IMO: You Deserve to Be Happy - Thursday


Philippians 4:11b
…for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. (NIV)


The opinion that we are breaking down this week is this: You deserve to be happy. Yesterday, we broke down the first half of this statement, remembering that we don’t deserve anything. Now you may be wondering, “Does God care about my happiness?”

For centuries, the human race has been on a quest for happiness. We can chase adventure, love, money, fame, or success, yet somehow we can still end up unhappy. But God wants to give us a deeper happiness that won’t fade as circumstances change.

When we chase the desires of our flesh—lust, greed, and idolatry—we may feel happy momentarily, but it won’t last or bring about the type of joy God wants to give us.

The Bible says that we are actually happiest when we are obeying God and delighting in His commands (Psalm 112:1). And that’s because when we delight ourselves in the Lord, our deepest heart’s longing is met (Psalm 37:4). We can easily fall prey to Satan’s traps of comparison, complaining, and cynicism that will try to rob us of our contentment. There was plenty of good fruit in the Garden of Eden that was pleasing to the eye and good to eat, yet Satan managed to convince Adam and Eve that they were missing out on something good. We fall prey to the same trap when we believe the lie that God hasn’t already given us all that we need.

Paul figured out the secret of being content when he was in prison (Philippians 4:11-13). When all was stripped away, he realized what was important, and that was delighting in His relationship with Jesus. Rick Warren says, “You never know God is all you need until God is all you have.”


Thursday’s Reflection

Listen to this song, “Higher Than Mine,” and surrender your desires for happiness, trusting that God’s plans for you are even better than what you had in mind.


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IMO: You Deserve to Be Happy - Friday

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IMO: You Deserve to Be Happy - Wednesday