just felt like somethings wrong here, even if I couldnt put my finger on it, which meant that all worship and all virtue seemed to be selfless. Great pain certainly dullsand at times even overshadowshappiness, but it cant destroy happiness thats grounded in our ever-faithful God. This passage prompted British clergyman Jeremy Taylor (16131667) to write the striking words I used above: God threatens terrible things if we will not be happy. [1]Read this passage, and youll see that Taylors statement is true. So my call to you now, in the name of God Almighty, is that you might make it your eternal vocation to pursue your pleasure with all the might that God mightily inspires within you. Indeed, God sometimes disciplines His people who fail to find happiness in Him by sending unfavorable circumstances. Christ will be seen to be magnificent in my dying body, if as I die, I count death gain. Second, it does so with threats. Everything changed, and I want to take you with me on a little pilgrimage of change so that if by any chance you are perhaps where I was, I could hasten your biblical discoveries that might change everything in your life as it did for me. We were going to be married December 21, 1968. Because you did not serve the Lord your God with joyfulness and gladness of heart, because of the abundance of all things, therefore you shall serve your enemies whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger and thirst, in nakedness, and . In other words, you had to somehow divest yourself of what felt like an indomitable desire for happiness. . My wife Nanci was diagnosed with colon cancer early last year, and went through several months of treatment and painful side effects. Randy and Nanci are the proud grandparents of five grandsons: Jacob Gary Stump born August 3, 2004, Matthew James Franklin born November 12, 2004, Tyler Daniel Stump born March 10, 2006, and Jack Timothy Franklin born August 23, 2007, and David Aaron Franklin, born February 17, 2012. You just want to be happy all the time. Why wouldnt she say that? Dont you dare make me happy. The nature of faith. He doesnt. Or either youll be devoted to one and despise the other. Christ is most magnified in you when you are most satisfied in him. Therefore, he is to put it bluntly stuck with being magnificent and glorious and all-sufficient and self-sufficient, without any need of you whatsoever. I believe that David Livingstone and Hudson Taylor these great missionaries were absolutely right, having come to the end of their lives and having lost wives and health and everything else except one thing, to say to Cambridge University students and people elsewhere, I never made a sacrifice. Thats right! Its not clever. I cry most easily when I think about my sons and my little girl. We should join David in praying, Restore to me the joy of your salvation (Psalm 51:12). But if I am always grieving and always unhappy, if that is the normal state of my life over the long haul, then something is wrong. Were talking commandments. I want to be like the aging man in Psalm 71. So I wanted to go back to my Bible and find out whether this was true. There is nothing longer than forever; therefore, it cannot be improved. Scripturedoesntcommand us to rejoice in: Were to rejoicein the midst of these things, but of course they wont be thesourceof our gladness. Randy Alcorn is the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries (EPM), a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching biblical truth and drawing attention to the needy and how to help them. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, God finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. And consider that God in His grace would never command us to be happy without providing us the necessary resources to do so, including His indwelling presence. The moment after death, all who know Jesus will experience a flood of happiness greater than weve ever known. In fact, Ive got this whole evening set up. This is the very essence of sin. Ive got ten arguments that C.S. Nothing youd ever do. Devotional excerpted from Weve been through a lot together really hard times and really good times. Five Ways to Rejoice and Be Happy This Christmas! To be happy is not to wear a blinding smile, to be materially gratified, to be assured that everything will turn out well. In fact, why dont you go change clothes, because Ive arranged for a babysitter and well go do something special tonight, because there is nothing I would rather do tonight than spend the evening with you.. He sold everything. Thats what you do. All you ever think about is yourself. Indeed, God sometimes disciplines His people who fail to find happiness in Him by sending unfavorable circumstances. Act 5:42. God is with us, never abandons us, and will deliver us soon, whether by death or by His return. Im going to tell it again for the hundreds who havent, because the testimony I get everywhere I talk about this is that this little story makes lights go on. So if you put the parallels together and say, So what does believe mean in this verse? It means coming to Christ so as to be satisfied with him as your sole bread and your sole drink. If the happiness in our walk with Christ is consistently gone, were wise to ask God and ourselves what needs to change. Dont lose your life. The water doesnt remain in the same place, always lapping over our feet. I had this vague, amorphous sense that if I wanted to be happy, if I did anything in order to be happy, it was defective.
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