Resources by Topic: Happiness

We hope you enjoy this holiday edition of our magazine, encouraging you to seek Christ-honoring happiness this Christmas season!

In this clip from a conversation with Rob West on Faith and Finance, Randy references 1 Timothy 6 to address the tension that exists between enjoying what God has gifted us with, and giving generously.

C. S. Lewis wrote to an American friend, “How little people know who think that holiness is dull. When one meets the real thing . . . it is irresistible. If even 10% of the world’s population had it, would not the whole world be converted and happy before a year’s end?”

Life will only be lived well by those who look for the rewards of a life well lived. No one grows close to God unless that person believes that drawing close to God has a payoff: “Whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).

I find that any day I haven’t contemplated Scripture and worshiped my Lord, my happiness invariably diminishes. I tend to be impatient, critical, self-centered, and unhappy. Something’s wrong—and that something is the lack of God’s fresh infusion of grace through His Word.

When unbelievers witnessed the generosity and joy of the early believers, they saw how they loved one another, and many came to faith. Their open hands and genuine happiness demonstrated the life-changing power of the gospel.

Romans 8 says we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us and causes all things to work together for good. Will He, who did not withhold His only Son, withhold other things from us? No! The chapter ends with “Nothing can separate us from the love of Christ.” That is the best news and true grounds for ultimate optimism.

The true biblical worldview is ultimately very optimistic. The glass isn’t half empty; it’s half full, with the promise that one day it will be completely full—in fact, overflowing for all eternity. Now that is very optimistic! But we’ve got to recognize that the glass which is currently half full is indeed half empty because of the fall, sin, and the curse.

Sometimes we read Scripture about rejoicing or trusting and think, Easy to say, but you’re not facing what I am. But few people have faced conditions as dire as Habakkuk, with the impending destruction of his nation, family, friends, and entire way of life.

Our perceptions—much more than our circumstances—are the building blocks with which we construct our lives. No matter what the circumstances and stress, our view of life determines our level of joy and contentment.

“Find yourself” is common advice. But in the end, people who follow it find only ugliness, brokenness, and unhappiness. They pursue dreams, and find nightmares.

In my last blog, I shared six false expectations that can diminish our happiness. So what truths should raise our expectations of happiness? Here are seven worth focusing on.

Most people intuitively know that our expectations profoundly affect our life experiences. Yet even as believers, we simultaneously expect too much and too little. We need to discover what we should expect less of and what merits higher expectations.

The most liberating truth, the most happy-making reality, is that my redemption does not depend on me. It was accomplished by the God-Man Jesus. As Revelation 5 demonstrates, only Christ is worthy to accomplish redemption.