Pathway to Happiness

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“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy” —Psalm 16:11 I used to think there was a difference between happiness and joy… that happiness was the world’s word, and then joy was the Christian word. But when you really study it, joy and happiness and many other synonyms like delight and cheerfulness and gladness and merriment, this all comes because God is satisfying the deepest longing of the human heart which is to be happy, to be happy in Him. The fact is God knows the most basic human need we have is the need to be happy. God, who is both a holy and happy God, has created within us this insatiable hunger for happiness! This is normal; this is life. Everyone… and I mean everyone instinctively wants to be happy. God’s Word tells us how to be genuinely happy. And to be happy is to be rightly related to God. Yet so many people are unhappy. I see so much sadness and depression and anxiety and stress and loneliness, especially among the young where the suicide rate is the highest ever! And not only in the world, but among Christians! I see so many Christians who are living with daily disappointments and lingering sadness in their lives. So many seem beaten down by the pressures and the problems of life. The psalmist said in Psalm 119:105 “Your word is lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” And I can’t tell you how many times in dark nights and days I’ve turned to the Psalms to find help and hope.   DON’T JUST ENDURE LIFE; ENJOY LIFE!

God Cares about You Tuesday, February 12, 2019 by Dr. Paul Chappell “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing. For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it. For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.” 1 Peter 3:9–12 One of the most destructive lies Satan uses against Christians is when he tells us that the hardship and suffering we are enduring is proof that God does not really love and care for us. It is easy for us to become discouraged and defeated when things are going wrong. But God is just as real when things are hard as He is when we clearly see Him at work. There are many difficulties that come simply as a result of living in a fallen world. At other times, we experience His chastening because He loves us too much to ignore our sin. Ironically, we sometimes blame God for not loving us because of the very chastening that is evidence of His love. We see this in the life of Gideon. Because of Israel’s idolatry, God allowed the Midianites to defeat them in battle. When the angel appeared and told Gideon that he had been chosen to deliver Israel, Gideon was somewhat skeptical.  “And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (Judges 6:13). Amazingly, Gideon said this to the angel of the Lord—the very pre-incarnate Christ. God was with him; Gideon just couldn’t see it. Today's Growth Principle:  Do not allow any circumstance in your life cause you to doubt God’s unfailing love for you.