One of my favorite
movies is “The Pursuit of Happiness,” telling the real life story of
Chris Gardner. Chris, played by actor Will Smith had a rough upbringing, and
seemingly one trial after another. His significant other left him, forcing him
to take care of their son by himself. His trials were many as he desperately
struggled to make ends meet. Then he learned of a possibility to become a stock
broker working for Dean Witter. However, in order to get the job he would have
to compete with 19 others in a 6 month unpaid internship. The movie ends with
Chris getting the job. Then the captions go on to say that Chris ended up
becoming a multi-millionaire and as a result of his hard work, his dreams had
become a reality. Most people tend to like stories like that. They are
inspiring to us, yet few have the courage to pursue their dreams.
Yet, is this the answer
to life, our reason for living - to pursue happiness in wealth, or other
earthly pleasures? When one considers the words of a very wise man, arguably
the wisest man to live, Solomon, we are left wondering if there is any value in
life at all. “I looked at everything done on earth and saw that it is all
useless, like chasing the wind” (Ecc. 1:14 NCV).
Many of us, along with
our neighbors, have entered this race, this pursuit of happiness. What have you pursued – Work? Wisdom?
Pleasure? Solomon tried each of these
venues, and was financially able to pursue anything he wanted, however, after
having achieved all that one could dream of, he came to the conclusion stated
earlier: every man made pursuit is meaningless.
Let’s consider
another’s take on the pursuit of happiness.
Believe it or not, Jesus preached an entire sermon about happiness. You can find it in the book of Matthew,
chapters 5-7. The first portion of
Jesus’s sermon is known as the Beatitudes, “Blessed are the poor in
spirit...Blessed are those who mourn...Blessed are the pure in heart,” etc. The
word blessed in the Greek is the same as the Greek word for happy. Biblical
“happiness does not depend on outward circumstances but on the state of the
heart” (J.C. Ryle).
So how does one achieve
lasting happiness then? It is a matter of the heart. Eventually the wisest
person who ever lived, Solomon, came to this conclusion as well. “To the
person who pleases Him, God gives wisdom, knowledge and happiness, but to
the sinner He gives the task of gathering and storing up wealth to hand it over
to the one who pleases God. This too is meaningless, a chasing after the wind”
(Ecc. 2:26). Thus, Solomon concluded that one experiences true happiness
(blessedness) through pleasing God.
How does one please
God? It starts through having a living and active relationship with Him (Ecc.
12:1). And it continues as we obey Him (Pro. 3:1-4; Ecc. 12:13). All 8 of the
Beatitudes that Jesus gave in Matthew chapters 5-7, likewise point to the idea
of having lasting happiness as a result of having a living and relationship
with Him and obeying God’s commands. Thus, do you want to have God’s blessings
upon your life? Do you want to experience lasting happiness regardless of the
circumstances that you are experiencing? If you do, then pursue God with all
you are and you will find Him, and you will find the life that you were always
meant to live from beginning to end.
In His service,
Matt
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