Written by Pastor Jack Wellman– John Hagee
Devotional: 4 Ways Jesus Brings Happiness
Being of Good Cheer
Jesus said that we should have peace, even if we go through tribulation in the world. We ought to be of good cheer (or happy) because He has overcome the world (John 16:33), and if Jesus has overcome the world and we have put our trust in Him, that is good news for us, too. The Book of Revelation is not the Revelation of the Apostle John, but in reality it is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which He gave to show His servants and was delivered by an angel of God to the Apostle John (Rev 1:1). One of the things written in this book that we should be most happy about is the fact that God’s going to wipe away every tear, and it will be the end of sorrow, pain, crying, and, most importantly, death (Rev 21:4). That ought to cheer us up and keep us in good cheer until He returns again.
Nothing without Him, All Things through Him
Paul wrote that we can do all things–at least if it’s God’s will–through Jesus Christ, Who will strengthen us to do it (Phil 4:13), but apart from Christ, we can do nothing at all (John 15:5). Nothing is not a little something. Shouldn’t that be an occasion for joy and make us happy that if we are in the will of God and ask anything in His name, He’ll grant it for us (John 15:7)? What greater joy or happiness is there than to know that our sins are forgiven and we now have the righteousness of Christ (2 Cor 5:21)? I can’t think of any greater reason to be happy than to be one of God’s own children, can you?
The Wisdom of Christ Brings Happiness
The old proverb says that the man who gains wisdom and achieves understanding is happy (Prov 3:13), or at least should be. No wonder Paul said we ought to always rejoice, or rejoice without stopping (1 Thess 5:16), because the joy of the Lord and knowing Him is a source of strength (Psalm 28:7; Neh 8:10). Joy is just another way of describing uncontainable happiness, isn’t it? When Paul said we ought to rejoice, the prefix “re” means to repeat it or reload it, so keep on being happy and don’t cease, for we have no reason to stop.
The Happiness of Forgiveness
Jesus has been setting people free from their sins for centuries, and if He has set you free, you are free indeed (John 8:36)! We are free from sin. We are free from the fear of death and God’s judgment. That is why Jesus is in the happiness business.
