Happiness in the Christian Life

Some traditions and common sayings in Christian circles may lead people to believe that Christianity is only about self-denial. The Bible mentions this, but the Bible has a specific meanings for it, and when done in the right way (following the true meaning of it and with wisdom), it leads to happiness.

Christianity is about seeking your happiness and the happiness of others in God. The self-denial of Christianity promotes the long-term happiness of ourselves.

Often people focus too much on the denial, of not doing things, like denying themselves pleasure instead of positively doing things for others. When we help and love others we find we are much happier than if we were always alone.

When we talk about the Christian life, it's important to not forget the freeing aspect of Christ's work for us and how God's commands are really good and freeing in a sense. Sin is what tries to convince us that there is a better way than God's commands when truly there's not.

Here are five posts related to this topic:

• Our True Selves: "Often our feeling about Christianity from the outside or inside is that it may destroy our personality. ... The reality is that we find our true selves when we accept God. ..."
  
  
• Suffering as Non-Ideal: "Various Christian groups have promoted suffering as a Christian virtue. While the bible does suggest that suffering produces virtue, the bible does not promote a life of suffering. ..."
  
  
• The Word "Sacrifice" Should Be Used More Carefully
  
  
• Pleasure Is Not the Enemy
  
  
• Reflections on Being "Selfless"

Pleasure Is Not the Enemy

The other day I read a quote that basically said that pleasure must be avoided in order to not sin. Since when is sin and pleasure the same thing? Sin comes in a variety of forms.

The quote might have been trying to say that it's wise to think first about what God wants before making decisions. That is true. We should aim to follow the Bible in what we do. But in no way should we make sweeping statements that make it sound like Christianity is against pleasure.

God wants us to have pleasure. After all he created a world where we find pleasure in looking at the variety of color and beauty in nature and simple things.

Life isn't always pleasurable and surely some wise decisions will be painful in the short term. Following Christ sometimes feels difficult, but it also has its pleasures that include knowing and being loved by him.

The message that we would love to share with non-Christians, and even with each other in forms of encouragement and praise, is the beautiful pleasure of being together in Christ and the knowledge that his commands are good, and there is meaning and purpose in life beyond ourselves.

To be able to show the world the pleasure and freedom we have in Christ, some of us might need to aim to take more pleasure in things.

Going Without or Giving

Recently I listened to a sermon online that indicated that "going without" was a Christian virtue. Jesus often calls us to go without worldly pleasures, but this is simply so that we may have more joy in God. I do not think that "going without" is a Christian virtue unless this "going without" causes us to enjoy God more fully or enables others to not go without.

In contrast to "going without" giving is a Christian virtue. Giving does not necessarily mean denying ourselves of worldly pleasure; although it can. Instead giving is beautiful because it insures that others do not have to go without pleasure, be that material pleasure or pleasure in God.

Focusing Our Eyes on God

Focusing our eyes on God is good:

A) In and of itself.

God is infinite in all perfections and thus infinite and beauty.  Infinite beauty is infinitely satisfying.  Thus focusing on God is perfect in and of its self.

B) For its consequences.

Focusing on God causes us to become more like God.  We become more like God in our beauty and perfection when we focus upon him.  Thus focusing on God is perfect for its consequences.

If focusing on God is perfect in goodness in and of itself and perfect for its consequences that only folly would make us not cast our eyes long and hard upon God.  That folly is sin and it seeks to shortchange us of life's greatest pleasure: namely satisfaction in God.

Refreshing Living Water

If it often seems that I try to convince people of things, you are right.  But, I do it because I actually care.  Consider it like this: a life based around consuming and delighting in worldly things is like a life spent drinking semp pond water.  There is nothing wrong with semp pond water, but the glory in it is to point to the living water that is God.  The glories that many Christians enjoy without basing their main joy on God is drinking a polluted, a murky, bacteria filled, green, and scummy drink.  God is all refreshing, all satisfy, all beautiful, all powerful, all loving, and all glorious drink.  One can easily realize that the 'living water' he offers is far better than semp pond water.  Don't get me wrong I love semp pond water.  It is beautiful to walk around, it is great fun to jump in with friends, and I think it might be a great place to eventually propose to a Girl, but I'm glad that girl isn't drinking so much of it lately...  The living water is so much better for you…  I hope some of you get some sense into your heads and stop drinking so much of it too...

We Will Be Most Satisfied When We See, Savor, and Make Much of God

A bit from Piper:

“If the purpose of God – flowing from the very essence of what it means to be God – is that he be known and enjoyed and praised as infinitely glorious in his free and sovereign grace, then the meaning of our existence is clear. We exist to know and enjoy and praise and display the glory of God’s free and sovereign grace. We exist to see and savor and sing – and spread a passion for – the glory of God’s grace.”

A bit from me:

And I would like to add if we exist for the purpose of seeing and savoring and making much of God then it should well be easily be inferred that we will be most satisfied when we see, savor, and make much of God.  For, God as an infinitely wise creator did not create us in a way so that we would find anything other than our most ultimate joy in him.  In fact it is hard to imagine us finding anything other than our ultimate joy in the infinite beauty and brilliance of God.

Two Commands and Their Implications

Two commands and their implications:

Love the lord your God with all your heart, mind, and soul and love your neighbor as yourself are two central commands in the bible.  Jesus as the one who must fulfill the law perfectly on our behalf fulfilled both of these.  The interesting thing about the first command is that ALL our love is commanded from God and yet more is still required.  This must mean in fact that loving God with all our heart mind and soul is not in contradiction with loving ourselves and our neighbor.  There must be a type of love that not only places love in our neighbor but also is in fullness a love of God.  If this is true one may well expect the enjoyment of a good game of hockey in heaven.  We may take delight in it while at the same time placing our full love on God.  It would seem unreasonable to assume that if we can have compatible love with humans that we cannot have it with other things.  In fact we would be forced to say that Jesus had no love for anything but God and man if we said that.  But clearly God delighted in his creation before man came so clearly we may love anything in creation and still fully love God.  (I am not saying that we can fulfill this now but it would be possible were it not for sin)  The implications of this would be that loving the Lord with all our heart in heaven need not mean that we may love nothing else in heaven.  Heaven, contrary to some views would not be a place of constant worship of God.  It would be in a sense in that all activities would become worship but it implies that there will be worship and climbing mountains and enjoying sunsets that all place our full enjoyment on God.  If this doesn’t sound possible to you, you should consider if our Lord and savior Jesus Christ has not already fulfilled it.  It would seem he must have.  He had a love that was for man and yet gave all his love to God thus fulfilling the whole of the law.  Jesus is one in will with the father so when the father declared his delight over his creation it is Jesus as well who delighted in it. (And God doesn’t change (And unlike the philosophical giants would like us to think that is a VERY good thing))  So Jesus on earth delighted in his fellow humans (he is fully human and fully God) and in creation all the while giving all his love to God.  If these presuppositions and logic have truth to them there will be great Hockey games, epic D&D adventures (well I'm not positive about that one as I don't know how much fun fighting evil in a world where there is no evil is (but at least in that there will be great stories and thus roleplaying systems)), and stunningly deep Go games in heaven all of which are enjoyed while God is given all the love.