An Invading Force
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??????????? Just consider for a moment: what if the Bible came into being without God's leading? Without God's love working in the lives of the people who wrote the Bible, the Bible would be very, very different. Instead of loving your enemies, it would be how sweet the revenge. Instead of treating others how you would like to be treated, there would be twenty-one ways to be mean to those who oppose you. Instead of don't lie, it would be how to lie and get away with it. Instead of protecting other people's reputations, it would be how to gossip so that it destroys someone's influence. If our loving Creator had not inspired the Bible, we humans would have made it into a book of revenge and disorder. Thankfully, the Bible reflects God's way of thinking instead of ours. The Bible reveals how our selfishness is something we need to surrender to Him.
??????????? Yet, if we surrender our selfishness to God, will we be happy? Is surrendering our selfishness like asking if someone would be happy if they won millions of dollars in a sweepstake? Is it like asking if someone would be happy if they inherited a fortune from a long-lost aunt? People can relate to the unhappiness of financial problems and the imagined happiness of financial abundance, yet we can have a hard time imagining the kind of happiness Jesus seeks to create in our lives.
Do you think that Jesus wants you to be happy? Have you been convinced in your heart's deep, dark recesses? Do you believe Jesus desires you to live a fulfilling, happy life? Might it seem like if you surrendered to Jesus' love, you would become a counter-cultural, obedient oddball that places obeying over common sense?
??????????? The Bible tells me that Jesus is ready and willing to give me all the help I need to make His kind of happiness a reality. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 3:12, "I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live" (NIV). In Romans 14:22, Paul wrote, "Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves" (NKJ).
??????????? Since I was born with a selfishness problem, how can I learn to be happy with the unselfishness Jesus provides? Can I find happiness in odd places, like with the correction He provides? Job 5:17 tells me, "Behold, happy is the person whom God disciplines, so do not reject the discipline of the Almighty" (NAS). Yes, the life God provides can lead me to true happiness. Yet, I will need to receive the strength and the desire to embrace His way of thinking from Him. That is the only way I can understand the happiness He provides.
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??????????? Romans 14:22 reveals, "Happy is the one who does not condemn himself in what he approves" (NAS). We need to admit that humans can find happiness in the wrong things. We can come to think that unhealthy, unwise, self-centered choices bring us happiness. Jesus enables us to understand that His loving kindness will bring enduring happiness into our lives. Yet, His kind of happiness is not natural for us to embrace.
??????????? Matthew 5:3 tells us, "Blessed [happy] are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven" (NAS). Happiness from knowing I am poor in Spirit means I can be happy (blessed) because I know I need and can receive Jesus' help each day. I experience the gifts of His love, joy, and peace as the invasion of an invited guest, an outside invading force moving upon my heart and mind.
??????????? Jesus could speak about a happy, surrendered relationship that helps us with the choices we make because that was how He got help with His choices. When Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness, after fasting for forty days, Satan appeared and tempted Him to turn stones into bread. As you can imagine, this was a weak moment for Jesus. He had to choose between solving His hunger problem with His divine power or depending upon His Father in Heaven.
??????????? Jesus responded to Satan's temptation by saying, "It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God'" (Matthew 4:4 KJV). Jesus chose to wait upon His Father in Heaven's solution to the food problem. After Satan tempted Jesus several more times, His Father in heaven sent angels to minister to Him.??
??????????? Unfortunately, I do not naturally like to wait or cooperate with God's view of happiness. Fortunately, Jesus said the Holy Spirit can help me with this challenge. In talking about the Holy Spirit, Jesus said, "He will guide you into all truth" (John 16:13). Jesus also told His disciples the Spirit would be with them and "teach them all things" (John 14:26). The Holy Spirit can help me cooperate with Jesus just as Jesus cooperated with His Father in heaven.
??????????? Paul also described a cooperative relationship with the Holy Spirit that helps me embrace His happiness. In Titus 3:5, Paul wrote: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit." When I welcome the Holy Spirit's process of regeneration and renewal, He can train me to find enduring, genuine happiness in Jesus' way of thinking instead of my way of thinking. So, ready for a change? Ready for a new happiness? Ready for a deep inner peace that can only come from God? Are you prepared to be invaded by Jesus' love, joy, and peace?