Don’t pursue happiness, pursue God!

From the desk of Dr. Robert L. Taylor, Th.D., Bible Expositor & Teacher. Recently, I spoke with a sister in Christ and asked how she was doing. Her response was, “I just want to be happy!” Everyone wants to be happy. However, almost everyone is going about it wrong! Happiness emerges as a byproduct of pursuing God, not from the pursuit of it being your life’s purpose. Happiness is an emotion arising from an inner conviction of pleasure, satisfaction, or contentment. Everyone wants to be happy, but happiness, as our ultimate goal, can be very elusive. People may make decisions based on what they think will make them happy, then experience despair when happiness never comes. People who assume that God wants them to be happy may justify activities clearly prohibited in Scripture by arguing that such choices are necessary for happiness. But is our personal happiness God’s ultimate goal for us? Does God even want us to be happy? God wants us to be happy but not at any cost. His goals for us are higher, broader, and more lasting than fleeting happiness (Isaiah 55:9). In fact, the pursuit of happiness is not a theme of Scripture. God does want us to be happy, and He has provided all we need for life and godliness through Christ Jesus (2 Peter 1:2). God has designed the human heart to experience its greatest ecstasy in worship, its deepest satisfaction in serving, and its greatest love through the power of the Holy Spirit. When we are living in fellowship with Him, we can expect to be happy regardless of our temporary circumstances (Philippians 4:11–13). Our goal is the prize awaiting us in eternity, so we can endure earthly difficulties while remaining full of hope (2 Corinthians 4:17). When our joy and hope are based on that which cannot be taken away, we have found true happiness, and God is pleased. Be encouraged!