Me ~ So many people today are confused. They think that God's Promise for eternal life means the pursuit of and guarantee of happiness in this life. The question I hear..."God wants us to be happy, right?"
John ~ Nowhere in scripture does God promise happiness in our life. Yes, some people like to point Ecclesiastes 3:12 where Solomon pretty much states that men in this life should pursue happiness. However, Solomon lived in the Old Testament times without the Holy Spirit to guide him. Yes, he believed in the God of Abraham and God in fact gave wisdom to Solomon but that soon was corrupted by the numerous wives of Solomon who worshiped pagan deities. God warned Solomon, but Solomon left his wisdom behind.
Me ~ Ok, what about being happy? Aren't people supposed to be happy, maybe that is what Solomon wanted... to be happy?
John ~ We all want to be happy because it makes us feel good. But happiness is based on fickle conditions, like how our body feels, how people treat us today and yesterday and how we think they will tomorrow, the weather, etc. Living in a fallen world, we can never achieve perfect happiness because it is not possible. To pursue it, is foolishness and leads to depravity and a reprobate mind. Jesus came to give us joy and peace. His Joy, His Peace... which are spiritual not based on the flesh.
Me ~ Why is perfect happiness not possible?
John ~ We live in a fallen world!
Me ~ Well, what can people expect?
John ~ We can expect to have good days and bad days, to be happy and sad depending on our circumstances. God never promised us 'happiness' in this life in this world because it is impossible. However, with the peace and joy of God in our lives, we no longer experience what we think of as the loss of happiness brought about by anxiety and fear. By having God in our lives, we do not seek after depraved and dangerous activities; like: the use of recreational drugs or engaging in sexual promiscuity or even the drive to acquire wealth, prestige and property for example, to recover feelings of lost happiness. Having His Holy Spirit within us helps us; and, guides our life in this world with its ups and downs which without His Holy Spirit would cause us to lose all happiness and any peace and joy. Because we know that God is always with us and loves us, our peace and joy will never be lost ~ that's His happiness for us and that's forever!
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