"Does it make you happy Dominic?" by Dominic Muir

Many people ask me if my faith has "made me happy?"  Or in nervous suspicion of any looming conversation about faith they will assert how very happy they are 'in life' (in spite of no faith or within their own tailor-made version).  It is imperative to remember that the Son of God did not die in our place to make us happier, but to save us.  He is a Saviour, not a 'happy machine!'  Joy and happiness were created by Him and are certainly thrown in abundantly, I'm very pleased to say, but almighty God is holy and Jesus has saved us from the wrath of God that is coming on all sin ever committed, if we put our faith in Him and surrender our lives to Him.  'God made flesh' was hung naked and wretched as a carcass through His immeasurable love for us and because of the reality of a just God who is angry at injustice and sin and must punish it to remain consistent with His very nature. God will 'by no means clear the guilty' (Ex 34:6)  Jesus' death was the 'propitiation' for sin, the appeasement, or the satisfaction for God's holy wrath - that means He took the punishment on Himself in place of us - Jesus 'treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God' (Rev 19:15).  What a passionate and gracious picture of the appeasement of righteous wrath.

Here is love, vast as the ocean,
Lovingkindness as the flood,
When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,
Shed for us His precious blood.
Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?
He can never be forgotten,
Throughout Heav’n’s eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,
Fountains opened deep and wide;
Through the floodgates of God’s mercy
Flowed a vast and gracious tide.
Grace and love, like mighty rivers,
Poured incessant from above,
And Heav’n’s peace and perfect justice
Kissed a guilty world in love.

Let me all Thy love accepting,
Love Thee, ever all my days;
Let me seek Thy kingdom only
And my life be to Thy praise;
Thou alone shalt be my glory,
Nothing in the world I see.
Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me,
Thou Thyself hast set me free.

In Thy truth Thou dost direct me
By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;
And Thy grace my need is meeting,
As I trust in Thee, my Lord.
Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring
Thy great love and power on me,
Without measure, full and boundless,
Drawing out my heart to Thee.

All we have to do is by faith accept Jesus Christ as Lord and personal Saviour to be 'passed over' or found 'not guilty' at the great and terrible Day of Judgement.  All have sinned, all need saving - don't care how good you think you are, you or me ain't good enough!  God loves us so much, He took it all in place of us. He took the punishment, went to hell, defeated death, rose from the dead and ascended into heaven!  And that's where I'm going, guaranteed. Not because of anything good I have done, but because I have accepted by faith the free gift of salvation in Jesus and choose daily to make Him my Saviour.  "Guaranteed?" people have asked, "that's a bit arrogant!".  Yes, I know without a shadow of a doubt I am going to heaven because the Holy Spirit witnesses with my spirit daily that I am His - with the most beautiful peace and liquid love feeling imaginable.  That's the guarantee - pretty good news eh? (Romans 8:16, 2 Corinthians 1:22)

So am I 'happy' in this life? Yes and no.  Am I saved? Yes.  Does that give me joy? Yes.  Is it difficult?  Yes, at times very (although God's grace is sufficient and His burden light).  Is it amazing?  Yes - there's no other life!  The word of God says “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22)  "Am I happy enough?" is not the question we should be asking ourselves, neither should 'happiness' be our pursuit.  We must work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  

I'm saved.  Are you?

This entry was posted on 2010-02-15 10:12:00 and is filed under Big Questions , You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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