NOWHERE in scripture can it be found that God wants us to be “happy”!
He does want us to find all our joy and satisfaction in Him, in knowing Him, having a relationship with him.
That may end in my death - not my happiness! John the Baptist nailed it when he said, “May He increase and may I decrease...” - not knowing that his decrease would be the ultimate decrease - death.
To see a proper perspective on the joy of knowing Christ I think of two great books: John Piper’s “Desiring God” and Chuck Colson’s “Loving God”. Both solid, scripture-based perspectives of what God is after including what was done on the cross in our the death, burial and resurrection of our Lord Jesus.
The Olsteen gospel is truly a false gospel........with bits of truth mixed in........
Joy Robbers... I like that term
That.
Very well said.
The word “blessed” contains the meaning of “happy.” Scripture talks much about being “happy” (Acts 26:2; Rom 14:22; James 5:11; 1 Peter 4:14). If you really study God’s will for his people, you’ll see that man’s happiness is very important to Him.
It is astonishing that you think so little of God that you think he is not interested in your happiness. Yet He sent his Son to give you ALL that He has. We were made in His image - hello? We have feelings of happiness because God made us that way - in His image (1 John 4:17).
“NOWHERE in scripture can it be found that God wants us to be “happy”!”
Proverbs 16:20 -
“He that handleth a matter wisely shall find good: and whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he.”
But that's from Benjamin Franklin, not from the Bible.
I read the news about the decapitation and crucifixion of Christians in the middle east. I meditate on how I would meet that sort of end. My prayer is that because I’m a Christian I would meet it with joy. So it’s not the new car or the parking spot although I like that too, it’s seeing the face of Jesus. So I pray for the young men who do the decapitation and rape because they need prayer a lot. I believe that each of us has a guardian angel. I look for the guardian and ask whether more could not be done.