Are You Happy Yet?
May I assume that you have read the preceding blog? If so, are you happy…yet?
The content of the blog concerning the “happy Christian” is so basic as to demand an apology, except that so many of us lose sight of the most elementary facets of our salvation. The real question is this, having been reminded of the most basic ingredients of our happiness in Christ are we making the most of those reminders? Are we taking delight in our peace with God? Are we resting our hearts in the fact of God’s protection–which includes the truth of God’s provision? Perhaps most challenging, are we doing what we need to do to have a legitimately placid conscience? Let’s go a bit further in the matter of a placid conscience.
I strongly suspect that it is in the realm of conscience that many of us experience our most severe hindrances to “happiness”. Perhaps there are sins which we are reluctant to attack in the way they must be attacked and mortified if our consciences are to be satisfied. Why are we reluctant? Whatever momentary pleasure sin may provide, it is nothing in comparison with the pain it causes in preventing a good conscience before God. The pleasures of God’s right hand, His fellowship and sensible comfort, are denied to the soul that entertains willing disobedience to God. That denial is excruciating to the regenerate heart. The soul indwelt by the Holy Spirit yearns for God, felt communion with Him. The violated conscience hides from God, like Adam in the cool of the day. That is misery for the Christian. Have you forgotten how sweet it is to have nothing between your soul and Christ? Don’t linger in that misery! Confess your sin and stubbornness. Tell your Savior how foolish you have been to choose carnal tickles above the profound joy of His countenance. Tell Him! Ask for the grace to hate every rival to Him in your heart. Ask Him to purge your heart and to restore your fellowship. Ask Him! Then believe Him that He is your peace with God. He will bring you close to God with clean hands and a pure heart. Trust Him!
Perhaps your pain of conscience is due to duties willfully neglected. Why do we neglect to do the good will of God? Do we have foolish views of God’s prescribed commands? Have we bought into Satan’s worn out lie that God’s commands are against our happiness? Do you honestly think that the Father who loved you so much as to send Christ to the cross for you, would then afflict your life with burdens designed to make you sad and miserable? That makes no sense. God commands only such things that will either bring us higher in temporal good or will protect us from temporal harm! Happiness in this life is illusive simply because sin is so deceptive and we are so willing to be deceived by it. God’s commands deliver us from all such deception. He forbids what will hurt us. He requires what is beneficial. God’s commands are truth. The lie comes from our sin-loving flesh. Thus our flesh must be denied and God must be obeyed. Obedience is for our well-being in this world. Obedience is also one key to a placid conscience.
Tomorrow, God willing, we gather as the house of God to bring Him spiritual sacrifices. He is most honored when we come before Him in a state of genuine happiness. Let us each one do whatever needs to be done to be in a condition of spiritual happiness. Some of us may have some hard work in order to get there…soul-searching work, confessing work, mortifying work; but, the happiness is worth the effort. In fact, let us resolve that by the mercies of Christ we will endeavor to live in perpetual happiness for the glory of Christ our King.
