I
have set the Lord always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken. Therefore
my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices; my flesh also dwells secure. --
Psalm 16: 8-9 (ESV)
Abraham Lincoln once said; "Most
people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be." Oh that it would
be that simple. That we could just magically think ourselves into happiness.
The truth is that happiness in this country remains elusive as we are burdened
with more hours to work, less security, and more things to make us anxious. The
website 247wallst.com did a study that found
While that sounds grim, Christians
pursuing happiness have reason to rejoice. It just requires a shift in thinking
from the temporal to the eternal. Happiness is a temporal concept that is based
on acquiring some state of being or some material objective. If I only had my
own home I would be happy. If I only could find my spouse I would be happy. If
I only hit lotto I would be happy. The "if" is different for most of us, but
generally this is how we view happiness. As an achievable goal dependent upon
something else. There are two problems with this that lead to so much
depression and disappointment. The first is that we are basing our state of
being satisfied upon something or someone else. Something that we cannot
control directly. We set ourselves up for disappointment because so often that
"if" simply does not come through. The second reason this strategy doesn't work
is that we continually move the goalposts. If we happen to achieve what we
thought would make us happy we set a new goal or we find that what we thought
would be so fulfilling really wasn't. We want to make "X" amount of money and
when we achieve it we simply adjust our style of living to match it and
suddenly we are not as happy anymore. How many rich and successful people have
died recently that were clearly not happy?
Joy however, is an eternal concept.
Joy is not rooted in the things of this world but in the God that we serve
because while this world will continue to erode and change without warning, God
never changes. His promises are always yes and amen. He is the same yesterday,
today and forever. In a world of inconsistency -- Jesus is the rock! The Apostle
Paul had seen it all. Plenty of things that would make most of us fairly
unhappy. Receiving the 39 lashes. Shipwrecked and stoned. Chained and beaten.
Yet here was his exhortation of joy:
Not
that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I
have.
I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned
the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or
empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
-- Philippians 4: 11-13 (NLT)
Philippians 4: 13 is often misused as a
reason to do things we probably should not try to do. What Paul is saying is
that the circumstances he is faced with does not dictate his level of joy; his
Savior does! Remember when the disciples thought the storm they were in was
going to swamp their boat and kill them? Where was Jesus? Sleeping at the back
of the boat!
Christianity is not an exercise in the
denial of feelings -- it is about making those feelings obedient to Christ. You
can be going through the worst storm of your life and still have the peace to
sleep in the back of the boat. You can be shipwrecked in your storm and still
have the joy of the Lord. The key verses show us how. Verse eight is one of my
favorite Bible verses because there is so much in this world that tries to
shake us. Shake our confidence in God. Shake our security for our future. Shake
our faith in Christ. David says here however that he will not be shaken because
the Lord is at his right hand. Let's be honest with ourselves -- sometimes we
forget that Jesus is in the boat with us! But look at the qualifier from David.
How does he always remember God is at his right hand? Because he has set the
Lord always before him. Not sometimes. Not when he is in trouble. Not when the
problems get really big -- always. Throughout David's stories we see him
reflecting to God before he makes a decision. We tend to go to God after our
decisions have landed us in hot water. God wants to be the God of our
decisions, not just our problems! Well, what does that mean to set the Lord
always before us? I think it means that for David, the things of God always
came before the things of David. For us, the things of God have to come before
the things of self.
Verse nine shows the results for us.
When we place God first in our lives -- not just with lip service -- then we can
expect a chain reaction of joy that starts with our heart being glad. The Bible
says that the heart is the wellspring of life. We need to guard it more carefully
than we do. When we base our joy upon anything in this world then we are
exposing our heart to the aching disappointments and discouragements of this
world. Our heart is glad because we are now grounded in the Creator of the
universe -- who will never change. The next link in the chain reaction is that
our whole being will rejoice! There is nothing more joyful than knowing you are
walking in the will of God. When your whole being rejoices -- it doesn't matter
what the world throws at you! The devil can try but your joy is no longer based
on things he can manipulate. It is based on God. The final link in the chain
reaction is that even our flesh will dwell secure! That doesn't mean that we
conquer the flesh, which is bent toward sin, but rather that we remain joyful
in knowing that repentance will bring forgiveness. That is why there is no
condemnation for those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ! When we
place God first, we still will fall but the flesh rests secure in the grace and
mercy we walk under. Not that we would seek to sin more but rather that we
would seek repentance quicker.
Do not seek your happiness within the
confines of this world. We are pilgrims and sojourners through it, not
residents. Remember
Don't
copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a
new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God's
will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. -- Romans 12: 2 (NLT)
God's will is not found while chasing
temporal happiness. It is found within the embracing of eternal joy. By letting
God change the way we think. By putting Him first in every area of our lives.
Is there any area we can not have God lead in our lives? Sure -- the ones you do
not want joy or happiness in! The rich young ruler went away sad from Jesus
because he refused to let God lead regarding his money. He based his happiness
on his riches but to God they meant nothing. They were a stumbling block to
Him. What is our stumbling block today beloved? What area of our lives have we
not quite turned over to God? What area are we still pursuing worldly happiness
in and thus have not experienced eternal joy in. Place God ahead of your own
desires in that area and watch Him be at your right hand. Watch that lead you
to being unshaken in an area that used to give you so many problems. Watch as
your heart becomes glad, your whole being rejoices, and your flesh rests
secure. Unspeakable and matchless joy -- that is what God wants for you today!
Rev.
Anthony
