The True Pursuit of Happiness

 

Psalm 144:15 “Happy are the people whose God is the Lord!”

 

In a recent small group discussion at our church, I brought up the statement in the United States Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I mentioned that the true pursuit of happiness comes from the pursuit of holiness (the state of being holy; purity or integrity of moral character; freedom from sin; sanctity). One of our group members stated that she disagreed with that statement because Happiness is a subjective emotion in people and unholy people feel happiness too. So, she believed that happiness is not holy and felt that joy was truly holy. It’s all about the definition. 

 

The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “happiness” as: The agreeable sensations which spring from the enjoyment of good; that state of a being in which his desires are gratified, by the enjoyment of pleasure without pain; felicity; but happiness usually expresses less than felicity, and felicity less than bliss. happiness is comparative. To a person distressed with pain, relief from that pain affords happiness; in other cases, we give the name happiness to positive pleasure or an excitement of agreeable sensations. happiness therefore admits of indefinite degrees of increase in enjoyment, or gratification of desires. Perfect happiness or pleasure unalloyed with pain, is not attainable in this life. What makes me happy and what makes another person happy may differ, but what does God say about happiness? 

 

Psalm 146:5-7 “Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps truth forever, who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.”

 

In Matthew 5:3-11, the Lord Jesus Christ said: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The word “blessed” in this passage is the Greek word “makários”, which is defined as: supremely blest; blessed, happy. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “blessed” as: Made happy or prosperous; extolled; pronounced happy. Happy; prosperous in worldly affairs; enjoying spiritual happiness and the favor of God; enjoying heavenly felicity  (Happiness, or rather great happiness; blessedness; blissfulness; appropriately, the joys of heaven).

 

True happiness is spiritual happiness that blesses from the person that seeks God and follows Jesus in the pursuit of holiness. The 1828 Webster’s dictionary defines the word “holiness” applied to human beings as: purity of heart or dispositions; sanctified affections; piety; moral goodness, but not perfect. Only God is perfect. Proverbs 16:20 says, “He who heeds the Word [of God] wisely will find good, and whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.” May holiness, therefore, be our true pursuit of happiness.

 

In Christ, Brian