September 22, 2015
Unbiblical Statements Christians Believe – God wants me to be happy – Part 2
There are many unbiblical statements Christians believe, God wants me to be happy is one of them. Happiness is a greatly sought after commodity and everybody will tell you they are selling it. Buy my product and be happy, find that girl/boy and live happily ever after, get an education to get that job you want and be happy, make more money and be happy. They tell you sex sells, but I don’t think that is true, happiness sells. Happy stories sell, happy books sell—people looking for happiness sells stuff. (go here to read part 1)
I’m happy because I drink that beer, drive that car, went on that cruise or saw that game. Being cooler than you makes me happy too.
Getting new things makes us happy. I am reminded of a story my son told me in when he was in high school. A girl in his class was complaining about her phone. It was old, out dated and had become yucky to her. She hated to use it, much less even look at it. There was much eye-rolling and mock finger gagging going on behind her back. But she was unhappy with her six month old phone and that made her unhappy in general.
Before you criticize her stop and think. Happiness is an emotional response and can cloud judgement. When your school, job, marriage gets tough you tend to get unhappy. I’m not happy about that, you don’t make me happy any more—I’m bored, where’s the fun? How many times have you reacted that way? All of us have done it at some time or another. We may have quit school or a job or broken off a relationship or gotten a divorce because we weren’t happy.
Many false gospels have been propelled by the dream of being happy. Come to Christ and you will be happy they tell you. All is forgiven! No more worries! No more cares! You are in the kingdom!
They don’t tell you front that if that is not happening in your life you must be doing it wrong and God cannot hear you. They treat God as if He, our Creator, was a wish-granting sky-fairy that comes when we are in trouble or unhappy and makes it all better. They become angry and disillusioned with Him when He says, “No.”
When we reach that point we look inward, because after all, we know that money can’t by happiness so we reason with ourselves.
Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.—Marcus Aurelius
Most folks are as happy as they make up their minds to be. —Abe Lincoln
Happiness is a choice. You can choose to be happy. —Valerie Bertinelli
In his book, Mere Christianity, British philosopher C.S. Lewis observed that it is a futile exercise to seek happiness apart from God. Man has been “designed” to find his purpose, indeed his happiness, only in his Creator. In fact, Lewis insists, “God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing” (54). We were made to glorify God (Isaiah 43:7), and apart from that thrilling enterprise, there is no real contentment in human existence.
How very foolish we are when we allow ourselves to be enticed from godliness by worldly and shallow emotions. They are only passing mirages that will prove to be nothing more than cruel illusions in the eternal order of things. No, the way of Christ is not easy, “take up your cross and follow me” he says. That should warn us all of the cost, but take heart, He has overcome the world and in Him you will be fulfilled.
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To read more,
Unbiblical Statements Christians Believe – God helps those who help themselves – Part 1
Unbiblical Statements Christians Believe – We Are All God’s Children – Part 3
Unbiblical Statements Christians Believe – Cleanliness is Next to Godliness – Part 4
Unbiblical Statements People Believe – God Won’t Give You More Than You Can Handle – Part 5
Unbiblical Statements People Believe – When You Die, God Gains Another Angel – Part 6