Aligning with God for True Happiness

Devotional

Day 1: God’s Desire for Our Happiness

God is not indifferent to our happiness. He is a loving Father who knows what truly brings joy. His commands are designed to lead us to the highest level of happiness, even if they sometimes seem counterintuitive. Aligning with His will brings long-term joy and fulfillment. [48:04]

Psalm 16:11 (ESV): "You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore."

Reflection: Think about a command from God that you find challenging. How might this command be an invitation to deeper joy and fulfillment in your life?

Day 2: Inherent Desire for Happiness

The desire for perfect happiness is implanted in us by God. While we may not achieve it fully in this life due to the presence of danger, disease, and death, we can certainly become happier by embodying God's character traits like compassion, kindness, and forgiveness. [49:54]

Colossians 3:12-13 (ESV): "Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive."

Reflection: Identify one of God’s character traits that you struggle to embody. What practical steps can you take today to cultivate this trait in your life?

Day 3: Divinely Inspired Desires

Hungering and thirsting for righteousness aligns us with God's will, leading to long-term happiness. These divinely inspired desires fuel our actions, motivating us to live in ways that bring lasting joy and fulfillment. [01:01:04]

Matthew 5:6 (ESV): "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

Reflection: Reflect on a time when you felt a deep desire for righteousness. How did this desire influence your actions and contribute to your sense of fulfillment?

Day 4: Practical Steps for Growth

Cultivating Godly traits involves recognizing our incompetence, submitting to God's direction, and persistently practicing until we achieve competence. This process requires patience and persistence but ultimately leads to a transformation that aligns us more closely with God's character. [01:08:40]

2 Peter 1:5-7 (ESV): "For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to submit to God’s direction? How can you begin to practice this submission today?

Day 5: Importance of Action

To grow and become happier, we must put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. This involves doing compassionate, kind, and forgiving acts even before we feel capable or inclined to do so. Consistent practice leads to the development of these traits, resulting in a happier and more Christ-like life. [01:19:25]

Ephesians 4:22-24 (ESV): "To put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness."

Reflection: Think of a specific act of kindness or forgiveness you can perform today. How can you make this a regular practice in your life to develop a more Christ-like character?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

In our ongoing series, "I Just Want to Be Happy," we explore the profound truth that God deeply cares about our happiness. Contrary to the misconception that God is indifferent to our joy, He is a loving Father who desires the highest level of happiness for His children. However, He knows what truly brings happiness, which often conflicts with our limited understanding. The essence of God's will and word is designed to lead us to ultimate joy, even if it sometimes seems counterintuitive.

We discussed the inherent desire for happiness that God has implanted in us. While we may not achieve perfect happiness in this life due to the presence of danger, disease, and death, we can certainly become happier. The key lies in aligning our lives with God's character traits—compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience, forbearance, and forgiveness. These traits are hardwired into us because we are made in God's image. When we embody these qualities, we experience a deeper sense of happiness.

We also examined the concept of divinely inspired desires. When we hunger and thirst for righteousness, we align ourselves with God's will, leading to long-term happiness. This desire fuels our actions, motivating us to live in ways that bring lasting joy. God's commands are not arbitrary rules but invitations to experience life as He intended, which is the most fulfilling and joyful way to live.

Furthermore, we delved into the practical steps of cultivating these traits. It's not enough to merely desire them; we must actively practice them. This involves a cycle of recognizing our incompetence, submitting to God's direction, and persistently practicing until we achieve competence. This process requires patience and persistence but ultimately leads to a transformation that aligns us more closely with God's character.

Finally, we emphasized the importance of action. To truly grow and become happier, we must put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. This involves doing compassionate, kind, and forgiving acts even before we feel capable or inclined to do so. By consistently practicing these actions, we develop these traits, leading to a happier and more Christ-like life.

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Key Takeaways

1. term joy and fulfillment. [48:04]
2. Inherent Desire for Happiness: The desire for perfect happiness is implanted in us by God. While we may not achieve it fully in this life due to the presence of danger, disease, and death, we can certainly become happier by embodying God's character traits like compassion, kindness, and forgiveness.

3. Divinely Inspired Desires: Hungering and thirsting for righteousness aligns us with God's will, leading to long-term happiness. These divinely inspired desires fuel our actions, motivating us to live in ways that bring lasting joy and fulfillment.

4. Practical Steps for Growth: Cultivating Godly traits involves recognizing our incompetence, submitting to God's direction, and persistently practicing until we achieve competence. This process requires patience and persistence but ultimately leads to a transformation that aligns us more closely with God's character.

5. Importance of Action: To grow and become happier, we must put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. This involves doing compassionate, kind, and forgiving acts even before we feel capable or inclined to do so. Consistent practice leads to the development of these traits, resulting in a happier and more Christ-like life.

### [48:04]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[48:04] - God Desires Our Happiness
[48:49] - Misconceptions About God
[49:54] - Inherent Desire for Happiness
[50:31] - Perfect Happiness in Eternity
[51:11] - Traits of Happiness
[51:45] - Hardwired for Godly Traits
[52:34] - Consequences of Negative Traits
[53:26] - Key to Increasing Happiness
[54:12] - Vague Church Guidance
[55:33] - Apostle Paul's Teachings
[57:11] - Clothe Yourself with Godly Traits
[58:46] - Importance of Studying the Bible
[60:09] - Divinely Inspired Desires
[61:04] - Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
[63:45] - God's Commands as Invitations
[68:40] - Practical Steps for Growth
[79:25] - Importance of Action
[89:01] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to Colossians 3:12-14, what specific traits are believers encouraged to "clothe" themselves with?
In Matthew 5:6, what are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness promised?
What does Deuteronomy 5:29 reveal about God's desire for His people and the outcome of keeping His commands?

Interpretation Questions

How does embodying traits like compassion, kindness, and forgiveness contribute to our happiness according to the sermon? [51:11]
What does it mean to "hunger and thirst for righteousness," and how does this desire align us with God's will? [01:01:04]
How does the concept of "clothing ourselves" with godly traits relate to the process of spiritual growth and transformation? [57:11]

Application Questions

Reflect on a time when you felt happier after showing compassion or kindness. How did this experience align with the idea that embodying God's traits leads to happiness? [51:11]
Identify one area in your life where you struggle to forgive. What steps can you take this week to begin the process of forgiveness, even if you don't feel ready? [01:13:08]
Think about a situation where you felt a strong desire for righteousness. How did this desire influence your actions and decisions? How can you cultivate this desire more consistently? [01:01:04]
The sermon emphasized the importance of action in developing godly traits. What is one specific action you can take this week to "clothe yourself" with a trait like humility or patience? [57:11]
How can you incorporate regular Bible study into your routine to allow the word of Christ to dwell in you richly? What resources or strategies might help you stay consistent? [58:46]
Reflect on the idea that God's commands are invitations to experience life as He intended. How does this perspective change your approach to obedience and spiritual growth? [01:06:14]
Consider the concept of "doing what you can't until you can." What is one godly trait you find challenging, and how can you start practicing it even if it feels difficult or unnatural? [01:13:08]

Sermon Clips

1. "The father, he's a father at heart. He loves his kids. He wants his kids to be happy. Unfortunately, he knows exactly what will and will not make for happiness. We don't. And that's where the collision comes. But I just want to start by saying there is nothing in the word of God, nothing in the will of God that is not meant to bring to you, to me, the highest level of happiness possible." [48:04] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "In God's word, God is depicted as being the sweetest, kindest, most gentle, the most loving, the most intelligent, the most rational, the most understandable, almighty being in the universe. I worship him not because I'm afraid of him. I worship him because I have never seen anybody, anybody as beautiful and as trustworthy as this God that has revealed himself in the Bible and in Christ." [48:49] (24 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "It is a God-implanted desire in each of us to desire perfect happiness all the time. And we are destined for that. But right now, the bad news is we are not as happy as we would like to be. So never look around and think that somebody else is perfectly happy and you're not. That is not true. Secondly though, the good news is this. All of us can be, what is the word? Happier than we are." [49:54] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "Because God is compassionate, kind, humble, gentle, patient, forbearing and forgiving, when we knowingly or unknowingly align with those traits, it clicks inside of us and we are happier. Not perfectly happy, but happier. Contrast that when we're uncaring, when we're mean, when we're arrogant, harsh, impatient, intolerant, unforgiving, we are inevitably less happy. I don't care if you just hit the lottery. I don't care if you own the whole world. If you have these traits that are dominant within your personality, it is impossible. You can't be happy." [52:34] (34 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "Could it be that there's something really big that we leave out of those conditions that help us to grow? And I believe there is. And for some of you, you're going to say, well, Randy, I always knew that it's obvious. But for some of you, you're going to say, whoa, wow, that's been the missing piece. So for some of us, this message will help us to catalyze our growth on a whole different level because we've been kind of stymied, kind of stuck." [54:42] (25 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

6. "The cruciality of divinely inspired desires. In order for me to want to clothe myself with kindness and compassion and humility and gentleness and so forth, I have to find these desirable. And what I have said to you, I've kind of hinted, these will absolutely make you, make any human being happier. When we knowingly or unknowingly live in accord with the divine design that is planted inside of us, we are happier." [01:00:09] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

7. "You mean to tell me that all of your commands are invitations for my well-being. They're invitations for me to experience the highest, best, happiest life that a being can experience. You know what's best. I don't know what's best. I'm a fool. I try all kinds of things. You want what's best. You love me that much. And you are willing to tell me, Randy, don't do this. That's discordant with your nature. Do this. This is who you're really meant to be. And that's what will bring happiness." [01:06:14] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

8. "I have to start doing the compassionate things before I feel compassionate. I have to start being gentle doing the gentle thing although I may feel inside still irritated. I have to start being forbearing overlooking other people's flaws and idiosyncrasies whereas I might still really be irritated by them. More importantly, I may not feel like forgiving somebody. I may have 150 reasons for not forgiving them. They may all be justified but I am going to forgive them. I'm going to choose to forgive them before I feel like forgiving them." [01:22:07] (38 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

9. "So how do we put on these characteristics that we read about these characteristics that we all agreed make for a happier lifestyle in other words if I'm compassionate kind humble gentle patient forbearing and forgiving I'm going to be happier but how do I put these on I just start doing these things before I feel them before they're comfortable before they're natural and it's in the doing that we develop this is the missing piece in so much Christian teaching." [01:22:07] (29 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

10. "Godly people, what does it say? They bless and it's true when you and I are growing in godliness to be like our father we are not going to be like our father we are going to be like our father are a blessing to ourself we will be happier and we will bless everybody else's path that we cross and I'm going to tell you the more we see that our life is blessing others that people are glad they met us they're glad that they crossed our paths and you see the benefit that you bring to another human being's life your happiness level cannot help but increase." [01:27:41] (36 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

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