Ends and Means

Matthew Henry writes, "All who are chosen to happiness in the end, are chosen to holiness as the means." 

I have had this quote in my head for a couple weeks now. There is a great reminder to us in a culture obsessed with happiness. Over and over again we see people come through our doors prepared to end commitments and covenants because someone has told them, "Don't you deserve to be happy?" This very thing has lead to the breakdown of our lives, and it has lead us also to our addictiveness. 

This is the very nature of addiction. Things are addicting because they always leave you wanting more, and they destroy you all along the way. They cannot fulfill you. Whether it is sex or substances. Whether it is more stuff in our closets, driveways, or pockets. We are addicted to these things when we think the only important thing is our happiness, and we start to believe these things will make us happy. And they do…for only a moment. That is the very point of these things; to only make you feel good and happy for a short time so that you want it again. Do you have something you desire and crave more than Jesus and a connection with Jesus? Do you see how CRAZY and absolutely LUDICROUS it is for me to desire and crave anything more than I crave a loving real connection with Jesus Christ?

You are my joy

Augustine writes of God, "You yourself are their joy.  Hapiness is to rejoice in you and for you and because of you."  Remind me again that joy is not based on my self . God is the only source of joy.  All REAL happiness is because of the ultimate joy which IS God.  Joy is based completely on God.  Suppose God does not GIVE us anything.  Is HE still my joy?  I hope I can make God my only joy.  Then I can allow my happiness, however it comes to me, to drive me to rejoice in God and for God and because of God.