Bulletin Articles
Happiness and Self-Denial
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Rom 12:1-2).
The challenge that all Christians face is the temptation to be conformed to this world and, in connection to that, to love self over God. Paul warned Timothy of the difficulties that would come in the last days: “For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power” (2 Tim 3:2-5). Notice that first on the list is “lovers of self,” and toward the end, “lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.” This is the problem of the human condition. We love self, we love pleasure, and we are proud. Because of this, we feel that we do not need God. And this is one reason people turn away from God. Some find their justification for this in seeking some form of happiness.
“Since I’ve given up my faith, I’m now happy and at peace.” This is a common type of statement we see from those who walk away from the Lord. It seems counter to the idea that true happiness and peace are found in Christ. I do not doubt that one who leaves the Lord feels happy. The question is, why? Why would anyone feel happy about leaving Jesus Christ and His people?
I believe at least one reason lies in the basic issue, again, that we all face in serving the Lord: will I deny self to please Him or will I deny Him to please self (Luke 9:23-26)? If I do not feel the need to serve Jesus, then I will not have to fight the dissonance of trying to deny self while, at the same time, dealing with the difficult temptation of wanting to please self. I don’t often feel very happy when I have to deny self; it’s hard and frustrating. If I remove that fight from my life by removing Jesus, then I no longer have to grapple with giving up what pleases me for what pleases Him. I can be happy … in one sense. And if I can talk myself out of feeling any guilt of sin and the need for forgiveness, then perhaps I can feel peace …in a sense.
But this gets to the basic issues of what happiness and peace are about. One who has quit the Lord feels happy, but it’s a happiness in the moment, not a happiness in a future hope. It’s a peace that comes from no longer fighting the difficulty of self-denial, not a peace found in forgiveness, hope, and eternal rest. The road of giving up the Lord comes at a cost. It trades a living hope for momentary happiness. Count the cost.
Don’t buy into the passing pleasure angle here. The world says we have to be happy and authentic, but it’s a very narrow consideration when you see the longer perspective. Recall the choice made by Moses: “By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin” (Heb 11:24-25). Moses could have been happy by enjoying the pleasures of sin, but he knew these were fleeting and temporary. Instead, he chose to look beyond here and now to the reward that would later come (v. 26). Endurance is a key to faith.
Why would men like Paul or Peter be so willing to suffer for the cause of Christ when they could have walked away for momentary happiness? As Paul put it, “For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal” (2 Cor 4:18-19). Perspective is indeed everything and there is no comparison.
Herein, then, lies the choice for all of us. We can find a measure of pleasure and happiness by quitting the Lord and giving up the fight. But we also need to know the true difference between the type of happiness we are banking our lives on. The happiness found in Christ is not the momentary type, but that found in purpose, hope, and life highlighted by an eternal perspective.
“For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” Let’s answer that question and be honest with where we stand. What kind of happiness are you willing to give your soul to? Is it worth it?
