The Pursuit of Happiness

During the Summer of 1776, Thomas Jefferson spent 17 days writing the Declaration of Independence.  It includes the famous sentence, “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 (US 1776).”

 Jesus teaches us what to do with the life and liberty our Creator has given us. We are to cash it in, give it up, trade it for eternal life and genuine freedom.

“If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” (Luke 9:23-24 ESV)

 We are created with the freedom to choose what to do with our freedom. Jesus teaches us exactly what choice to make. How we actually use our freedom is up to us.

This situation reminds me of our son’s first solo outing in the family car.  We had invested 16 years in teaching him to limit his freedom for his own safety and long-term success. I handed him the car keys of trust. We watched him drive away from the house. He was free. His options had suddenly been greatly expanded. We prayed he would make wise choices.

Jesus teaches that we must set aside the ownership of our lives and limit our liberty. He teaches this as an imperative to our long-term success. A success that he defines in a way that is much different from the world’s measure of success.

Jesus’ teachings instruct us to believe and trust in him and to live a life seeking his righteousness and his kingdom. To live a life where we intentionally limit our liberties to conform to God’s commandments. He promises that in this, we will experience genuine freedom. Jesus also teaches that the alternative is to continue in the death spiral of self-righteousness and the pursuit of worldly happiness.

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (John 8:31-32 ESV)

“If you keep My commandments and obey My teaching, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.” (John 15:10 AMP)

The Gospels proclaim that one must lose one’s life for Christ’s sake in order to find life.[i] We are also taught by Jesus to deny ourselves a rather big chunk of liberty by submitting to the commandments of God.

What about the pursuit of happiness? I have noted that the word “happiness” is conspicuously absent in the New Testament.[ii] Instead, we are instructed by Jesus to pursue his righteousness and his kingdom, not happiness.

But, of course, we want to be happy. I want to be happy. I would like to think that I am happy most of the time.

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When we choose to believe and trust in Jesus, he sends his Holy Spirit to live and work in us.

“If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. (John 14:15-17)

Over time, as we pursue his kingdom and his righteousness, the Holy Spirit will change our character. We will increasingly reflect the fruit of his impact on our lives and in our interactions with others. These qualities include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.[iii]

I’m thinking that joy is pretty close to happiness. But they are different. Happiness is a feeling. Joy is a state of being. Happiness is the result of circumstances and is temporary; it comes and goes. Joy exists independent of circumstances. It is maintained in one's heart by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit in us. Joy is an enduring gift to us from God. Joy can and does coexist with times of happiness as well as times of sadness or struggle.

Paul, in writing his letter to the Galatians, used the singular word fruit to describe the impact of the Holy Spirit on Christians. The nine qualities of this fruit are “one thing.” It’s like a diamond with nine facets. As a believer, with the Holy Spirit at work in you, all nine qualities of this fruit are under development within you. You will feel them growing more dominant as you pursue his kingdom.

When I first became a Christian in the late 80’s, Jan and I were invited to be interviewed by one of the church Elders for his video series. His show was called “The Happiest People.” His ministry was to get the word out to the unsaved masses that Christians were happier than the average bloke. He was right about this, and his VCR recording efforts brought many to church seeking happiness, too.

One way to pursue happiness is to pursue the circumstances that produce it. But, for the most part, circumstances are beyond the reach of our control. We can strive for them and spend money to increase the likelihood that we will experience them. But as we all know, this is a hit-and-miss activity.

I have a theory about why Christians are happier than non-Christians. Happiness is an outcome of circumstances. We have little control over circumstances, but with the Holy Spirit on board, we can control what we think about them. The supernatural power of God in us transforms our minds. Sadness and struggle are tempered by the fruit of the Spirit of God that defines who we are. We can experience joy, peace, love, and all the other facets of the fruit in any circumstances. Happiness will be found in them.

Unlike circumstances, we have total control over our pursuit of the fruit of the Spirit. We can decide to believe the teaching of Jesus. We can receive the gift of his Spirit and intentionally set ourselves on a trajectory of transforming our minds to be like Christ. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control will grow strong while their opposites grow weak. Hate, anger, anxiousness, sin, and the like will be seldom experienced and quickly extinguished.

Here is a recipe for fruit:

1.     Read and re-read the New Testament with the expectation that the Holy Spirit will reveal the truth in a way that will resonate with you. This is a lifelong pursuit.

2.     Engage with a community of believers in a church, where the word of God is taught and where you can practice loving one another as commanded by Jesus.

3.     Live a life where you do the things Jesus did, share the Gospel,  pray, worship, serve, and practice radical generosity.

4. When unhappiness comes along, remember who you are, a son or daughter of the most high God. You trust God, you know he hears and answers prayer, and you have the faith necessary to fight off any attack of the enemy. You have supernatural patience to wait in a state of joy. “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28 ESV)

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Exchange your life for one with Jesus abiding in you. Bend your liberty to conform to the commands of God. Seek his kingdom and his righteousness, knowing that as you seek, the fruit of the Spirit will develop within you. You will experience your circumstances in a way that increasingly reflects the unlimited and unmerited love God has for you.

Make your Declaration of Dependence on Jesus!
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[i] Matthew 10:39

[ii] I did not conduct an exhaustive search of all the translations regarding the word happiness conspicuously absent from the New Testament. It is true for ESV, NKJV, and ASV.

[iii] Galatians 5:22-23