GOD, I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY!

That seems to be a reasonable request…especially from those who maybe like to do a little bargaining with God…like,…

• “God, if you’ll just make me happy…
• God, I’ll believe in you,
• And, I’ll come to church on Sundays,
• And, I’ll put money in the offering,
• And I’ll try to lead a good life.

And in exchange,

• You’ll make sure that things go smoothly for me.
• You’ll see to it that nothing really bad happens,
• And that I’m able to enjoy at least a comfortable middle-class existence.
• Because that’s what I deserve as a faithful, obedient believer."

The problem comes when that doesn’t happen,…when the wheels start to come off,…they get angry at God. Because they think they DESERVE something different. They DESERVE to experience their personal vision of what life should be. They DESERVE to be happy! I mean…. what’s the point of following Christ if your life is just as difficult and painful as the life of an unbeliever? GOD, I JUST WANT TO BE HAPPY!!!

Well, let me tell you a secret. God’s primary purpose for you in this life is not to make you HAPPY,…It is to make you HOLY. He did not say, “Be ye happy, for I am happy.” He said, “Be ye HOLY, for I am holy.” And since He is sovereign over everything,.. that means that everything in your life…your job, your marriage, your family, your church. EVERYTHING in your life is designed to accomplish that goal…the goal for you to be HOLY.

Now, I’m not saying that God is opposed to happiness. There are those who have found a measure of happiness in life without God in their lives. Many people enjoy financial wealth, a loving family, and seemingly few problems in life. But, let me assure you that no matter how much happiness you have right now, your life would be more fulfilling with God in it. Knowing God makes a HUGE difference.

Think of it like this…my kids grew up with a little toy…a horse on wheels…that would make some fake kid horse noise when you pulled on the reigns. They would sit on that thing for hours…making it move with their feet. They were HAPPY!…Praise the Lord! Riding that little horse seemed fun to them as a child,…but now that they have grown up and drive a van, with a motor where it is not leg powered, and a horn that doesn’t make a fake horse whinny,… the little toy horse now would seem pretty boring…unless of course they were trying to entertain their own kids. You might think you've got all you'd ever want in life…that you are happy,… but know that you might be saying that from the perspective of someone riding a toy horse.

Jesus said in John 4:13-14 and 6:35, that He could fulfill desires in us that nothing else can fulfill. That's because we're not just physical beings, we're also spiritual beings. It is only God who can fulfill our spiritual hunger and thirst completely. And while we may be “happy” without God, it is only by knowing God that we can have true joy, fulfillment and peace.

Here are a couple of questions for eternity. Do you see the evidence for God’s existence all around you, yet you still refuse to acknowledge Him? What if you never receive God into your life? Well, as I said earlier, you can still enjoy all the benefits of this short life on planet earth. But know that for you it will end here, because you've chosen to reject God. You've accepted the gift (your existence), but rejected the Giver.

I kind of wonder if God maybe hasn't even begun to show off His stuff yet… He has a lot more creative things planned for the next life…for those who haven’t rejected Him? What if eternity in Heaven surpasses this life even more than driving Porsche, surpasses riding a toy plastic horse? If you have rejected God, then you won't be there to see it.