“7 Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire.” ~ Matthew 18:7-9
Jesus didn’t say, ‘you know what, life is hard. There are all these temptations. Pretty girls. Cute guys. You know what, if you give in every now and then, I get it. I got you. Just do your best.’ That’s not how it works. Life is one large test, and you only get one chance. And when the test is over, and it’s time to receive your grade, you only have two options. You either passed or failed. And if you fail the exam, the teacher isn’t going to give you an ‘A’ just because they like you. That’s not just. That’s an unjust teacher.
God is a just teacher. And when we all stand before Him on Judgment Day, He will judge us according to His standards, not our own standards. Because it’s not whether you tried or not, it’s whether you did or did not. Either you did it, or you didn’t do it. It’s as simple as that.
We’re intended to be the Bride of Christ, so then in a sense, we are currently engaged to Christ because we have yet to have the marriage. So, let’s put this into perspective. Imagine you’re engaged to someone, and they cheat on you constantly, and whenever they’re caught, they say, ‘You know I love you. You know you’re my number one. It wasn’t my intention to cheat; I mean, I tried not to. But does that really matter, though? Cause, I mean, I love you. Don’t you love me? Don’t you want me to be happy?’
Do you see how insane that sounds? This is the main problem with the statement ‘I think God just wants me to be happy.’ God wants more for us than to be happy. See, happiness is a relative term. Happiness means something completely different to each person. And sometimes, happiness will lead us to our own death. Why? Because happiness isn’t a trustworthy emotion. In the moment of committing the sin, we are happy, but that soon fades as the shame and guilt kick in. Then we return to our sin, and we’re happy for a short time, then shame and guilt kick in again. It’s an endless cycle that never leads to joy. It only leads to a quick ending, never satisfying false happiness.
Choose the ways of righteousness, and you will be satisfied. When you begin your journey, it won’t be easy. Satisfaction and being filled won’t happen overnight, but as we fight, we will be filled more and more each day. God draws near to those who draw near to Him. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t grow weary of doing good, for the reward that awaits us is greater than anything we could ever think of or even imagine.
Peace. Love. Go Forth and Stop Chasing Happiness.
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