,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
The Good News Of Happiness
the Good News of happiness has come, it is still here, and it
will never go away
BY RANDY
ALCORN
“I
bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.” —
an angel of the Lord (Luke 2:10)
The religion of Christ is the religion of joy. Christ came
to take away our sins, to roll off our curse, to unbind our chains, to
open our prison-house, to cancel our debt. . . . Is not this joy? Where
can we find a joy so real, so deep, so pure, so lasting? There is every element
of joy — deep, ecstatic, satisfying, sanctifying joy — in the gospel of Christ.
The believer in Jesus is essentially a happy man. — Octavius Winslow
The angel’s message to the shepherds at the birth of Jesus
condenses the gospel to its core: the “good news of great joy” wasn’t
for some; it was “for all the people.”
What
characterizes this good news is a deep, everlasting joy for any who will
receive it.
The Contemporary English Version renders Luke 2:10 this way: “good news for
you, which will make everyone happy.”
The world
Jesus entered desperately needed a redeemer from sin, hopelessness, and
unhappiness. The mythological Greek gods (which the Romans had renamed) were
seldom taken seriously.
In
daily life, Greek and Roman worldviews were centered more on Stoicism or Epicureanism,
both of which failed to bring happiness.
The
Stoics believed in truth and virtue. They exercised mental disciplines that
allowed them to overcome emotions and rise above difficulties, similar to some
forms of Buddhism today.
Scholar William Morrice states, “There was no joy
in it. Stoicism was essentially pessimistic in spirit, and its outlook upon
life was dark and foreboding.”
Epicureanism,
on the other hand, taught that happiness was found in enjoying life’s
pleasures.
According to Epicurus, “There was no place at all
in religion for joy — except in the case of the gods themselves, who lived a
life of perpetual happiness and bliss. The self-appointed task of the
philosopher was to free men from the terrors and degradations of religion.”
Stoicism
and Epicureanism have close counterparts in contemporary Western culture.
As a
religion, modern Christianity is viewed, sometimes unfairly and sometimes not,
much like Stoicism: a duty-driven, negative, unhappy way of life.
The
secular backlash against Christianity today has much in common with
Epicureanism.
Its
message is to be happy however and whenever you can — don’t allow guilt and
worry about moral standards to interfere with your happiness. (And just ignore
the fact that your “happiness” often brings misery.)
The
so-called “mystery religions” in Greek and Roman culture affirmed that
happiness could be found only in the gods, who alone were truly happy.
Today’s
New Age beliefs have some similarities to these religions.
New
Age followers correctly see that happiness is found in a higher spiritual being
or force, but they don’t acknowledge the true God of the Bible.
When
Christianity emerged, the appeal of Jesus’ teachings was widespread. He
emphasized truth and virtue, as did Stoicism, and the goodness of pleasures and
happiness — including eating and drinking — as did Epicureanism.
As a
young believer, I often heard testimonies in which people happily recalled the
day the gospel took hold of their hearts.
Years
later, it dawned on me that instead of only being happy about what Jesus did in
the past (on the cross and at my conversion) and what he’ll one day do (at his
return), I should be happy in what he’s doing today.
The
present is the only place we live. Happiness in God’s Good News should be more
than memories and anticipation. We should lay hold of it today and experience
it here and now.
The psalmist was onto something when he said, “This
is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it” (Psalm 118:24).
Yes,
in that context he spoke of one particular day, but God has ordained all the
days of all his people (see Psalm 139:16).
How
much happier we’ll be if we rejoice in what God is doing every day and every
hour of our lives.
Why wait many years — or until we’re with the Lord — to
look back and say, “God, I finally see that you were at work even in
those hard times; I wish I would have trusted you then”?
I have
a close friend who genuinely believes that nearly every meal, get-together,
retreat, or vacation is the best he’s ever experienced.
This makes
him fun to be with. His capacity to enjoy the moment and savor present
happiness morphs into treasured memories of past happiness and anticipation of
happiness to come.
When
he raves about today’s delights, I smile and enter into his happiness.
And this
reminds me of God’s own happiness and why I should enjoy Jesus not just in the
biggest events of life, but also the smallest ones.
The true gospel cannot be improved upon. Theologian J.
Gresham Machen (1881–1937) said, “In the gospel there is included all that
the heart of man can wish.”
What
do we wish for most? Happiness.
Circumstances
constantly change, and good news comes and goes, but we should look to God for
happiness now.
Jesus, how can I ever thank you enough for the sacrifice
you made in order to secure our salvation and open the pathway to endless
happiness? I can’t, and I know that, but I thank you sincerely for granting me
an eternity to try.
Randy
Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of
fifty-some books and the founder
and director of Eternal Perspective
Ministries.
No comments:
Post a Comment