Ridgell's Originals

I am a genuinely happy guy and it is all because of Jesus.

But he did not die to make me happy.  Nor did he die for your happiness.

Jesus died on the cross so my sins could be forgiven, so I could be in relationship with God, and so I could spend all of eternity with him.

And being happy is a by-product of those things.  No matter what happens in this world, I will be content because of Jesus.  It was Paul that said he has learned the secret of being content.  No matter what happens in life.  And the secret is that we can make it thru anything with Jesus.  

Jesus does not call me to be happy.  He calls me to follow him and be faithful.  And when I do that, I find happiness.

But when you think the reason Jesus died was so you could be happy, it becomes easy to blame Jesus when things in our lives do not go the way we want.

Jesus wants me to be happy, I am not happy, so Jesus is now a problem.  Or Jesus wants me to be happy, and I am not happy, so Jesus wants me to do whatever it takes to be happy.

And this thinking impacts how we view relationships, church, possessions, and people.

The call of Jesus is not to be happy.

The call of Jesus is to deny yourself, take up the cross, and follow him.

And you will find joy, peace, and contentment.

Until the day when God wipes away all the tears, and there is no more pain and no more sorrow.

Because of Jesus we will live with God forever.

And that makes me happy.