- Apr 5, 2004
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How to be happy & enriched.
People often say I will be happy "If" in other words their happiness is dependant upon someone or something else.
It could be a relationship, a job, money, acceptance, a better shape face! Etc.
But hey the great thing for us Christians is that we can be happy, BECAUSE and not IF.
We can be happy because we have Jesus.
He has given us the resources and ability to be happy just by him self alone.
We can be God dependant and not independent
Once we have learned to be happy with Jesus, then our relationship with our future partner will be greater and more wonderful because will not be dependant upon them. It will surely produce a patient and more even and stable relationship.
Example of general enrichment.
Food:
When I am hungry I need to eat food. A cube of plain cake will take away the pain of hunger and satisfy me.
But a cube of cake with chocolate icing on it still satisfies me, but also more than that it enriches my experience in becoming full up!
A sun set:
Nothing can make me happier or more filled with the Spirit and blest than fellowship with Jesus alone.
I can be at home or at work, and my soul can be just satisfied as any other time, and my heart filled with peace and rest.
But my experience of God can be enriched by other things.
A sun set, for example will enrich my appreciation of Him. As the sun goes down over a shimmering sea, my heart is touched by a marvellous creator and so the whole experience of God seems richer.
"Today I saw a picture in the paper of an estuary with the blue sky and my heart was moved with appreciation towards God"
Life is full of good things that will NOT MAKE US HAPPIER but will enrich our love, appreciation and understanding of Him.
As I have said before I can worship God at home or at work and be 100% satisfied and fulfilled.
It is no less on a sunny day than a cloudy as regards happiness, BUT the difference is that at times (and not always) my experience of God is deeper and richer because of what He reveals or does for me, either in creation or through His word or whatever.
I could here a lovely song about Jesus, and this to will enrich my love and appreciation of Him.
It does not make me happier, only God alone can make me happy. Rather the things around me, whether music or nature, simply enrich me and make my experience of Him all the more sweeter.
David could say I love the Lord because! In other words His life was enriched by the experiences he had.
God will never withhold things from us that will cause us to be enriched by it.
Enrichment of a spouse.
So how does a companion fit into the picture of enrichment?
Well first of all we alone can never make each other happier than Jesus can.
Having a companion will be of the same analogy as of a sunset!
I walk though life with Father holding my right hand, and in my left hand will be my companion.
Our lives will be enriched towards God by each other.
We will be able to experience things with each other, emotionally, spiritually, and physically that will cause our experience of God to be richer.
This enrichment will not happen all the time! As much as the sun doesnt set golden every day! Especially in the winter! But my life or our life will take on a new sphere of oneness, with God.
We will be one flesh, so in theory we operate as ONE body, with our hearts minds and affections chiefly on Jesus.
Our chief aims toward each other should be to promote each others experience with God as our Friend.
Our aims should be to cause one another to have a far deeper experience of God.
We will not make each other happier or exited only Jesus does that.
But the enrichment will come of sharing Jesus with each other.
Seeing Jesus displayed in each others life.
It will be enriched as I will have to exercise self sacrifice.
Our sexual union should be one of what I can enjoy out of it but rather what I can give to my companion and praying that through this experience that one another will be enriched in our experience of knowing God and of course of our love and unity oneness with each other.
God created man and woman for each other, not make them happy, but to enrich the lives by experiencing God through each other.
So lets use the example of having a companion or partner.
Will having a boy / girl friend make me a happy person? Answer: NO!
So what should it to for me then?
Well the whole purpose of other things besides having God is to ENRICH us in our APPRECIATION of God.
What ever we have or want should always cause us and promote us to be brought CLOSER to the Lord and appreciate Him more.
So this is how believe it should effects us:-
1. It enriches our walk and growth with God. Always bringing us closer and nearer to Him by this relationship.
Anything that I desire must have the end result of making me appreciate God more.
2. A relationship then is to have someone to show affection and romance to.
3. Someone to be able to share life with.
4. Someone to be able to share what God has done for us today.
5. Someone to share lifes joy and sorrow with.
6. Someone to share in Gods work with.
7. Someone to help each other when we need support.
8. Someone to have as a best earthly friend.
9. Someone to express our emotions to.
But in all this still it is only God who can make us HAPPY.
It is possible to find our emotional needs met through worship to God.
9. In marriage having a companion will help us in the struggles and meet one anothers God created sexual needs.
So the key word is ENRICHED and not made HAPPY by these other things.
In a relationship, we should expect affection, romance, support, togetherness, interaction, and support.
But we must not depend upon each other for it but look to our God for the true fullness of life
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When we feel hurt and need of affection etc we need to turn to Jesus for it.
John
Keep up the good work John as you are one awesome servant of God indeed!!
