Tuesday, February 8, 2011

The Happiness Equation (aka “The Joy Formula”)

A few years ago, actor Will Smith played the lead in a movie called “The Pursuit of Happiness,” a modern day Horatio Alger story where a down and out single dad uses pluck and determination to begin a successful career in financial services. Ask yourself, Isn’t that what all men and women want, to achieve happiness?

The Bible describes Joy as being superior to temporary happiness, or a short term, emotional high, and it gives a formula for Joy in the gospel of John:

Joy, comes from being fruitful or productive. (Serving God’s Kingdom) “I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10

Fruitfulness, comes from abiding with God. To abide, means to remain with, or live with daily in communion or fellowship. “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.” John 15:5

Abiding with God comes from being obedient to His Word. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in His love.” John 15:10 “He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.” John 14:21

The key to obeying God, is to Love Him. “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.” John 14:14 “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and foremost commandment.” Matthew 22:37b

The better we know God, the more we will love Him. “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.” 1 John 4:7-8 “O righteous Father, although the word has not known You, yet I have known You; and these have known that You sent Me; and I have made Your name known to them, and will make it known, so that the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them. “ John 17:25

There it is, do you want to be happy, to have joy? Get to know God. If you know Him, you will love Him. If you love Him, you will find you will be able to obey Him. And if you obey Him, you will abide in fellow ship and sweet communion with Him. And, when you abide with Him, you’ll bear much fruit, which will bring you lasting Joy! KNOWING -> LOVING -> OBEYING -> ABIDING -> FRUITFULNESS -> JOY!

Do you want to be happy? To have Joy? Then, get to know God! “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,” Philippians 3:8