5 Days To A Happier YouSample

Religion can be an overridingly serious business. Now, I am serious about my Jesus. But so many of us have grown up on a steady diet of “thou shalt nots,” in which our religious teachers showed us what we shouldn’t do rather than showing us how we might flourish in God’s love. Some of us grew up believing that we were meant for martyrdom more than merriment.

We’ve sat under teachings that created a dichotomy between holiness and happiness. Happiness seemed off-limits, even sinful.

But take a walk through the pages of Scripture. Watch how often words like happy, glad, feasting, pleasure, joy, and delight flash in front of your eyes. 

Even when the words aren’t used explicitly, we know inherently that nearly every page of Scripture reveals the reason for a human being’s deepest happiness. On the pages of our Bibles, we see a faithful God, a sovereign God, a loving God, a delighting God, a listening God, a saving God, a redeeming God, a God who is “for us” . . . even a happy God.

“Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation! And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness. Her people will be a source of joy” (Isaiah 65:18, New Living Translation). 

What kind of God creates Jerusalem as “a place of happiness”? 

Our happy God. That’s who. 

Read: 

Be glad; rejoice forever in my creation!

 And look! I will create Jerusalem as a place of happiness.

Her people will be a source of joy. (Isaiah 65:18, New Living Translation)

Reflect: How does it help you today to know that God creates places of happiness, as references in Isaiah 65:18? 

Pray: Have you viewed God as only serious, even angry? Or have you viewed him as being happy? Ask God to remind you of the parts of his character that exude delight, gladness, and happiness.